The psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a law that suggests we, humans, are motivated to satisfy five basic needs. These needs are arranged in a hierarchy. Maslow suggests that we seek first to satisfy the lowest level of needs. Once this is done, we seek to satisfy each higher level of need until we have satisfied all five needs. While contemporary investigate shows some shortcomings with this theory, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs law remains an leading and straightforward motivation tool for managers to understand and apply. The Hierarchy of Needs is as follows:
1. Physiological Needs (basic issues of survival such as salary and stable employment)
2. Safety Needs (stable corporeal and emotional environment issues such as benefits, pension, safe work environment, and fair work practices)
3. "Belongingness" Needs (social acceptance issues such as friendship or cooperation on the job)
4. Esteem Needs (positive self-image and respect and recognition issues such as job titles, nice work spaces, and prestigious job assignments.)
5. Self-Actualization Needs (achievement issues such as workplace autonomy, involving work, and subject matter scholar status on the job)
With Maslow's theory, an employee's starting emphasis on the lower order needs of physiology and Safety makes sense. Generally, a person starting their work will be very implicated with physiological needs such as adequate wages and stable wage and Safety needs such as benefits and a safe work environment. We all want a good salary to meet the needs of our house and we want to work in a stable environment. Employees whose lowest level needs have not been met will make job decisions based on compensation, safety, or stability concerns. Also, employees will revert to satisfying their lowest level needs when these needs are no longer met or are threatened (such as during an economic downturn). This places an extra enforcement on managers to act humanely when difficult organizational decisions such as staff reductions have to be implemented. Callous implementation of difficult decisions will cause the remaining employees in the society to feel threatened about the ability or desire of the society to continue to meet their physiological and Safety needs.
Once these basic needs are met, the laborer will want his "belongingness" (or social) needs met. The level of group interaction an laborer desires will vary based on whether the laborer is an introvert or extrovert. The key point is that employees desire to work in an environment where they are accepted in the society and have some interaction with others. This means effective interpersonal relations are necessary. Managers can generate an environment where staff cooperation is rewarded. This will encourage interpersonal effectiveness. Ongoing managerial transportation about operational matters is also an leading component of meeting employee's group needs. Employees who are "kept in the dark" about operational matters and the time to come plans of the society often feel like they are an organizational outsider. (This last point is especially leading for virtual employees whose absence from the office puts an extra enforcement on managers to keep these employees engaged in organizational communications.)
With these needs satisfied, an laborer will want his higher level needs of esteem and self-actualization met. Esteem needs are tied to an employee's image of himself and his desire for the respect and recognition of others. Even if an private does not want to move into management, he probably does not want to do the same exact work for 20 years. He may want to be on a scheme team, unblemished a special task, learn other tasks or duties, or develop his duties in some manner. Cross-training, job enrichment, and special assignments are beloved methods for making work more rewarding. Further, allowing employees to participate in decision making on operational matters is a fine method for meeting an employee's esteem needs. Finally, symbols of accomplishment such as a meaningful job title, job perks, awards, a nice office, company cards, work space, etc. Are also leading to an employee's esteem. The leading observation for managers is that they must supply rewards to their employees that both come from the society and from doing the work itself. Rewards need to be balanced to have a maximum effect.
With self-actualization, the laborer will be curious in growth and private development. He will also need to be skilled at what he does. He may want a involving job, an opening to unblemished added education, increased leisure from supervision, or autonomy to define his own processes for meeting organizational objectives. At this top level, managers focus on promoting an environment where an laborer can meet his own self-actualization needs.
The basic idea of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is that our needs are constantly changing. As one need is met, we desire other needs. This makes sense. Will the raise we received 3 years ago motivate us for the next 10 years? Will the involving job we began 5 years ago have the same effect on us today? Will the carrying out award we received last year fully satisfy our need for recognition for the rest of our lives? The answers to all of these questions is clearly, no. This is the beauty of Maslow's law of motivation. laborer needs change with time. This means that managers must continually adapt to employees' changing needs if they want to keep their workforce motivated. Maslow understood these truths!
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