Application of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS AND OPERATIONAL MOTIVATION

Motivating employees is seen as one of management's significant functions, along with planning, organizing and directing the work of employees. Some managers subscribe to so-called Theory X, which maintains that employees are essentially slackers who will take advantage of any latitude given to them by their employers in order to produce less work. Other managers subscribe to Theory Y, which maintains that employees are essentially self-motivated to do the best job they can. Abraham Maslow explored a hierarchy of needs, from the most basic physical needs to the most internal needs for selfactualization, and found that individuals respond to motivation that meets their lowest need at a particular point in time. This approach to motivation holds considerable potential for companies willing to apply it to their personnel practices. This research examines Maslow's hierarchy of needs and considers how it can be applied to motivating employees in the workplace.

APPLYING MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS TO EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

Maslow identified five levels of needs that human beings want to address: physiological, security, social, ego and self-actualization (Bateman & Snell, 2002). According to Maslow, people are motivated to satisfy the lower level needs before they can be motivated to satisfy the higher level needs. The hierarchy is often shown as a pyramid, as a result, with each level resting on top of

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the lowest physiological needs (Bateman & Snell, 2002). Employers can meet this security need by providing clear-cut criteria under which employees may lose their jobs. Employees who are hired on a probationary basis, for example, should be brought off probation as quickly as possible--or in accordance with the organization's written policies--so that their security level increases with regard to their job. Similarly, clearly written policies regarding employee performance reviews and pay increases should be developed and published. Benefits, pensions and related issues are also part of the security needs, and having clear guidelines for these issues reduces the ambiguity with which employees must contend, and also meets their security needs. Competitive salaries are also part of this need level, and providing salaries competitive within the industry and region can help companies retain qualified employees as this increases their security level (Markiewicz, 2002). The third level of need is the social need. This is the need that individuals have for social interaction--love, friendship and belonging (Bateman & Snell, 2002). Social needs are certainly fulfilled outside of the workplace--friends and romantic relationships ar

Category: Psychology - A