Chicago Hope

People who have a high need for achievement are motivated to set challenging but realizable goals, they have the desire to exercise tasks with responsibilities and they expect feedback on their performance but they are less concerned with relationships and then are task-oriented. These characteristics are not suitable for managers and supervisors whose responsibility is to get work done through people.

David Mc Clelland focused on developing and identifying motivational differences between individuals in order to establish what leads them to effective performance and success at work. Mc Clelland's theory can be useful in helping managers, supervisors, to recognize the different ways people behave at work. Recognizing individual differences is an important starting point in the attempt to understand motivation.

I choose two individuals that I work with as examples of how this theory is applicable in the workplace. First is Sabrina, who has worked for the company less than 2 years as a professional. She is highly motivated and highly competitive. She is extremely focused and is driven by difficult tasks. She builds close relationships with her co-workers but becomes upset easily if they don't perform at her level of productivity. She loves influencing people to get her way and belonging to organizations. She enjoys working in a team environment but is often irritated by the lack of involvement of some members. Second is Paul, who has been with the company for over 5 years as a professional. He is highly focused on his work and is rarely distracted. He is motivated to strive hard and enjoys setting high goals and completing difficult tasks. He loves to be in charge. He would much rather work alone than with a team and is uninterested in cultivating relationships with co-workers. He has no desire to join work organizations. He does have the need to know how is work is progressing and enjoys influencing others.