McClellan’s achievement motivation theory
It has been seen that motivation plays a great role to boost the overall productivity level of the people. Without motivation it is not possible for the individual to achieve success. Success can only be attained in the workplace when employees are motivated towards the overall activities of the company. So, in this paper, the focus will be given on the concept of motivation in which one of the popular theories will be used that will help to enhance the overall motivation of the employees in the workplace.
In this paper, the broad concept of motivation will be related to the employees in the workplace will be discussed by taking into consideration one of the popular theory which is “McClellan’s achievement motivation theory”.
In the first phase of the report, the discussion will be made on the theory of motivation. Also the application of the theory in the workplace will be discussed that how this theory can be implemented in the workplace. In the next phase limitation will be elaborated in context to “McClellan’s achievement motivation theory”. The last phase of the report will be the concluding part that will be the overall summary of the paper. The thesis statement will be related to “McClellan’s achievement motivation theory in the workplace”.
This is considered as one of the motivation theory that will help to enhance the level of motivation in the workplace. McClellan’s achievement motivation theory is also related with the learning concepts. This theory states that if the need of the person is strong then it affects the overall behavior of the person which can also lead to the overall satisfaction of the requirement. The main concept of this theory is that the needs are considered by copping it with another environment. There are various needs that can be learned and also the behavior which can be considered as the rewards. It has been seen that need for achievement focuses on the desires to independently consider the ideas and other people so that it can be simple to enhance the self-esteem of the person to exercise the talent of other (Carsrud, Brännback, Elfving & Brandt, 2017).
In this theory it has been seen that the need of achievement, power and affiliation also influence the overall behavior of the person which is important to be understood in context to the managerial activities. It can also been examined that McClelland also created a descriptive set of factors which shows the high level of achievement. The factors are related to need for achievement, need for power, need for affiliation and need for avoidance.
Need for achievement is related with the urge to attain something. It is a requirement of accomplishing the overall competency. It is the need of the person to achieve success and also to maintain the high standards. It is link with the actions and also need is influenced by internal drivers for actions which are considered by the prospects of others (Kanfer, Frese & Johnson, 2017).
Next is related to affiliation motivation which focuses on the need for love and belongingness. Power and authority is also the factor which is required to have control on the work of others. These persons are motivated and also have the strong need to achieve success in their ideas.
Application of the theory in the workplace
McClellan’s achievement theory in the workplace is one of the important theories that should be considered by the top management so that it can be to manage the activities. By considering this theory it has been seen that job satisfaction can be enhanced without the expense of any monetary incentives. This theory can be considered so that it can be simple to reward the self-motivated achievers. With the help of this theory it can be simple to use the feedback and motivational methods. The feedback should be given to the employees in the workplace so that they can get to know about their negative aspects. This theory can also help to emphasize on creating the culture of employee recognition. This theory helps to refocus towards the non-monetary incentives (Lazaroiu, 2015).
McClellan’s achievement theory also helps to fulfill the work setting environment. It has been seen that employees who actively participate in enhancing the job duties can seek out the other employment. Also the staff turnovers should be reduced so that it can be simple to enhance the overall satisfaction of the employees working in the workplace. This theory is beneficial as it helps the employees to consider the right actions for the overall operation of the company (Kaplan & Patrick, 2016). Through this theory it can be simple to encourage the managers to offer staff with the vast range of opportunities so that the goals and objectives related to work can be attained. There are many people who are motivated through achievement in the workplace like it has been seen that people who are the good performers always focus towards excelling in the specific field. It has been examined that people who are motivated by achievement will emphasize on working on the projects whose outcome are based on the efforts (Brunstein & Heckhausen, 2018).
Also it can be stated that need for the power is considered as the desire which help to control the overall action of the people. It has been seen that people who focuses on this personality will be more argumentative and also influencing so that they can achieve more success. They are also considered for their own attitude which takes into consideration discipline (Schoen, 2015).
