<P> Need theory, also known as Three Needs Theory, proposed by psychologist David McClelland, is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, power, and affiliation affect the actions of people from a managerial context . This model was developed in the 1960s; two decades before, Maslow's hierarchy of needs was first proposed in the early 1940s . McClelland stated that we all have these three types of motivation regardless of age, sex, race, or culture . The type of motivation by which each individual is driven derives from their life experiences and the opinions of their culture . This need theory is often taught in classes concerning management or organizational behaviour . </P> <P> They prefer working on tasks of moderate difficulty, prefer work in which the results are based on their effort rather than on anything else, and prefer to receive feedback on their work . Achievement based individuals tend to avoid both high - risk and low - risk situations . Low - risk situations are seen as too easy to be valid and the high - risk situations are seen as based more on the luck of the situation rather than the achievements that individual made . This personality type is motivated by accomplishment in the workplace and an employment hierarchy with promotional positions . </P> <P> People who have a need for affiliation prefer to spend time creating and maintaining social relationships, enjoy being a part of groups, and have a desire to feel loved and accepted . People in this group tend to adhere to the norms of the culture in that workplace and typically do not change the norms of the workplace for fear of rejection . This person favors collaboration over competition and does not like situations with high risk or high uncertainty . People who have a need for affiliation work well in areas based on social interactions like customer service or client interaction positions . </P>

Need for power need for affiliation and need for achievement