Are you someone who is driven to set standards? Does Service to others motivate you? How important are relationships for you?

The word ‘Motivation’ refers to the driving force that all people have. Different people have different types of motivation.

Human nature can be very simple yet very complex, too. An understanding and appreciation of this is a prerequisite to employee motivation in the workplace and therefore effective management and leadership. People operate at different energy and mental levels. The reason for differentiated energy levels is the kind and intensity of the need they have.

We, as human beings, display different forms and a variety of behaviors and engage ourselves in numerous tasks. If we observe ourselves and others closely then we can see and realize that sometimes our behaviors are more intense and sometimes they are less intense. Similarly, our engagement levels in few tasks are more compared to other tasks in hand.

The drive for these behaviors and tasks comes from the internal need with which we operate. Managers need to draw on these ‘needs’ and stimulate their coworkers to attain their personal and professional objectives thereby boosting productivity organizational effectiveness.

This is a simple scale with 35 items assessing the relative intensity of seven motives:

• Achievement
• Affiliation
• Control
• Dependence
• Extension
• Independence and
• Power

It indicates the more preferred motive and the least preferred motive for an individual.