Power Motivation

Power may corrupt, but it also provides a powerful motivation to reach goals, especially in the business world.
"Motivation is to inspire to work, individually or in groups in the ways such as to produce best results." (Shah and Shah, 2007). While this is grammatically fractured, it defines the essence of motication theory, that is to get the best work, presumably from employees, or from a single individual. the "Motivation" reading from Shah and Shah goes to great length to educate about various motivation theories, but interesting ly, does not select one or even hint at one they prefer.
Fortunately, there are some hidden gems in their list, and I have looked into the work of David McClelland, as he did much of his work in the motivation field working on the three primary motivators he found in his research: power, achievement and affiliation. While there is merit in each of these, I think that Power is the best example from my work experience.
During my time in huge company American companies, I saw several very senior people who were no longer motivated by money or recognition, but who thrived on the trappings of power. They welcomed the ability to change things, and did so just to prove they could. Usually these instances affected few and never became a detriment to business, they were clearly done for sport.
I have become very mindful of how my actions affect others in all aspects of my life, and I do not strive for power, but I still see this type of decision making regularly, and I feel sorry for those who wield the Power.

References:
Shah, K; Shah, P. Motivation. Retrieved October 11, 2008, from http://www.layworks.com/Motivation.html.
Chapman, Alan. David McClelland's Motivational Needs Theory. Retrieved October 10, 2008, from http://www.Businessballs.com/davidmcclelland.htm.