People show the types of needs that are shaped according to the value order of the society in which they develop. One of them is the need to succeed. The need to succeed manifests itself in the desire to perform a task or behavior according to or even above the standards of excellence. This is particularly high in industrialized and private entrepreneurial societies. Employees are motivated sometimes by fear of failure and sometimes by an eagerness to succeed. Individuals with a high need for success pay more attention to their task and try to do better than anyone else (Cüceloğlu, D., 2003. Human and Behavior: Basic Concepts of Psychology).
Atkinson (1953) found that students with high motivation for success remember better the problems they left in the middle by not solving rather than the problems they solved, whereas low motivated students, on the contrary, remember the problem they solved (Arkonaç, S., 1998, Mind Process Science).
The level of need to succeed differs in every person. The characteristics of the individuals play a big role in this difference. The characteristics of individuals with high or low success motivation are indicated in the table below.
Table 3.6: Characteristics of individuals with low and high motivation for success
Resource (Ögel, 2003)
From this point of view, when the growing industries, competitive conditions and unemployment rates are considered, employees’ needs for success are quite high. The motivation for success depends on the need for success. Thus, individuals whose achievements are approved and their attachment feelings are supported are motivated to achieve new achievements at a higher level.