The Power, Achievement and Affiliation motive
Our motivation is one of the most critical influences on our mindset and behavior. Yet, we still struggle to understand "what makes us tick?". The Power, Achievement and Affiliation1 motives are intrinsic to us. We have all formulated our own particular balance of these needs inside us. And, one can see a person's motivation showing itself in everyday behavior if you keep your senses turned on.
We too often lapse into a mindset that suggests "I need to motivate Alice", which already frames our leadership intervention as something external to the other person. In effect, this means we are working with incentives and not motives. Tired and under-pressure managers can be forgiven for impulsively reaching for various incentives in order to get the job done. But in this article, I'd like to focus on how leaders can develop a deeper understanding of motivation - their own and the people who work for them. As well as getting better and more sustainable results, leaders who work with motivation can discover more satisfaction and purpose in their role. Leaders who harness this natural and free energy within people can achieve extraordinary results.
How we develop our motivation
Our motivation is a sophisticated balance of needs and fears that are integral to who we are as people. Motivation is formed as part of our value system we develop from childhood onwards. Our parents, our school and college system, important role models, our religion and our work environment will all shape our motivation. A motive is a combination of rational belief and emotional attachment. For instance, we believe that it is good to achieve because it brings us benefits. Yet, we also enjoy the sensation of achievement and the emotional payback it provides.
I recall a client who with high achievement motivation who had nervously expected news of a promotion and a significant salary increase. This was to be the subject of one-to-one with the Regional President. In the event, the previous meeting overran, and my client was delivered the news of the promotion and increase in a two minute corridor conversation. In substance, he had been given everything he had expected yet he left the meeting disappointed. He had been denied his medal ceremony that high achievers crave. But more than this he had not had the discussion about his success and how the promotional decision had been made. Had he really achieved alot or had he just served his time long enough to get the promotion. He did not want praise. He had joked cynically to me about how people said "Great Job!" all the time. What he wanted was a description of what he had done, relative to others, rather as a sprinter wants to know that his time was 9.73 seconds, as opposed to the next person on 9.75. He wanted advice on how he could get better. Instead, the stop watch was turned off, the coach took a break, the crowds were sent
home and his medal had arrived in the post.
Finding the right balance in Motivation
My view is that it is not possible nor even ethical to try to change someone's motivation profile. However, it is possible to trigger a reflective process where the individual can discover a broader and more balanced motivation. It is important for people to have access to different motivations. For example, the person with a high need for achievement will at some point, just like the athlete, need to experience satisfaction in coaching others, which is suggestive more of an affiliative motive. The power-motivated person will need to stop negotiating boundaries and at some point strive for the success of the overall venture. So, a person cannot switch or replace motives. But, people can develop an awareness of other auxiliary or tertiary motives which are then accessible.
This is one of the reasons why leadership coaching and mentoring are so important.
David C. McClelland
To understand what I mean by this, it will useful to discuss one of the writers who has most influenced my thinking on motivation is David C. McClelland, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. In his classic works (The Achievement Motive, 1953; Power, The Inner Experience, 1975) McClelland proved a model of work-based motivation that goes beyond Herzberg and provides a much deeper understanding of what differentiates human behavior once the "hygiene factors" have been met.
McClelland showed that our motivation is formed from a balance of three primary needs: Power, Achievement and Affiliation. It is worth looking at each in more detail.
Power Motive
Power-types need to make things happen and to be a determining influence on events. For a leader, power motive is exhibited as a desire to demonstrate authority and decisiveness. For an employee, it is shows as a need for clear accountability and autonomy. There are two different facts to the power motive: personal power, which can be seen in the need for high personal control, such as in the case of an entrepreneur; and social power, such as someone who enjoys having broader and significant influence and empowering others.
In his classic Harvard Business Review article, Power is the Great Motivator, McClelland was able to show how socially power motivated leaders can deliver consistently good results by bring clarity and high standards to a team. Statistically, social power motive correlates closely with successful leadership behavior and emotional intelligence. The reason for this is that social power is won by forming a tacit contract with others and therefore people with high social power know that they have to continue to sustain that contract. They therefore tend to be put more effort into setting goals, delegation and communication. Leaders with achievement motive on the other hand, assume they have "won" their leadership role via competition, rather as a medieval king might win their throne through combat.
