Impacts of McClelland's Needs Theory in Workplace Components

McClelland’s Manifest Needs Theory
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McClelland’s Manifest Needs Theory
McClelland’s Manifest Needs Theory is a motivational theory developed by David McClelland, an American psychologist. He believed that individual specific needs are acquired over time and molded with the person's experiences with life (Osemeke et al., 2017). The theory states that one’s behavior is motivated by the desire to satisfy three manifest needs: achievement, power, and affiliation. According to McClelland (1977), people do not inherit these needs but develop them through culture and life experiences. He further posited that every individual has these needs regardless of their culture, demography, or wealth.
The need for achievement is the urge to accomplish something or succeed in a competitive situation. They desire to prove their prowess over others. Such people set logically difficult but potentially attainable goals. They also accept moderate risks and are more concerned with personal achievement than rewards of success. McClelland (1977) argued that the achievement need is culturally acquired and is a primary psychological attribute of entrepreneurs based on the characteristics of individuals motivated by achievement.
The need for power is a person’s desire to hold control and authority over others. People with this need seek high-level positions in the workplace to exercise influence and control over others because such posts allow them to acquire leadership with power (Rybnicek et al., 2019). They are outspoken, demanding, realistic, and like participating in conversations. According to McClelland (1977), leaders use two aspects of power: positive and negative. Positive power is necessary when a leader desires to accomplish results through other people's efforts. Negative power involves using power for personal aggrandizement (McClelland, 1977). The latter causes harm to the organization.
The need for affiliation is the desire to have an interpersonal and social relationship with others. People with this need seek to establish and maintain friendships and emotional ties with others (Steinmann et al., 2016). They always want others to love them because they derive pleasure from being loved and tend to avoid rejection pain. Such people prefer jobs that require regular communication with co-workers because they are extroverts. Their extroversion enables them to work effectively in social interaction roles and client services.
Impact of McClelland’s Manifest Needs Theory on Working in Teams
People’s intrinsic abilities, their constructed skills from experience, resources, and motivations are significant and independent factors that assist McClelland’s Manifest needs theory to be accomplished. Understanding one’s motivational needs with the use of this theory characterize a person's style and behavior, particularly in the workplace and any other task that requires teamwork (Thiagaraj & Thangaswamy, 2017). McClelland’s manifest need theory impacts collaboration in various ways.
Firstly, this theory encourages individuals to work as a team by ...