Back to Ideas & FrameworksNeed for Achievement (nAch) Need for Power (nPow) Need for Affiliation (nAff) Role fit Leadership effectiveness Team design Assessment methods Development levers High nAch product lead: sets OKRs, A/B tests relentlessly, prefers autonomy and measurable outcomes High socialised nPow program manager: mobilises cross‑functional decision rights, uses authority to unblock others High nAff team facilitator: excels at stakeholder alignment and customer empathy, may avoid necessary conflict without support Measurement debates: projective tests vs self‑report; contextual variability across cultures and situations Not exhaustive: other motives and needs frameworks contribute complementary insight Overuse risk: strong single motive can become a liability without role and culture fit McClelland, D. C. (1961). The Achieving Society. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand. McClelland, D. C. (1985). Human Motivation. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman. McClelland, D. C., & Burnham, D. H. (1976). Power Is the Great Motivator. Harvard Business Review. Winter, D. G. (1973). The Power Motive. New York, NY: Free Press. Spangler, W. D. (1992). Validity of questionnaire and TAT measures of need for achievement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(6), 958–968. Lee, S. L., & Carpenter, N. C. (2018). Meta‑analytic review of nPow and leadership outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly. Brunstein, J. C., & Maier, G. W. (2005). Implicit and explicit motives. In Elliot & Dweck (Eds.), Handbook of Competence and Motivation.
FrameworkMotivationPsychology
McClelland’s Motivational Needs
Overview
McClelland’s theory proposes that adult motivation is primarily driven by three learned needs, shaped by life experiences and culture. Individuals differ in their dominant need, which predicts the situations they seek out, the goals they set, and how they lead and collaborate.