However, when the need for power when exhibited negatively i.e. when it is not being satisfied by the environment in some way, is associated with politicking and silo-behavior. Power motivated people can be calculating when deciding which relationships to build and can be seen to "walk over people" as a result.
For power-drivers, incentives relating to status and hierarchy will work. However, what they need most is clear roles and boundaries that define their accountability. This can be difficult in an increasingly matrixed and inter-connected world.
Achievement Motive
Those with high achievement drive are results-orientated and respond to clear and rationally defined targets. These targets can be intrinsically driven, as in someone who sets high standards for themselves i.e. mountain climbers; mountain bikers; and those who respond to extrinsic targets as can be seen in athletic sports and in the classic sales incentive structure.
Those with high achievement are often very competitive. This can lead to the "smartest guy in the room" syndrome and gladiatorial conduct. They can find it difficult to work with anyone who is not in line-of-sight with delivering their results, which can lead to difficult relationships with support staff. They do not "suffer fools gladly" and can often go into conflict with under-achievers, including those who might be struggling and in need of help.
This group can also be the hardest on themselves. Often, too attached to targets to let go, they drive on at cost to themselves and their relationships - both at work and home.
Those with high achievement drive need lots and lots of feedback. Timely, specific and line-of-sight recognition is overwhelmingly important to them. By the time the annual performance appraisal comes around, you might find them already complaining about the "lack of feedback". But be careful, for they associate praise with manipulation. Elsewhere on this blog I will address the difference between Recognition and Praise.
As a coach, I commonly work with leaders with very high achievement motive. This is not just intrinsic to their personalities, it has been consistently reinforced by the work environment through incentives. Firms progressively select out people who are not "high achievers". Yet, people with high achievement motive frequently have difficulty adapting to leadership roles. They tend to do everything themselves. They can set unrealistically high targets (thus frustrating high achievers underneath them). They sometimes fail to properly evaluate risk (and here I disagree with McClelland, who generally praised their ability to assess risk under laboratory conditions) and they can be too competitive when collaboration is needed.
One of trickiest tasks as a coach is to help those with high achievement motive to understand how the ethical and effective use of power, influence and inter-personal contracting is necessary and is needed to compliment their achievement drive. Otherwise, they can literally kill themselves. To many "high achievers" though, the Power motive smacks of political and behind-the-scenes manipulation. This is the very thing they abhor.
Therefore, motivation is not just a question of competency development. Re-balancing ones motive profile raises deep issues about ones value system and belief set. Failure to address and resolve these deeper questions will result in only superficial and temporary behavior modification.
Achievers need clear rational targets and lots of in-the-moment performance feedback to enable them to succeed.
Affiliation Motive
Those with high affiliation place great importance on how they are seen by others. This comes in two closely related but distinct forms: A need for belonging and a concern for reputation.
Those with a high need for belonging have a need to be included, to be popular and for good personal chemistry. Personal trust is an overriding concern for them. They will be concerned about the values and ethics in the group. How people behave is relatively speaking more important to them than in the other two profiles. Being loyal and proud of the team are intrinsic to high affiliation. Power-types and achievers who do not respect these needs can create stress for affiliators. This is because the satisfaction of their motives is much more socially determined by human relationships. And, necessarily, this involves the emotional element to be closer to the surface.
Those with a high need for reputation are perhaps the hardest to easily classify. The need to be the best at something can easily be an expression of the achievement motive. Therefore, what is meant in this sense if a need to be widely appreciated and respected as an expert or specialist. This does not necessarily mean being the best and this is an important distinction. Giving affiliators prizes and individual incentives which make them stand out from the team can cause personal embarassment and contradict their value system. Affiliators are acutely aware that their performance is determined by the functioning of the team and might be concerned about the lack of recognition given to other team members. Fear of rivalries, jealousy and possible exclusion might also arise.
The evident risk here is that affiliators can be over-sensitive to feedback and at times can appear like a prima donna, needing constant praise and affirmation from co-workers.
Affiliate leaders need to watch out for being played by favorites; and, be careful not to take soft options/special cases which reduce standards and create ambiguity.
Conclusion
Leaders need to first understand their own motivation and its impact on their behavior. Good leaders will be getting close to their people at times like these to find out more about what really motivates them. And, the best leaders will be coaching more deeply to encourage a balanced pattern of motivation. This can help foster human development and flexibility during a time of great turbulence.
