Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.

Creating a Motivated employee: using Maslow's hierarchy of needs

The primitive thoughts regarding motivation always have been in relation to Needs (Beatty, 1981). In the article she defines Needs as “the measurable discrepancy existing between a present state of affairs and a desired state of affairs as asserted either by an “owner” of need or ail “authority” on need.” Or simply a Need is the difference between what we have and what we want. In 1954 psychologist Abraham Maslow presented a theory combining the relationship between Needs and motivation. Though it has been argued the validity and the accuracy of the hypothesis throughout the history it is considered the most used theory on motivation spanning across the financial and industrial world (Adiele & Abraham, 2013). Due to the universality of the theory it has been altered and interpreted according to the requirements of the specific field or work. Hence the author will only discuss the base of the original theory so the reader can absorb the abstract and use it with minimal changes. 

Maslow categorised human needs into five different levels. From lowest to highest a man has to climb up without avoiding a single step (Kaur, 2013). As per the psychologist the five different levels are as follows,

1. Physiological or Basic Needs – These include the basic physiological needs of a human. Hunger, thirst, sex, shelter, and other bodily needs.
2. Safety Needs – A man’s expectations on freedom from threat, danger, or deprivation, and involve self-preservation.
3. Belongingness and Love Needs – Concerns of a man’s ability to exist in a social world. Which includes but not limited to his desire for affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship.
4. Esteem Needs – These needs are basically psychological achievements. Such as confidence, status, respect, competence, recognition, attention, dignity and appreciation.
5. Self-actualisation Needs – The need to do what a man is born to do.

The following video will briefly explain the unassuming triangle of Maslow’s.

(The School of life, 2019)

Physiological or Basic Needs

            “Man is a wanting Animal” (MacGregor, 2003), Further elaborating the statement MacGregor explained that when a human satisfied with one need another one will appear. And it is a never ending process. But the human should have a full stomach before he approaches to another need. When and only when a human have adequately and regularly filled stomach, the importance of the need to satisfy hunger starts to diminish. Hence other than extreme cases always a human should satisfy his basic physiological needs before he even think of love, security, esteem or actualisation.

(Mike, 2017)

Safety Needs

            Now when a human has satisfied his basic needs, his sense for security, safety or protections appears  (Kaur, 2013). He even underestimates the importance of fulfilling basic needs. He will not compromise his safety even for food. In an industrial world a man’s security depends on the job and the payment he receives for that. When he feels his job is secured he will take risks to earn more money. But when his job is threatened his most important need will be back again the job security (MacGregor, 2003).

(dhruvkd786, 2015)

(Uploaded on 20th September 2019)

Belongingness and Love Needs

            When a person’s self-centric needs are satisfied, he/she will starts to look into the relationships the person is dealing with. Now the person has what he wanted for himself will start to pay attention to others surrounding him. The need for affection comes into play with the necessity of a family, sweetheart or a friend  (Kaur, 2013). The following image will elaborate the original literature of Maslow’s third stage of the hierarchy triangle.

(Georgi, 2016)

Esteem Needs

            Now the physiological needs for a person have satisfied and the social needs are too met ones psychology starts to work a step ahead. Something beyond the basic needs and which only can be pursued when all the basic needs are being fulfilled (Adiele & Abraham, 2013). This kinds of needs is divided into two subsets. First the esteem within self, such as Strength, achievement, adequacy, freedom, competence and confidence. Secondly the esteem from others such as status, fame, glory, attention, importance and dignity  (Jerome, 2013).

(dhruvkd786, 2015)

Self-actualisation Need

Maslow describes in his original literature that even a man has fulfilled all above forgoing needs he will still feel unsatisfied, restlessness or something missing unless he does what he is fitted for (Adiele & Abraham, 2013). “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.” (Maslow, 1954). The urge for this need only arises and only after all the above four categorical needs are consistently and adequately fulfilled (Jerome, 2013). The following video will elaborate the importance of self-actualisation in accordance with Maslow’s theory.

