Increasing Your Personal Power by Identifying Dominant Motivators

Humans have five basic physiological needs: food, water, air, shelter, and clothing. However, few of us would be satisfied with only those necessities to survive. We naturally want more in life, so we move in the direction of our motivational needs — the forces within us that influence our general behavioral tendencies and account for our desires. It is by meeting those needs that we generate psychological growth and development. In his 1961 book, The Achieving Society, American psychologist David C. McClelland shares his research and analysis of motivational need and how it impacts the workforce. His theory of needs has since been adopted by countless organizations to help leaders determine the factors that motivate their team members. 

McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory (also known as The Three Needs Theory) explains that most people have three central motivators regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or age. We are driven by the need for achievement, the need for power, or the need for affiliation. While all these motivators are present within us, none of them are inherent. They are developed through our culture and life experiences — and one always dominates over the others. Our dominant motivator then serves as the underlying drive for our actions and behaviors in life.  

Being able to recognize the best way to motivate an employee is one of the many benefits that come from understanding motivational needs. According to Dr. Beata Sounders, “Learning about motivation is valuable because it helps us understand where motivation comes from, why it changes, what increases and decreases it, and what aspects of it can and cannot be changed.” Motivation theory also helps us to answer the question of why some types of motivation are more beneficial than others. Once leaders learn to identify motivational needs, they can begin to increase the level of influence they have over employees. 

Sounders goes on to explain why motivation is crucial within the workplace. She writes, “It allows us to change behavior, develop competencies, be creative, set goals, grow interests, make plans, develop talents, and boost engagement.” In turn, organizations see an increase in quality and productivity, lower levels of absenteeism, higher rates of retention, and improved relations between employees and management. All these changes ultimately help organizations achieve goals, such as increasing revenue and improving professional relationships.  

Since it is not always easy to recognize another person’s dominant motivational need, leaders must look for clues to help them. For example, they may assess an employee’s unique thought patterns, feelings, or behaviors. A recent article by Dr. Serhat Kurt explains that all people have distinct personality traits and behaviors that reflect their dominant motivational needs. Therefore, if leaders and employers take more time to speak and interact with their employees, they will be able to determine each person’s dominant need as well as the most effective strategies for motivating him or her. These strategies may be based upon achievement, power, or affiliation.  

Achievement

Achievement motivation can be defined as a person’s desire to work toward his or her highest performance level simply for the sake of doing so. It does not matter what rewards may or may not be offered after the achievement has been met. In an organization, employees who are motivated by achievement are often described as moderate risk takers who are highly engrossed in their work. Tasks that present little to no challenge will not garner the recognition they desire, and tasks that are outside of their comfort zone will pose too much of a risk. Kurt adds that achievement-oriented individuals will change the situation or the location if they feel like it is not meeting their needs, and they dislike working in groups as they have limited control over the outcome. Instead, they prefer to work alone — where the results are clear and visible. Achievement-motivated employees also tend to exhibit the following characteristics:  

• They hold themselves to lofty standards and take personal responsibility for their work. 
• They find it difficult to share the workload because they fear failure.  

• They tend to be fierce competitors who want to win at any cost.  
• They value frequent feedback and recognition for their work. 

Power

The National Institutes of Health defines power motivation as “the tendency to be pleased by having influence over other individuals and displeasure at potential external influence on oneself.” Unlike those motivated by achievement and affiliation, power-motivated individuals tend to embrace high-risk situations to show their superiority. However, this tendency does not mean that people with a high need for power are always domineering. According to Kurt, many of these individuals “do not seek to implement a dictatorship but hope to motivate others, delegate responsibility and influence those around them.” The core concept of the need for power emphasizes the influence — not the domination, of others. For example, a coach allows team members to play the game while he or she assesses their movements and makes decisions. Kurt explains, “The players are aware of their responsibilities and are highly skilled to perform them.” Power-motivated employees have a similar relationship with their colleagues and subordinates at work and often exhibit the following characteristics:  

• They look for compliance over approval or recognition.  
• They enjoy competition and debate.  

• They do not place a lot of importance on teamwork or being part of a team.  
• They prefer being in charge, so they can get things done the way they want them to be done. 

Affiliation

The National Institutes of Health defines affiliative motivation as “a concern over establishing, maintaining, or restoring positive affective relationships with others.” Individuals who are driven by affiliative power value being part of a social group but avoid situations in which they may face rejection or uncomfortable boundaries within their relationships. In a work setting, affiliative motivation can encourage coworkers to communicate clearly and develop close relationships with one another, which leads to a sense of community. An article from Indeed suggests that employees with affiliative motivation may find enjoyment from acting as a support member on a team. They may also exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: 

• They cooperate with others and agree with group decisions.  
• They want to be involved and feel as if they belong to a group. 

• They thrive as supportive team members but are not as comfortable in leadership roles.  
• They easily identify positive attributes of team members and form strong personal relationships.  

For leaders and organizations interested in using McClelland’s Theory of Needs to help motivate their employees, Indeed suggests following four simple steps:  

STEP 1

Begin by determining the driver — the dominant need that motivates each of your employees. This can be accomplished by observing employees, engaging them in conversations, or asking them to complete a short questionnaire. Indeed suggests asking them questions that will help to determine their primary driver: achievement, power, or affiliation. For example, you may inquire if they would rather give or receive directions. You could also ask employees if they enjoy challenges or if they prefer to perform tasks that they have already mastered. Afterward, assess the answers you receive to identify each person’s dominant motivational need. 

STEP 2

Once you have successfully identified the employees’ drivers, utilize the information you have gleaned to start producing strategies for motivating them. For example, you could give power-motivated individuals more opportunities to lead others, and provide achievement-oriented employees with new, challenging assignments as often as possible. Meanwhile, affiliation-driven employees could be given opportunities to collaborate with other people and build meaningful relationships. 

STEP 3

Next, devise a plan of action for taking what you have learned about your employees and implementing new practices that directly support their motivational drivers. One example would be making sure affiliation-motivated employees have plenty of opportunities to work with others. Even if their job responsibilities are primarily independent, place them in an area of the office where they can interact with others. 

STEP 4

Finally, observe the method you have employed and refine as needed. If there is an increase in productivity and engagement, you will know that your method is working. However, if employees lack motivation or seem unhappy at work, you may need to try a different approach.  

Overall, McClelland developed the Human Motivation Theory to gain a better understanding of how a need for achievement, power, or affiliation impacts people in a management or organizational context, his ideas continue to be used today to assess work performance. In general, if you can determine what drives people, you will be able to place them in the right roles for their specific strengths. In turn, you will help your employees achieve a higher level of job satisfaction, and your organization will reap the benefits of a more productive workforce. To learn more about motivational needs and increasing your personal power, contact JH Miles and Associates.