Managing Bodies: David C. McClelland and Organizational Motivation, 1963-1989 Matthew J. Hoffarth University of Pennsylvania Cheiron 2015 June 19, 2015
Jan 04, 2016
Managing Bodies: David C. McClelland and Organizational Motivation, 1963-
1989
Matthew J. HoffarthUniversity of Pennsylvania
Cheiron 2015June 19, 2015
David C. McClelland (1917-1998)
• Question: Why did McClelland’s research transition in the late 1960s and early 1970s from an interest in ‘achievement motivation’ to that of ‘power motivation’?
‘Organizations’Personality
Individual Body
Business
Nation
World
Talcott Parsons (1902-1979)
Max Weber (1864-1920)
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
1930 (1905)
“What is true for business is also true
for a country, but this is not widely recognized.”
Some countries in which McBer conducted achievement motivation training:
Ethiopia
Guyana
India
Iran
Morocco
Uganda
(1)Outperforming someone else(2)Meeting or surpassing some self-imposed
standard of excellence(3)Doing something unique(4)Being involved in advancing one’s career
Douglas McGregor (1906-1964)
The Human Side of Enterprise (1960)
Core principle of Theory Y: creating “that degree of integration in which the individual can achieve his goals best by directing his efforts toward the success of the
organization.”
Charismatic Leaders
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
Martin Luther King, Jr.(1929-1968)
Massachusetts Achievement Trainers Incorporated (later, Motive Acquisition Technology Corporation)
Founded in 1969, with McClelland as Advisor
Begeisterung: ‘inspiritment’(often translated as ‘enthusiasm’)
Business Leadership TrainingMinneapolis, MN
1976-1977
David C. McClelland Richard Boyatzis
Questions: • Why do so-called ‘model minorities’ achieve economic
success when others do not? • Can we train every group to be as successful as the
‘model minorities’?
Companies for which McBer provided management consulting and assessment included:
Rohm and Haas
International Business Machines (IBM)
Xerox Corporation
Christina Maslach and the Maslach Burnout Inventory
Harrison Gough reading his California Psychological Inventory
Natasha ZaretskyNo Direction Home
(2007)
Fear of a ‘productivity lag’ as companies adopt information technology and nation transitions from industrial production to a post-industrial service economy
How do you relate the need for power with everythingthat has been researched and said in recent years on “participative management?”
McClelland: “Participative management has more to dowith a manager’s style than with his/her goals. A person with a high need for power or influence may practiceasking for participation because this is the best way to influence the corporation to achieve its goals, but he/sheis still very much in charge.
Commonly used TAT images in McClelland and colleagues’ research:
The “1 Percent”:
An Embattled Minority?
McClelland’s steps for minority uplift (and thus global development):
• Instill feelings of superiority in minority group
• Support group with resources and opportunities for advancement
• Expand this on a global scale
Intended Result: Universal economic prosperity
McBer promotional brochure, c. 1982
Lyndon Baines Johnson“Great Society” – 1964-65
Sargent Shriver“War on Poverty”
Management ConsultingFirms: