The€Need for Achievement€(N-Ach), is the extent to which a person wants to perform d

ifficult and challenging tasks on a high level. Some characteristics of high N-A
ch people:
They want to have success and need to receive positive feedback often.
They seek to stretch themselves and thus tend to avoid both low-risk and high-ri
sk situations. They avoid low-risk situations because the easily attained succes
s is not a genuine achievement. In high-risk projects, achievers see the outcome
as one of chance rather than a result of their own effort. Compare:€Attribution T
heory
They like to work alone or with other high achievers.
McClelland believes that these people make the best leaders, although there can
be a tendency to demand too much of their staff in the belief that they are all
also highly results driven.
The€Need for Affiliation€(N-Affil) means that people seek good interpersonal relatio
ns with others. Some characteristics of high N-Affil people:
They want to be liked and accepted by others, and attach importance to a persona
l interaction.
They tend to conform to the norms of their work group.
They strive to make and keep relationships with a high amount of trust and mutua
l understanding.
They prefer cooperation over competition.
Obviously, they perform well in customer service and client interaction situatio
ns.
McClelland believed that a strong Need for Affiliation undermines the objectivit
y and decision-making capability of managers.
The€Need for Power€(N-Pow) is typical for people who like to be in charge.
They can be grouped into two types: personal and institutional power.
People with a high need for personal power want to direct and influence others.
A high need for institutional power means that people like to organize the effor
ts of others to achieve the goals of the organization.
High power people enjoy competition and status-oriented positions.
While these people are attracted to leadership roles, they may not possess the r
equired flexibility and people-centered skills.
Managers with a high need for institutional power tend to be more effective than
those with a high need for personal power.
Generally, all three needs are present in each individual. They are shaped and a
cquired over time by the cultural background of the individual and his life expe
rience. Training can be used to modify a need profile. Nevertheless, one of the
needs is the dominant one, also depending on the personality. Unlike€Maslow, McCle
lland did not specify any transition stages among the needs.
The importance of the different needs at work depends upon the position one occu
pies. The need for achievement and the need for power are typical for middle and
top managers.
McClelland's concept is also referred to as the€Learned Needs Theory,€Acquired Needs
Theory, and€Three Needs Theory.
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ORIGIN OF THE THEORY OF NEEDS. HISTORY
McClelland's Theory of Needs was based on the Theory of Personality by Henry Mur
ray (1938). Murray described a comprehensive model of human needs and motivation
al processes.
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ASSESSING THE NEEDS OF MCCLELLAND. TEST
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) can help a person to find out which type of
job would be preferable according to his dominant need. By showing the test per
son a series of ambiguous pictures, he or she is then asked to develop a spontan
eous story for each picture. The underlying assumption is that the test person w
ill project his or her own needs into the story. The score can then be used to r
ecommend a special type of job for which the person might be well suited.
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