Motivation theory 3:
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
There are more than one need:
- Maslow figured out that humans have
more than one need. In fact human have 5
different of progressive needs
- Maslow thus suggested that if managers
can help workers to fulfill those needs
through their work, then, workers will be
motivated to work.
- If the manager fails to help the worker
to fulfill the needs a worker is looking to
fulfill, the worker might be demotivated
with the work
- Hence his theory is known as ‘hierarchy
of needs’.
How Maslow wants you to understand the
hierarchy:
- every human begins from fulfilling the
basic needs and step by step move towards
fulfilling self-actualization needs.
- when one need is fulfilled the human is no
longer motivated by that need.
- it is possible for every human being to
fulfill self-actualization need, but not
everyone can reach there. That is not
everyone give enough effort to fulfill the
highest need.
- reversion is possible, which means that a
person can fall from a higher level to
fulfill a need of lower level.
- Self- actualization need, which is the
highest need, once achieved can evolve.
That is a new self-actualization need
might arise. Thus humans are never
satisfied, their needs keep on arising!
Abraham Maslow
Where Maslow went wrong:
- Despite being a very elaborate
theory that understood the various
needs of a human and thus a worker,
the theory has some in-built
problems
- not every worker start from
the very base of the need hierarchy.
E.g. a worker might belong to a well-
off family hence he might not look
to cover physical needs.
- not every worker looks to
fulfill all their needs from work. E.g.
a worker might not like to fulfill his
social needs from work
- money might play a role to
fulfill higher needs, not only
physical needs. E.g. a high salary or
bonus linked to a post fulfills the
esteem needs.
- the movement of worker to
fulfill the needs might not be so
orderly as identified by Maslow by
his hierarchy.
The needs and how they can be fulfilled by
work:
- level 1, physical needs: every human has
some basic needs e.g. food, shelter etc.
- work can fulfill these needs by paying
money in the form of wage and salary.
- level 2, safety needs: humans when they
have their physical needs covered, look for
safety and protection in life
- work can fulfill safety needs, by providing
a contract of employment, safe working
environment so that workers are not
physically (or mentally) injured.
- level 3, social needs: Humans are social beings
and they have social needs.
- work can fulfill social needs, by arranging
team works, social gatherings e.g. office
outings, picnics, dinners etc.
- level 4, esteem needs: Humans when
developed psychologically look for recognition.
- work can fulfill esteem needs, by
recognizing workers for their efforts with
bonus, employee of the month nominations,
promotion in ranks etc.
Level 5, self- actualization needs: Humans
when fully developed psychologically they
want to exploit their full potential
- work can fulfill self-actualization needs,
by providing new challenges in work, so that
the worker needs to come of out of his comfort
zone to rise up to that challenge.
How might a manager who believe in Maslow’s
theory motivate a worker:
- he/she will consider that each worker is an
individual and thus have different needs.
- he/she then will try to figure out in which level
the worker is and what is the need that the
worker is willing to fulfill in life
-he/she then will try to arrange work for the
worker in such a way so that it allows the
worker to fulfill the needs the worker is willing
to fulfill.
- thus as a manager he/she has to be very aware
of the changing needs of the workers to keep
them happy at work.