The Achieving Society and Ashoka

The Achieving Society is a book written by David C. McClelland, which explored the motivational qualities of entrepreneurs. The author defines three major human motivations:

- Need for power
- Need for affiliation
- Need for achievement

He then focuses on the need of achievement which he found correlated with entrepreneurship. McClelland, a psychologist, found that indivuals with a high need for achievement tended to be less influenced than others by suggestions as to what they should do, think, or believe.

Here is a quick outline of their behaviour:

• Facts are what influence them in engaging problems


• Counsel of experts instead of friends


• Not gamblers: conservative in games of chances and daring in games of skill


• Accept challenges when there is an acceptable chance of success and when the main determinant of success is their own skill

McClelland asserted that entrepreneurs were primarily motivated by the sens of achievement rather than a desire for money. Profits give them "definite knowledge" of his or her competence. But real satisfaction came from making the world conform in a very specific way to his or her will.

Ghandi, King, Ashoka and Bhave, all had change as a global vision.

This is what made Bill Drayton, highly inspired by these figures, create The Ashoka organization, which funds projects and missions of social entrepreneurs all over the world. Its purpose is to help ordinary people with great ideas implement and grow their work in a specific domain (health, education, HIV/AIDS, abuse, handicap...)

Since its creation, 25 years ago, Ashoka has helped over 2000 social entrepreneurs operate on all levels, from latin american favellas to slums in the US, post-Soviet Union countries, Asia and Africa.

Source: "How to change the world: Social Entrepreneurs and the power of new ideas" written by David Bornstein.