We develop different perspectives of motivation and learn what motivates different people

from different backgrounds. Careful analysis helps us to map motivation on the framework

of belief, values, perception, attitude and behavior.

McClelland’s Need Theory:

McClelland’s Need Theory is one such theory that explains the process of motivation by
breaking down what and how needs are and how they have to be approached. David
McClelland was an American Psychologist who developed his theory of needs or
Achievement Theory of Motivation which revolves around three important aspects, namely,
Achievement, Power and Affiliation.

Case Fact (Monica Chi):

In the story of Monica Chi, we find that what exactly motivates employees and drives them
to work at their full potential. Drivers of motivation are different for different people.
Monica was motivated by the sacrifice of her parents, their role model, their hard work and
their desire to raise a family with certain values. Learning and Growth were two motivating
drivers for her. She is not motivated through external motivators like money and title which
shows that she does not have need for power rather, making progress in certain challenges
taken by her motivates her which shows that she has need for achievement. She also talks
about how happy she is with her achievements and senses her pride in them. This can be
inferred by using the Motivational Theory i.e., McClelland’s need Theory. We can make this
observation as she takes up goals of moderate difficulty to be assured of achieving them. In
this case she talks of breaking down tasks and achieves them one at a time. She was also
extrinsically motivated to get into HBS as this would make her parents (external factor)
proud. The tools that can be used to motivate her are: Job design, this is more concerned
about the type and challenge of her work as compared to other motivators. Barriers to
motivate Monica would be: attitude towards employees, as her boss would motivate her by
money and not by challenging work.
ERG Theory:

Alderfer’s ERG Theory is the extension of Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy, wherein the Maslow’s
five needs are categorized into three categories, Viz. Existence Needs, Relatedness Needs,
and Growth Needs.

Case Fact (Monica Chi):

Monica’s had always wanted to make her parents proud, especially by making a difference
in the world and having an impact in the community thereby following the example they
had set for her. More than the Extrinsic benefits of her achievements, she is happier about
the fact that her parents use it to fuel their pride. This type of motivation rises from her
need to maintain interpersonal relationships, which in turn refers to the Relatedness part of
Alderfer’s ERG Theory. Learning and personal growth were also huge motivating drivers for
her, which is again explained by the Growth aspect of the ERG theory.
Goal Setting Theory:
Goal-setting theory refers to the effects of setting goals on subsequent performance.
Researcher Edwin Locke found that individuals who set specific, difficult goals performed
better than those who set general, easy goals. Locke proposed five basic principles of goal-
setting: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and task complexity.
Case Fact (Monica Chi):

One of the most powerful individual factors influencing intrinsic motivation is challenge
itself. The belief that we are making acceptable progress toward a goal, along with the
expected satisfaction of goal attainment, enhances self-efficacy and sustains motivation. As
we work toward our goals, we are motivated to the extent that we receive feedback and
feel that our eventual success will enhance our self-esteem. We see this being effective in
Monica’s story as she made tremendous satisfaction by making substantive progress in
areas where she had not been able to in the past.