David McClelland is one of the most cited psychologists of the 20th century thanks to ideas like his Acquired Needs Theory of Motivation. In this theory, McClelland proposed that the specific needs of every individual are actually acquired over time. These needs are also shaped by the experiences that each individual happens to have.
By separating these needs into three specific classifications, McClelland theorized, it would become possible to measure the effectiveness of an individual in specific job functions. This is because the activities, decisions, and output of each individual would be influenced by those three specific needs.
What Are the Three Needs of the Acquired Needs Theory of Motivation?
Sometimes McClelland’s theory is referred to as the Learned-Needs Theory or the Three Needs Theory because the classification of needs is central to the core ideas offered. Here are the three classifications that McClelland offers for consideration.
1. Achievement.
When an individual has a high need for achievement, then their desire to excel will cause them to avoid situations that are either high-risk or low-risk in nature. Low-risk situations would not provide an opportunity to move forward, while high-risk situations are often seen as an outcome of chance instead of skill. People with this need constantly evaluate risk and will make choices when there is a greater than 50% chance for success to be had.
2. Affiliation.
When an individual has a high need for affiliation, then they begin looking for relationships that provide their lives with balance and harmony. There is a direct desire to be accepted by other people and groups. Individuals with this need will typically conform to the social norms of the groups they prefer and want significant levels of social interaction.
3. Power.
There are two types of power which an individual may try to seek out: institutional or personal. Some may feel a need for one or the other, while others may seek out both forms of power. When an individual has a high need for power, then they want the ability to direct others. Institutional power needs also indicate a desire for organization, which makes them more effective as a supervisor because the goals are directed toward the needs of the company instead of their personal needs.
In order to identify what the personal needs of each individual happen to be, McClelland developed the Thematic Apperception Test. This tool helps to measure how a person’s individual needs at the moment of assessment fit into the three classifications that are offered by this theory. Individuals are presented with a series of pictures and asked to write a short story for each one.
The assumption is that each individual will project their own personal needs into each story that is written. This would allow for the stories to be examined to determine what that person’s needs happen to be.
What the Acquired Needs Theory of Motivation Means for Management
People who have different needs are going to require different forms of motivation. If someone has a need for affiliation, for example, then their greatest output will come from an environment where they can work with others as a team. If you were to place an individual with a high need for affiliation into a position that required a lot of alone time and individualized work, then they would be de-motivated and their output would suffer.
If someone were to have a high need for achievement, then assigning this person tasks that were challenging, be reachable, would allow them to have this need met. Motivation would occur through frequent feedback, which for this type of person, often involves extra money, benefits, or other “perks” of the job.
And if someone were to have a high need for power, they would be a potential candidate for a supervisory position. Power seekers should be evaluated to determine if the reasons behind their need are related to organizational desires or personal desires to make sure the best possible results can be achieved.
Can a Person’s Needs Change Over Time?
People change as they grow older. This is because they have new experiences from which they can draw upon. It’s been said that you “can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” but that may be because there is no effort to meet the changing needs of the individual.
Sometimes people decide that they no longer seek out power and would rather have affiliation. Or achievement becomes less critical to the ability to have some level of power. By instituted proper training programs and using a tool like McClellands’s Acquired Needs Theory of Motivation, each person’s needs at the moment can be met more effectively and that will help to improve output levels.