Final answer:
The Defend step in Lawrence and Nohria's Four Drive Theory is about protecting oneself from threats and ensuring safety and security. It shifts an individual's focus toward defense in response to physical or psychological threats.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Defend step in Lawrence and Nohria's Four Drive Theory involves protecting ourselves from threats and ensuring our safety and security. This drive is one aspect of motivation that pushes individuals to seek safety and stability in their environment.
Like the other drives in the theory—acquire, bond, learn—the Defend drive is essential in understanding human behavior within organizational settings.
Essentially, when individuals feel threatened, either physically or psychologically, their focus shifts to defending themselves and maintaining their wellbeing. In an organizational context, this might involve defending one's job, reputation, or personal space.
The drive to defend can become a powerful motivator, as strong as the need to acquire, bond, or learn.
Lawrence and Nohria's theory acknowledges the complexity of human motivation, and the Defend drive is critical to understanding how arousal levels and perceived threats can influence our behavior.