It has been seen that there are many employees in the workplace who have different nature. It is important to identify and recognize the nature so that it can be simple to motivate the employees. There are many employees with different nature so it is important to maintain high level of motivation in various different ways (Knapp, Breitenecker & Khan, 2015). It can be stated that employees who are motivated through achievement should be given the challenging tasks so that their goals can be attained. With low risk tasks it has been seen that it is not worth spending time and efforts (Miner, 2015).
There are some employees who are motivated through the power. Employees who come in this category have a strong desire to attain power so that they can manage their self and also they become committed towards the duty also when their payment are comparatively less (Cardador, Northcraft & Whicker, 2017).
It has been seen that employees whose motivation is considered by affiliation which focuses on the cooperative working environment. The employees can also prefer working in the groups and also they can be restrictive to transfer their preference. This can also be considered when their transfer is beneficial for personal development (Scheffer & Heckhausen, 2018). Employees that have such quality can perform in a good way when they are assigned the task related to social interaction. Like customer service and also front desk clerk.
Limitation of the theory
It has been seen that there are various limitations in context to McClellan’s achievement theory in the workplace. First limitation is related to the need and satisfaction which is considered as the psychological thing. There are many people who are not aware of their needs so in this it can create issue for the managers to focus on understanding the needs of the employees. For the top management it can be difficult to emphasize on the needs and requirement of the customers. It can also create an issue for the top management to enhance the overall satisfaction level of the employees in the workplace (Senko, 2016).
Also there is no direct cause and effect relation that emphasizes on the need and behavior. One specific need can also cause different types of behavior in different individuals. It has been seen that a person behavior is the overall outcome of the different needs. It has been seen that physiological and safety needs are also essential so that it can be simple to enhance the overall satisfaction level of the employees (Miner, 2015).
Conclusion
So, by focusing on all the aspects it is seen that McClellan’s achievement theory in the workplace it important to motivate employees. It can be stated that it should be considered by the management so that it can be simple to enhance the level of motivation of the employees. It has been seen that if this motivation theory is taken into consideration then it can be simple for the employees to complete the difficult tasks which are assigned to them. McClellan’s achievement theory is considered as the best theory related to motivation which can help in accomplishing the goals and objectives in an effective manner.
If this theory is considered by the top management then it can be simple to achieve success in the competitive market. It has been seen that with the factor related to achievement in McClellan’s achievement theory it can be easy to the management to motivate the employees in the workplace. So, it can be stated that McClellan’s achievement theory is one of the best theory that should be considered by the top management so that it can be easy to achieve success in the market.
References
Brunstein, J. C., & Heckhausen, H. (2018). Achievement motivation. In Motivation and action (pp. 221-304). Springer, Cham.
Cardador, M. T., Northcraft, G. B., & Whicker, J. (2017). A theory of work gamification: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something cool?. Human Resource Management Review, 27(2), 353-365.
Carsrud, A., Brännback, M., Elfving, J., & Brandt, K. (2017). Motivations: The entrepreneurial mind and behavior. In Revisiting the Entrepreneurial Mind (pp. 185-209). Springer, Cham.
Kanfer, R., Frese, M., & Johnson, R. E. (2017). Motivation related to work: A century of progress. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3),pp. 338.
Kaplan, A., & Patrick, H. (2016). Learning environments and motivation. Handbook of motivation at school, 2(6), 254-274.
Knapp, M. T., Breitenecker, R. J., & Khan, M. S. (2015). Achievement motivation diversity and entrepreneurial team performance: The mediating role of cohesion. European Journal of International Management, 9(5), 593-613.
Lazaroiu, G. (2015). Work motivation and organizational behavior. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, 7(2),pp.66.
Miner, J. B. (2015). Achievement Motivation Theory: David McClelland. In Organizational Behavior 1 (pp. 62-76). Routledge.
Miner, J. B. (2015). Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge.
Scheffer, D., & Heckhausen, H. (2018). Trait theories of motivation. In Motivation and action (pp. 67-112). Springer, Cham.
Schoen, J. L. (2015). Effects of implicit achievement motivation, expected evaluations, and domain knowledge on creative performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(3), pp.319-338.
Senko, C. (2016). Achievement goal theory. Handbook of motivation at school, 75(6),pp.5.
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