(Academy of Ideas, 2018)

How to use the theory

In the practical world the usage of this particular theory is almost universal. Prior to putting this theory into practice one must understand that though the theory is universal, the needs that are considered to satisfy are always relative (Maslow, 1954). It does not necessarily need to satisfy a hundred percent of the lower level need before the emergence of the next level needs. 

According to Jerome (2013) if a man’s physiological needs are satisfied by only 25% then there will be no sign of emerging the safety needs. But if his physiological needs are satisfied to the level of 50% then the emergence of the safety needs could be observed. Hence an employee can be satisfied in different percentages in all levels of the hierarchy without even a single level is not 100% fulfilled. Further elaborating his theory Maslow explains lower levels should always have a higher percentage of satisfaction than the immediate higher level if he is to be satisfied for a longer period of time.

There is another vital factor Maslow was discussing in his theory is about the fact that for the Basic and Safety needs a cultural approach is a must (Mawere, et al., 2016). As described earlier all the needs are relative. And that relativity has a direct relationship with the cultural influence. Before applying the theory one should always consider the influence of the culture on the employee needs. 

If an organisation’s HRM policy and practices are based on following principals then that organisation can have a competent advantage by having motivated employees. The following list of principals are taken and compiled by the author from the original literature of Maslow (1954), Jerome (2013), MacGregor (2003),  (Mawere, et al., 2016) and Adiele and Abraham (2013).

1. HRM policy always should be Individual basis.

2. Cultural influence on basic and safety needs should be addressed.

3. Lower need levels should be satisfied to higher percentage before fulfilling upper levels.

4. Constant and adequate fulfilment of needs is mandatory.

5. An employee should be enrolled in a job which is fit for him.

Conclusion

“Man is a wanting animal” (MacGregor, 2003), always expect and be ready for another request for fulfilment of another need after fulfilling one need. It is a never ending process but it is the same urge of a man which makes him to do more. That urge is the sole driving force of an employee to achieve more or simply to give the employee’s best effort for an organisation (Mawere, et al., 2016). While fulfilling of a need makes a satisfied employee, emergence of another need is the only way to step up on the Maslow’s hierarchy. Thus motivating the employee to do more, to achieve more and to be closer to the top (self-actualisation) of the Maslow’s hierarchy. 

References

Academy of Ideas, 2018. youtube.com. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipA_XU-fsS4
[Accessed 21 September 2019].

Adiele, E. E. & Abraham, N. M., 2013. Achievement of Abraham Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 2(1), pp. 140-144.

Armstrong, M. & Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management. 13 ed. Philadelphia: © Michael Armstrong.

Beatty, P. T., 1981. The Concept of Need: Proposal for a working definition. Journal of the Community Development Society, 12(2), pp. 39-46.

dhruvkd786, 2015. SlideShare.net. [Online]
Available at: https://pt.slideshare.net/dhruvkd786/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-theory-47991651
[Accessed 18 Spetember 2019].

Georgi, S., 2016. SlideShare.net. [Online]
Available at: https://pt.slideshare.net/srgeorgi/motivation-slides-67236147
[Accessed 20 September 2019].

Jerome, N., 2013. Application of the Maslow’s hierarchy of need theory. International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 2(3), pp. 39-45.

Kaur, A., 2013. Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, 03(10), pp. 1061-1064.

Life, T. S. o., 2019. You Tube. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0PKWTta7lU
[Accessed 18 09 2019].

MacGregor, D., 2003. The Human side of Enterprise. In: M. J. Handel, ed. The Sociology of Organisations. 1st ed. California: Sage Publications, pp. 108-115.

Maslow, A. H., 1954. Motivation and personlaity. New York: Harper & Row.

Mawere, M., Mubaya, T. R., van Reisen, M. & van Stam, G., 2016. Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation and its Deep Roots in Individualism. [Online], Available at: : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/302516151 [Accessed 26 September 2019].

Mike, T., 2017. Survuval Report. [Online]
Available at: https://survivalreport.org/basic-human-needs/
[Accessed 18 August 2019].