Though, almost 70 years have passed since
Abraham Maslow’s classic 1943 Psychological Review paper proposing
a hierarchical approach to human motivation, Maslow’s model had an immense
influence on the field of psychology, including the subfields of personality,
social psychology, psychopathology, developmental psychology, and
organizational behavior, and it continues to be cited widely in textbooks
(Kenrick et.al., 2010).
The needs hierarchy is Maslow’s theory of
motivation, which is based on 5 levels in ‘the hierarchy of needs model (Rahman
and Nurullah, 2014). They are;
(1)
Physiological or basic needs
(2)
Safety needs
(3)
Love needs (social) needs
(4)
Esteem needs
(5)
Self-actualization needs
Maslow show human needs in the form of a hierarchy, ascending from the lowest to the highest, and he concluded that when one set of needs is satisfied, it no longer serves to motivate (Luthans, 2011). Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up (McLeod, 2020). The next higher level of need has to be activated in order to motivate the individual (Luthans, 2011). As illustrated in figure 1.0, the five stages of the hierarchy of needs are elaborated.
Figure 1.0 Maslow’s the Hierarchy of Needs Model
Source: (Jerome, 2013)
This five-stage model can
be divided into deficiency needs and growth needs. The first four levels are
often referred to as deficiency needs (D-needs), and the top level is known as
growth or being needs (B-needs) (McLeod, 2020).
D Needs (Deficiency
Needs) - D-need satisfaction typically manifests in
self-interest, acquisition of physical resources, accumulation of wealth and
power and love or social appreciation (D’Souza & Adam, 2016).
B Needs (Being/ Growth Needs)- Once these growth needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization (McLeod, 2020).
Theory in to
Practice
The Public Sector organizations tend to have a very lower level of Employee turnover unless due to factors such as human capital flight which certainly is a great loss to the organization as those who leave are mostly the qualified and trained employees that crafts the future of the organization and also the country.
Further, it refrains the value addition anticipated to be achieved through the cost incurred on recruiting, selecting,
induction and training processes.
Some of the actions taken
by my organization in order to motivate and retain are illustrated below;
|
Physiological
needs |
- Competitively higher regular monthly salary than the
other public sector organizations -
comfortable working environment -
Loan schemes provided to employees from the company |
|
Safety
needs |
-
Higher Job Security in public sector -
Benefits such as a pension scheme and sick pay |
|
Social
needs |
-
Higher Job Security in public sector -
Benefits such as a pension scheme and sick pay |
|
Self-esteem |
-
Reward employees’ contributions |
|
Self-actualization |
-
Providing training (Local/ Foreign) -
Opportunity for promotion |
Employees need to be
retained by organizations because of their skills, knowledge and expertise but
when employees feel they are not treated the way they should be treated
according to their expertise, knowledge and skills, they began to switch (Nasir
& Mahmood, 2018).
References:
- D'Souza, Jeevan & Adams, C. (2016). Towards a Humanistic Definition of Greed. American International Journal of Social Science. 5. 9-12.
- Luthans, F. (2011). Organizational Behavior: An Evidence Based Approach. International Twelfth Edition: McGraw-Hill.
- Jerome, N. (2013). Application of the Maslow’s hierarchy of need theory; impacts and implications on organizational culture, human resource and employee’s performance. International Journal of Business and Management Invention ISSN (Online,) 2(3), 23198028.
- Kenrick, D. T., Griskevicius, V., Neuberg, S. L., & Schaller, M. (2010). Renovating the Pyramid of Needs: Contemporary Extensions Built Upon Ancient Foundations. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 292-314. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691610369469.
- McLeod, S. A. (2020, March 20). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
- Rahman, M. & Mahmood N.S., (2014). Motivational Need Hierarchy of Employees in Public and Private Commercial Banks. Central European Business Review. 3. 44-53. 10.18267/j.cebr.84.
- Riley, J., (2016). Motivation Theory- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Viewed on 13th May 2021.https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/motivation-maslow-hierarchy-of-needs
Absolutely Vindya, to retain talented employees an organization must make them feel valued and important member of the team. In order to do so, organisations should focus on top two layers, self-esteem and self-actualisation. Many organisations have honor societies and prestigious awards ceremonies to uplift self-esteem of the employees (Hanif et al., 2013). Further, methods such as succession planning and transparent and clearly communicated promotions policy are implemented to boost self-actualisation of the employees. The self-actualisation needs encourage employees to be innovative, which will give a competitive advantage (Aruma and Hanachor, 2017).
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you Oshadee, Maslow (1943) describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be (McLeod, 2020). Adding to that Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically. For example, one individual may have a strong desire to become an ideal parent. In another, the desire may be expressed economically, academically or athletically (McLeod, 2020).
DeleteMaslow suggested that most people have these basic needs in hierarchical manner, but this can be changed not a fixed order as some individuals will have these needs in the reverse way (Osabiya & Joseph,2015).
ReplyDeleteGood point Sandun, More recent research has offered some support for Maslow’s original hierarchy, while some suggest that the theory might be in need of an update to better reflect the needs of modern life (Cherry, 2020)
DeleteAgreed with you Vindya, Maslow's hierarchy of needs in terms of motivation in an organizations is key factors, and according to Maslow leaders need to know the level of a person on the hierarchical pyramid in order to motivate him/her. Then leaders need to focus on accomplishing that person’s needs at that level (Robbins 2001)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feedback Eranda. Indeed, the challenge for managers today is to keep the staff motivated and performing well in the workplace.The manager has to know the behaviour of eachemployee and what might motivate each one individually (Osabiya & Joseph, 2015).
DeleteAgreed with you Vindya, Addition to your article the hierarchy is usually shown as ranging through five main levels from the lowest need being physiological, through safety needs, love needs and esteem needs to the highest level of needs being self-actualization. This theory states that when a lower need is satisfied, it is no longer a strong motivator and hence the demand for the next higher need becomes dominant and the individual’s attention is turned towards satisfying this higher need. It states that only unsatisfied needs motivate an individual (Osabiya & Joseph, 2015).
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feedback Sachith. I agree with you that, a person moves to the next higher level of the hierarchy only when the lower level need is satisfied (Trisarani, 2019).
DeleteYes Agree with you. Maslow’s ideas are very helpful for understanding the needs of people at work and for determining what can be done to satisfy them. His theory advises managers to recognize that deprived needs may negatively influence attitudes and behaviors (Ozguner & Ozguner, 2014).
ReplyDeleteAgree with Chamara, by understanding employees' needs, managers can understand what rewards to use to motivate them. The goal of most companies is to benefit from positive employee behaviour in the workplace by promoting a win–win situation for both the company and workers (Osabiya & Joseph, 2015).
Delete