Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
In 1943 Abraham Maslow developed a theory about human motivation called the hierarchy of needs. This theory has been popular in the United States and describes human needs in five general categories. According to Maslow, once an individual has met his needs in one category, he is motivated to seek needs in the next higher level. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs consists of the following general categories:
Physiological needs. These are the first and lowest level of needs. They relate to the most basic needs for survival and include the need for food and shelter.
Safety needs. The second level of needs involves an individual’s need for security, protection, and safety in the physical and interpersonal events of daily life.
Social needs. The third level of needs is associated with social behavior. It is based on an individual’s desire to be accepted as part of a group and includes a desire for love and affection.
Esteem needs. The fourth level of needs relates to an individual’s need for respect, recognition, and prestige and involves a personal sense of competence.
Self-actualization. This is the fifth and highest level of needs. Needs of this level are associated with an individual’s desire to reach his full potential by growing and using his abilities to the fullest and most creative extent.
As individuals move higher in the corporate hierarchy, they may see higher-order needs as being more important than those of lower orders. Needs may also vary based on career stage, organizational structure, and geographic location. The hierarchy of needs could also lack effective application in different cultural contexts. Certain cultures may value social needs over psychological and safety needs. In addition, the theory necessitates that a manager be able to identify and understand an employee’s needs. This is not always easy and can lead to inaccurate assumptions. Taken in the proper context, however, recognizing the importance of needs is a useful method for conceptualizing factors of employee motivation and thus being able to direct an organization’s behavior.
Herzberg’s Factors.
In the 1950s Frederick Herzberg studied the characteristics of a job in order to determine which factors served to increase or decrease workers’ satisfaction. His study identified two factors related to job satisfaction: “hygiene” factors and motivational factors.
Hygiene factors are those that must be maintained at adequate levels. They are related more to the environment in which an employee is working rather than the nature of the work itself. Important hygiene factors include organizational policies, quality of supervision, working conditions, relationships with peers and subordinates, status, job security, and salary. Adequate levels of these factors are necessary to prevent dissatisfaction; improving these factors beyond adequate levels, however, does not necessarily lead to an increase in job satisfaction.
A different set of factors, identified as motivational factors, is associated with having a direct effect on increasing job satisfaction. These factors include achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth, the work itself, and the opportunity for advancement.
Like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s factors must be tempered by sensitivity to individual and cultural differences and require that managers identify what employees consider to be “adequate levels.” Managers sometimes simplify both of these theories and inappropriately assume that they know what their employees need.
In 1943 Abraham Maslow developed a theory about human motivation called the hierarchy of needs. This theory has been popular in the United States and describes human needs in five general categories. According to Maslow, once an individual has met his needs in one category, he is motivated to seek needs in the next higher level. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs consists of the following general categories:
Physiological needs. These are the first and lowest level of needs. They relate to the most basic needs for survival and include the need for food and shelter.
Safety needs. The second level of needs involves an individual’s need for security, protection, and safety in the physical and interpersonal events of daily life.
Social needs. The third level of needs is associated with social behavior. It is based on an individual’s desire to be accepted as part of a group and includes a desire for love and affection.
Esteem needs. The fourth level of needs relates to an individual’s need for respect, recognition, and prestige and involves a personal sense of competence.
Self-actualization. This is the fifth and highest level of needs. Needs of this level are associated with an individual’s desire to reach his full potential by growing and using his abilities to the fullest and most creative extent.
As individuals move higher in the corporate hierarchy, they may see higher-order needs as being more important than those of lower orders. Needs may also vary based on career stage, organizational structure, and geographic location. The hierarchy of needs could also lack effective application in different cultural contexts. Certain cultures may value social needs over psychological and safety needs. In addition, the theory necessitates that a manager be able to identify and understand an employee’s needs. This is not always easy and can lead to inaccurate assumptions. Taken in the proper context, however, recognizing the importance of needs is a useful method for conceptualizing factors of employee motivation and thus being able to direct an organization’s behavior.
Herzberg’s Factors.
In the 1950s Frederick Herzberg studied the characteristics of a job in order to determine which factors served to increase or decrease workers’ satisfaction. His study identified two factors related to job satisfaction: “hygiene” factors and motivational factors.
Hygiene factors are those that must be maintained at adequate levels. They are related more to the environment in which an employee is working rather than the nature of the work itself. Important hygiene factors include organizational policies, quality of supervision, working conditions, relationships with peers and subordinates, status, job security, and salary. Adequate levels of these factors are necessary to prevent dissatisfaction; improving these factors beyond adequate levels, however, does not necessarily lead to an increase in job satisfaction.
A different set of factors, identified as motivational factors, is associated with having a direct effect on increasing job satisfaction. These factors include achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth, the work itself, and the opportunity for advancement.
Like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s factors must be tempered by sensitivity to individual and cultural differences and require that managers identify what employees consider to be “adequate levels.” Managers sometimes simplify both of these theories and inappropriately assume that they know what their employees need.
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