Motives

Assessment

What is it?

Motives refer to the underlying values that drive a person’s actions, decisions, and priorities in life. Based on the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values, motives are universal across cultures and reflect fundamental human aspirations. These motives help explain why individuals are drawn to specific roles, tasks, or environments and provide insight into their personal and professional behaviors.

‍

In various settings, understanding a person's ranked motives reveals their core values and helps organizations align individuals with roles and company cultures that reflect their intrinsic motivations.

Measurement Objectives

Motives are measured by identifying and ranking an individual's preferences for ten key values as defined by the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values:

  • Self-Direction: The drive for independent thought, creativity, and exploration.
  • Stimulation: A preference for excitement, novelty, and challenges in life.
  • Hedonism: The pursuit of personal pleasure and enjoyment.
  • Achievement: The desire for personal success through competence and meeting social standards.
  • Power: The ambition to control or influence people and resources.
  • Security: A focus on safety, stability, and harmony in society and relationships.
  • Conformity: A value placed on restraining behaviors that could harm others or violate social norms.
  • Tradition: A respect for cultural and religious customs, with a focus on preserving continuity.
  • Benevolence: A concern for the well-being of those in one’s close circle, emphasizing cooperation and kindness.
  • Universalism: A broader focus on the welfare of all people and nature, driven by understanding and tolerance.

The ranking of these motives helps to identify which values drive an individual's behavior and decision-making.

Use

Understanding motives is essential for recruitment, personal development, and team-building. In hiring, knowing candidates' core motives can predict their cultural fit and role alignment; for instance, those prioritizing Achievement may excel in results-driven roles, while Benevolence-driven individuals may thrive in collaborative settings. For personal development, motives help individuals align their careers and goals with their values. In teams, understanding each member’s motives enhances collaboration and team dynamics, allowing leaders to tailor their approach to align with their team’s values.

Results

The ranking of motives provides a clear picture of the values that are most important to an individual. This rank order helps organizations identify how well a person’s values align with the demands of a job or the culture of a team. For individuals, it highlights which motives drive their behavior, offering a roadmap for personal and career decisions that are in line with their core values. Understanding these motives also helps predict how someone might respond to challenges, how they work with others, and what kinds of environments will lead to long-term satisfaction and performance.

Development

The understanding of motives is based on the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values, a framework developed through comprehensive cross-cultural research. This theory provides a universal understanding of what drives human behavior, making it a reliable foundation for identifying the core motives that influence people’s decisions. Motives are ranked through structured approaches, where individuals prioritize values that matter most to them. This process gives a clear indication of how someone’s values influence their choices and actions, offering insights that are relevant across various industries and roles.

Reference Group

Key features

What it measures

Self-Direction
Stimulation
Hedonism
Achievement
Power
Security
Conformity
Tradition
Benevolence
Universalism

References

Provider:

The selection lab