Acquired-Needs Theory

Acquired-Needs Theory

McClelland’s acquired-needs theory argues that our needs are acquired or learned on the basis of our life
experience.
1. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) measures the needs for achievement, affiliation, and
power.
2. The need of achievement (nAch) is the desire to accomplish challenging tasks and achieve a
standard of excellence in one’s work.
3. The need for affiliation (nAff) is the desire to maintain warm, friendly relationships with others.
4. The need for power (nPow) is the desire to influence others and control one’s environment.
a. Personal power is the need for power in which individuals want to dominate others for the
sake of demonstrating their ability to wield power.
b. Institutional power is the need for power in which individuals focus on what they can do to
solve problems and further organizational goals.
5. The need profile of successful managers in competitive environments appears to include:
a. A moderate-to-high need for institutional power.
b. A moderate need for achievement to facilitate individual contributions early in one’s career and
a desire for the organization to maintain a competitive edge as one moves to higher levels
c. At least a minimum need for affiliation to provide sufficient sensitivity for influencing others.
d. Need for achievement may actually be more important than need for power in running small or
large, decentralized companies.
6. It may be possible to foster the needs for achievement and for institutional power through training.

Significance for Managers

Many aspects of need theories are of value to managers.
1. Need theories are compatible in pointing out the importance of higher-level needs as a source of
motivation.

2. Research indicates that it is more likely that individuals differ in the makeup of their need structures
than that the need structures of individuals are basically the same.

2. Research indicates that it is more likely that individuals differ in the makeup of their need structures