g things better.In fact, he has found that wherever people start to think in achievement terms, things start to happen.ExamplesCollege students with a high need for achievement will generally get better grades than equally bright students with weaker achievement needs. Achievement-motivated people tend to get more raises and are promoted faster because they are constantly trying to think of better ways of doing things. Companies with many such people grow faster and are more profitable. McClelland has even extended his analysis to countries where he related the presence of a large percentage of achievement-motivated individuals to the national economic growth.A taught skill?Can this motive, the need for achievement, be taught to people?McClelland was convinced that this can be done. In fact, he also developed training programs for business people that where designed to increase their achievement motivation.He also developed similar programs for other segments of the population.Achievement-motivated peopleAchievement-motivated people can be the backbone of most organizations, but what can be said about their potential as managers? As we know, people with a high need for achievement get ahead because as individuals they are producers they get things done.However, when they are promoted, when their success depends not only on their own work but on the activities of others, they may be less effective. Since they are highly job-oriented and work to their capacity, they tend to expect others to do the same. As a result, they sometimes lack the human skills and patience necessary for being effective managers of people who are competent but have a higher need for affiliation than they do. In this situation, their overemphasis on producing frustrates these people and prevents them from maximizing their own potential.Thus, while achievement-motivated people are needed in organizations, they do not always make the best managers un...