1. David C. McClelland, Power, the Inner Experience, 1975; Power is the Great Motivator, HBR 1976
©Andrew Atter
Our motivation is one of the most critical influences on our mindset and behavior. Yet, we still struggle to understand "what makes us tick?". The Power, Achievement and Affiliation1 motives are intrinsic to us. We have all formulated our own particular balance of these needs inside us. And, one can see a person's motivation showing itself in everyday behavior if you keep your senses turned on.
We too often lapse into a mindset that suggests "I need to motivate Alice", which already frames our leadership intervention as something external to the other person. In effect, this means we are working with incentives and not motives. Tired and under-pressure managers can be forgiven for impulsively reaching for various incentives in order to get the job done. But in this article, I'd like to focus on how leaders can develop a deeper understanding of motivation - their own and the people who work for them. As well as getting better and more sustainable results, leaders who work with motivation can discover more satisfaction and purpose in their role. Leaders who harness this natural and free energy within people can achieve extraordinary results.
How we develop our motivation
Our motivation is a sophisticated balance of needs and fears that are integral to who we are as people. Motivation is formed as part of our value system we develop from childhood onwards. Our parents, our school and college system, important role models, our religion and our work environment will all shape our motivation. A motive is a combination of rational belief and emotional attachment. For instance, we believe that it is good to achieve because it brings us benefits. Yet, we also enjoy the sensation of achievement and the emotional payback it provides.
I recall a client who with high achievement motivation who had nervously expected news of a promotion and a significant salary increase. This was to be the subject of one-to-one with the Regional President. In the event, the previous meeting overran, and my client was delivered the news of the promotion and increase in a two minute corridor conversation. In substance, he had been given everything he had expected yet he left the meeting disappointed. He had been denied his medal ceremony that high achievers crave. But more than this he had not had the discussion about his success and how the promotional decision had been made. Had he really achieved alot or had he just served his time long enough to get the promotion. He did not want praise. He had joked cynically to me about how people said "Great Job!" all the time. What he wanted was a description of what he had done, relative to others, rather as a sprinter wants to know that his time was 9.73 seconds, as opposed to the next person on 9.75. He wanted advice on how he could get better. Instead, the stop watch was turned off, the coach took a break, the crowds were sent
home and his medal had arrived in the post.Finding the right balance in Motivation
My view is that it is not possible nor even ethical to try to change someone's motivation profile. However, it is possible to trigger a reflective process where the individual can discover a broader and more balanced motivation. It is important for people to have access to different motivations. For example, the person with a high need for achievement will at some point, just like the athlete, need to experience satisfaction in coaching others, which is suggestive more of an affiliative motive. The power-motivated person will need to stop negotiating boundaries and at some point strive for the success of the overall venture. So, a person cannot switch or replace motives. But, people can develop an awareness of other auxiliary or tertiary motives which are then accessible.
This is one of the reasons why leadership coaching and mentoring are so important.
David C. McClelland
To understand what I mean by this, it will useful to discuss one of the writers who has most influenced my thinking on motivation is David C. McClelland, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. In his classic works (The Achievement Motive, 1953; Power, The Inner Experience, 1975) McClelland proved a model of work-based motivation that goes beyond Herzberg and provides a much deeper understanding of what differentiates human behavior once the "hygiene factors" have been met.
McClelland showed that our motivation is formed from a balance of three primary needs: Power, Achievement and Affiliation. It is worth looking at each in more detail.
Power Motive
Power-types need to make things happen and to be a determining influence on events. For a leader, power motive is exhibited as a desire to demonstrate authority and decisiveness. For an employee, it is shows as a need for clear accountability and autonomy. There are two different facts to the power motive: personal power, which can be seen in the need for high personal control, such as in the case of an entrepreneur; and social power, such as someone who enjoys having broader and significant influence and empowering others.
In his classic Harvard Business Review article, Power is the Great Motivator, McClelland was able to show how socially power motivated leaders can deliver consistently good results by bring clarity and high standards to a team. Statistically, social power motive correlates closely with successful leadership behavior and emotional intelligence. The reason for this is that social power is won by forming a tacit contract with others and therefore people with high social power know that they have to continue to sustain that contract. They therefore tend to be put more effort into setting goals, delegation and communication. Leaders with achievement motive on the other hand, assume they have "won" their leadership role via competition, rather as a medieval king might win their throne through combat.
However, when the need for power when exhibited negatively i.e. when it is not being satisfied by the environment in some way, is associated with politicking and silo-behavior. Power motivated people can be calculating when deciding which relationships to build and can be seen to "walk over people" as a result.
