This short statement can be a meaningful summary of what Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Wants is all about when it comes to motivation.
There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something to reach our full potential. A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy.
Introduction to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Wants
Abraham Maslow identified and classified the main needs of humans. He was not that much concerned with focusing on the physiological (physical) needs of workers as he believed that people are motivated by more than just money. Therefore, he suggested that businesses should focus more on psychological (mental) and sociological needs of workers. Rather than solely paying attention the work environment itself.
Maslow suggested that a person needs to satisfy his or her lower-level needs before progressing to satisfy higher-level needs. Specifically, a person who suffers from hunger and thirst would not worry too much about trying to make friends and bond with others.
Maslow believed that all humans have five different levels of needs in the form which form a pyramidal hierarchy:
- Physiological (physical) needs. These are the basic needs we must have to be able to survive including water, food, air, shelter, warmth, clothing and rest (sleep). Physiological needs are the needs that must be met for people to live on Earth.
- Safety and security needs. These are the needs of safety and stability that we need to fulfill to be secure in life from physical danged and to have stable employment and job security. Security needs include predictability (daily structure, routine, habits, laws and regulations, etc.), order (protection from threats caused by people, animals or natural disasters) and health and safety at work.
- Social needs. These are the needs of friendship, trust, love and belonginess. Everybody has the desire to be accepted by others to feel loved and trusted in a family. For employees, it is important to have friends and belong to a group where social activities can be shared and enjoyed together. Social needs can be satisfied by participation in gatherings such as birthday parties and weddings, communication and interaction with other human beings, having children and other opportunities to be with people.
- Esteem (ego) needs. These are the needs of respect from others, status in the society and having achievements recognized by others. These esteem needs refer to the human desires for self-respect to feel good about themselves and for recognition by others for the job well done.
- Self-actualization (fulfillment) needs. These are the needs for reaching one’s full potential to become the greatest version of ourselves. At this highest level are the forces that drive people to become the best that they can be. While not everyone will ever reach their full potential, these needs are very important for successful people such as business owners and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) who always set themselves another challenge.
According to Maslow, all human beings start at the lowest level of needs – physiological (physical) needs. Once one level of needs has been satisfied, people will strive to achieve the next level. Thus, when basic needs have been satisfied, offering more money to the worker will not motivate. Hence, will not increase productivity. It is because money will no longer motivate individuals to take certain actions. What will motivate is trying to reach safety needs, and so on. Until somebody reaches the top level of in the hierarchy of need and wants. While not everybody in this world is capable of reaching their potential, self-actualization needs are rarely reached by many people.
Reversion of needs is possible. For example, a person who loses the job will most likely lose job security. Therefore, his satisfaction on this level will be withdrawn and this person will move down to the lower level.
Relevance of Maslow’s motivation theory to modern industry
The importance of Maslow’s work to modern business managers is that needs of employees will determine their actions in a business organization. People will always be motivated to satisfy their particular needs. Therefore, if people can satisfy some or all of their needs in the workplace by how their work is organized, they will become more motivated. Hence, more productive.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Wants is important to managers because it is possible for an individual to satisfy some, or all, of their needs at workplace. If managers want to motivate their workers, they will need to organize tasks in a way that individual employees are able to satisfy their needs and wants.
Improved worker motivation will lead to increased business efficiency. Workers will be producing more products of better quality with less mistakes and providing higher quality services for customers. Ultimately, this will improve competitiveness of the organizations and help to reduce business costs. Leading to improve profitability in the long-term.
How needs may be satisfied in a business organization?
LEVEL 1: Physical needs. Income from employment that workers earn should be high enough to meet essential needs. The amount will determine whether they are able to meet those basic needs to sustain their lives.
LEVEL 2: Safety needs. Businesses can provide safety and stability through a contract of employment that offers some sort of job security, sick pay, maternity leave, pensions (retirement income), etc. A well-structured business organization that gives clear reporting lines can reduce uncertainty and ambiguity. The firm shall also ensure that health and safety conditions are met.
LEVEL 3: Social needs. Giving workers opportunities to work in teams and groups and ensuring good communication will help to make workers feel involved. This will promote a sense of worth and belonging at work. Additionally, training and development opportunities will suggest that the business values its people and their expertise.
LEVEL 4: Esteem needs. Recognition for the job well done may be showed in the form of ‘Employee of the month’. It may mean more to some people than any financial gain. Sincere praise from a supervisor and positive reinforcements can also meet these needs. Giving an employee high status such as job titles of Manager and Director can help to boost internal and external ego needs gaining the respect of others. Internal promotion can also improve the overall staff morale as this shows that employers have faith in the existing workforce.
LEVEL 5: Self-actualization. Businesses can encourage fulfillment of someone’s potential by providing opportunities for personal development and promotion. Challenging work that stretches the individual will give not only a sense of achievement, but also a growth opportunity to develop. Ultimately, people who achieve self-actualization are democratic in nature because a person must have the freedom over what do with their talents to reach self-fulfillment.
Criticism of Maslow’s approach to motivation
The theory assumes a universal progression through needs, neglecting individual differences in priorities and cultural influences. But, not everyone has the same needs as is assumed in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Wants. Businesses may not effectively motivate all employees using a single, rigid framework.
Levels of needs are somewhat difficult to measure. Accurately measuring and quantifying the fulfillment of higher-order needs like esteem and belonging within the workplace remains challenging. This makes it difficult to tailor interventions based on individual needs. It is also very difficult to identify how much of each need has been met and which level each worker is on.
The model may not fully capture the motivations of certain professions like freelance artists or volunteers who prioritize factors beyond the hierarchy, such as creative freedom or social impact.
The hierarchy presents needs as distinct and sequential, while in reality, needs often overlap and influence each other. For example, financial security through having enough money might contribute to both physiological needs and social esteem.
Studies suggest that security needs, not necessarily self-actualization, may be the primary motivator for some individuals. This emphasizes the importance of factors like job stability and safety in workplace motivation. For example, studies by the Minneapolis Gas Company from 1945 to 1965 found that employees placed security needs as their number one motivator.
The model does not address the continuous need for personal growth and professional development. Jobs that lack challenging opportunities can lead to stagnation and demotivation, even if basic needs are met.
Self-actualization is never permanently achieved. The theory does not explain either what motivates individuals who have seemingly achieved self-actualization, as evidenced by the continued pursuits of successful figures like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. There are things beyond self-actualization and the Maslow’s theory does not explain what motivates people once they have achieved self-actualization.
