Motivation in Workplace: An Analysis of McClellan's Achievement Theory

This essay delves into McClellan's achievement motivation theory, exploring its relevance to employee motivation in the workplace. It discusses the core concepts of the theory, including the needs for achievement, power, and affiliation, and how these needs influence individual behavior and job satisfaction. The essay also examines the practical application of the theory in enhancing workplace dynamics through non-monetary incentives, employee recognition, and challenging task assignments. Furthermore, it addresses the limitations of the theory, such as the difficulty in identifying individual needs and the lack of a direct cause-and-effect relationship between needs and behavior. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of McClellan's theory in achieving organizational goals and maintaining a motivated workforce in a competitive market.

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Introduction
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”.
“McClellan's achievement motivation theory”
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).
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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
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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
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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.
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References
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