For power-drivers, incentives relating to status and hierarchy will work. However, what they need most is clear roles and boundaries that define their accountability. This can be difficult in an increasingly matrixed and inter-connected world.
Achievement Motive
Those with high achievement drive are results-orientated and respond to clear and rationally defined targets. These targets can be intrinsically driven, as in someone who sets high standards for themselves i.e. mountain climbers; mountain bikers; and those who respond to extrinsic targets as can be seen in athletic sports and in the classic sales incentive structure.
Those with high achievement are often very competitive. This can lead to the "smartest guy in the room" syndrome and gladiatorial conduct. They can find it difficult to work with anyone who is not in line-of-sight with delivering their results, which can lead to difficult relationships with support staff. They do not "suffer fools gladly" and can often go into conflict with under-achievers, including those who might be struggling and in need of help.
This group can also be the hardest on themselves. Often, too attached to targets to let go, they drive on at cost to themselves and their relationships - both at work and home.
Those with high achievement drive need lots and lots of feedback. Timely, specific and line-of-sight recognition is overwhelmingly important to them. By the time the annual performance appraisal comes around, you might find them already complaining about the "lack of feedback". But be careful, for they associate praise with manipulation. Elsewhere on this blog I will address the difference between Recognition and Praise.
As a coach, I commonly work with leaders with very high achievement motive. This is not just intrinsic to their personalities, it has been consistently reinforced by the work environment through incentives. Firms progressively select out people who are not "high achievers". Yet, people with high achievement motive frequently have difficulty adapting to leadership roles. They tend to do everything themselves. They can set unrealistically high targets (thus frustrating high achievers underneath them). They sometimes fail to properly evaluate risk (and here I disagree with McClelland, who generally praised their ability to assess risk under laboratory conditions) and they can be too competitive when collaboration is needed.
One of trickiest tasks as a coach is to help those with high achievement motive to understand how the ethical and effective use of power, influence and inter-personal contracting is necessary and is needed to compliment their achievement drive. Otherwise, they can literally kill themselves. To many "high achievers" though, the Power motive smacks of political and behind-the-scenes manipulation. This is the very thing they abhor.
Therefore, motivation is not just a question of competency development. Re-balancing ones motive profile raises deep issues about ones value system and belief set. Failure to address and resolve these deeper questions will result in only superficial and temporary behavior modification.
Achievers need clear rational targets and lots of in-the-moment performance feedback to enable them to succeed.
Affiliation Motive
Those with high affiliation place great importance on how they are seen by others. This comes in two closely related but distinct forms: A need for belonging and a concern for reputation.
Those with a high need for belonging have a need to be included, to be popular and for good personal chemistry. Personal trust is an overriding concern for them. They will be concerned about the values and ethics in the group. How people behave is relatively speaking more important to them than in the other two profiles. Being loyal and proud of the team are intrinsic to high affiliation. Power-types and achievers who do not respect these needs can create stress for affiliators. This is because the satisfaction of their motives is much more socially determined by human relationships. And, necessarily, this involves the emotional element to be closer to the surface.
Those with a high need for reputation are perhaps the hardest to easily classify. The need to be the best at something can easily be an expression of the achievement motive. Therefore, what is meant in this sense if a need to be widely appreciated and respected as an expert or specialist. This does not necessarily mean being the best and this is an important distinction. Giving affiliators prizes and individual incentives which make them stand out from the team can cause personal embarassment and contradict their value system. Affiliators are acutely aware that their performance is determined by the functioning of the team and might be concerned about the lack of recognition given to other team members. Fear of rivalries, jealousy and possible exclusion might also arise.
The evident risk here is that affiliators can be over-sensitive to feedback and at times can appear like a prima donna, needing constant praise and affirmation from co-workers.
Affiliate leaders need to watch out for being played by favorites; and, be careful not to take soft options/special cases which reduce standards and create ambiguity.
Conclusion
Leaders need to first understand their own motivation and its impact on their behavior. Good leaders will be getting close to their people at times like these to find out more about what really motivates them. And, the best leaders will be coaching more deeply to encourage a balanced pattern of motivation. This can help foster human development and flexibility during a time of great turbulence.
1. David C. McClelland, Power, the Inner Experience, 1975; Power is the Great Motivator, HBR 1976
©Andrew Atter
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