McClelland’s needs theory, also known as the three-needs theory, the theory of acquired needs, the theory of motivational needs, and the theory of learned needs, is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs of success, power and belonging affect people. people’s actions needs in the context of business management.
In the early 1940s, Abraham Maslow created his theory of needs, which identified the basic needs of the human being, in order of importance: physiological needs, security needs, needs for belonging, recognition and self-realization.
- Two decades later.
- David McClelland based this work on his book The Achieving Society.
- In this publication.
- McClelland identified three motivating factors that he felt were present at all: the need for achievement.
- The need for belonging.
- And the need for power.
People would have different characteristics depending on their dominant motivator. According to McClelland’s needs theory, these motivating factors are learned. Therefore, this theory is often called learned needs theory.
McClelland stated that regardless of gender, culture or age, we all have three dominant motivators, and one of them will be our main motivator. This main motivator depends heavily on our culture and our life experience.
The three dominant needs identified by McClelland in needs theory are:
Next, we’ll look at more details, this time applied to a business context.
From a business management perspective, McClelland’s needs theory can help identify people’s dominant motivations in a team and also help improve decision-making and targeting processes, feedback, and the management of incentives and rewards.
These motivators can also be used to divide work according to the characteristics of each team member for greater efficiency.
The need for success is the need to succeed in what the person does, it is this need that drives her to work and even fight for the goal she wants to achieve, high-income people always work to excel, avoiding these particular situations. :
People motivated by the need to succeed often have a strong desire to set and meet difficult goals. Your preference is to work in a results-oriented work environment and always appreciate feedback about your work.
People who rely on success tend to take calculated risks to achieve their goals, which can include low- and high-risk environments, depending on potential rewards. Generally prefer to work alone, this type of personality believes in a hierarchical structure derived mainly from achievements based on hard work.
When it comes to feedback, people motivated by success need a fair and balanced assessment, they want to know what they’re doing right, what they’re doing wrong, and where and how they can improve.
The need for belonging is the need for a person to have interpersonal and social relationships with other people or with a particular group of people. These people always seek to work as a group, creating friendly and lasting relationships.
In addition, they have a great need to feel loved by others, enjoy working with others and generally avoid high risk and uncertainty.
Individuals motivated by the needs of belonging within the theory of needs feel good when their environment, including the group itself, provides signs of belonging.
They enjoy spending their time socializing and maintaining relationships and have a strong desire to be loved and accepted. These people are attached to the basics and have little need to change things, mainly for fear of being rejected.
These people tend to adhere to workplace rules and culture and generally do not attempt to change them for fear of being rejected. Collaboration is the way to work for them, competition remains secondary. These people work effectively in roles based on social interactions, such as Customer Contact Service Stations.
When giving feedback to the group, it is important for them and for the motivation that there is also a personal and individual appreciation. It is important to emphasize how a person has been up to the expectations and confidence that has been placed in them. In addition, we must keep in mind that these people often do not excel, so it is better to talk to them in private.
The need for power reflects the degree of desire a person can feel to maintain control, to have authority over others, and to influence and modify their decision according to their own abilities and desires.
The need to improve their self-esteem and reputation motivates these people, who want their opinions and ideas to be accepted and implemented at the expense of the opinions and ideas of others.
These people, if they have enough capacity to satisfy their desire, tend to become strong leaders; Furthermore, they can belong to two groups: that of the motivators of personal power or that of the motivators of institutional power. First group, motivators of personal power, will need to control others, on the contrary, an institutional power motivator will seek to direct and coordinate a team towards a goal.
In both cases, the competition motivates them and they like to win arguments, status and recognition are motivating, as are being the leader of a winning team.
They are disciplined and expect the same from their peers and their team, feedback to these power-motivated people should be quite direct, and their income can be increased in companies that help them achieve their professional aspirations.
There is another theory similar to McClelland’s theory of needs: the theory of Sirota’s three factors. Sirota’s theory of the three factors also suggests three similar motivators, which are: justice or impartiality, camaraderie and achievements.
An important difference between Sirota’s theory and McClelland’s needs theory is that, according to Sirota, everyone starts a new job with enthusiasm and motivation, willing to do well. Over time, poor company policies or other adverse conditions cause employees to lose their jobs. motivation at work. In turn, McClelland’s theory states that a cross motivator is an invaluable incentive for workers.