Personality Test

Sources of Motivation at Work

Man at the top of the mountain - Symbol for motivation, performance and achievement

Personality Test

The short test on this page guides you through the main sources of motivation according to David McClelland in 9 questions.

David McClelland pioneered motivation research with his book “The Achieving Society“, published in 1961, and focused on sources of motivation in the professional environment. The main features of his motivation theory revolve around the sources of motivation affiliation, achievement and power.

A distinctive feature of McClelland’s model is that it is limited to toward-toward motivation, although the greater motivation is often found in away-from motivations driven by fear. This is justifiable insofar as fearful topics are often much less conscious and people tend to strive for positive goals on the conscious and communicative level.

At the same time, avoiding the deficiency is also inherent in every positive goal. Striving for power may involve avoidance of powerlessness, striving for achievement may involve fear of not living up to one’s standards, just as striving for belonging may involve avoidance of loneliness and exclusion from the group.

Understand Your Sources of Professional Motivation

Free Test:
Takes about 3 Minutes