Although Marvin, a sales manager, did not perform well as a human resource manager, he performs exceptionally well in his current supervisory role. His subordinates complete their tasks despite complaining about his constant supervision and inflexible nature. Marvin's team has been meeting quarterly targets ever since he became the supervisor. In the context of McClelland's Learned Needs Theory, Marvin is most likely motivated by the need for _____.
A) affiliation
B) existence
C) power
D) relatedness

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to McClelland's Learned Needs Theory, people are motivated by three needs - the need for achievement, affiliation, and power. The need for power pertains to a person's desire to control and influence others, and to be seen as powerful and capable of influencing people and events. Marvin's constant supervision and inflexible nature suggest that he wants to control his subordinates and their work, which indicates that he is motivated by the need for power. Additionally, his success as a supervisor and his team meeting their quarterly targets also indicate that he is capable of influencing people and events. Therefore, the best choice in this context is C) power.

Although Marvin, a Sales Manager, Did Not Perform Well as a Human