Abraham Maslow proposed a theory called “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs”.
This theory explains that every person has a hierarchy of 5 needs, which are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs as shown in the figure above.At the bottom of the hierarchy are the physiological needs. Physiological needs are a person’s basic needs for food, drink, sex, air and other physical requirements. An organizational example of physiological needs is a comfortable working environment.
This need can be satisfied by providing employees with restrooms and adequate lighting at the workplace.Next are safety needs. Safety needs are a person’s needs for security and protection from physical and emotional harm. Organizational examples of safety needs are job continuity and retirement benefit packages, which can satisfy an employee’s safety needs by freeing them from worries about job security or financial security.Social needs, on the other hand, are a person’s needs for belongingness, affection and acceptance.
Organizational examples of social needs such as friendships on the job and acceptance by colleagues can be satisfied by allowing social interaction at work and by making employees feel like part of an organizational team.Moving upwards, are esteem needs. Esteem needs are a person’s needs for internal esteem factors such as self-respect and self-image, and external esteem factors such as the need for recognition from others. Organizational examples of esteem needs are job titles and other similar rewards. An employee’s esteem needs can be satisfied by providing them rewards based on their job performance to give them a sense of accomplishment.At the top of the hierarchy are self-actualization needs.
Self-actualization needs are a person’s needs for continual growth and achieving one’s potential. It is a person’s drive to become what he/she is capable of becoming. An organizational example of self-actualization needs is the desire to learn new things. An employee’s self-actualization needs can be satisfied by giving them a chance to make decisions related to their work so they can fulfill their need for self-development.Maslow suggests that an individual is firstly motivated to satisfy his/her physiological needs.
As long as his/her physiological needs remain unsatisfied, he/she will be motivated to fulfill ONLY his/her physiological needs. Once his/her physiological needs are substantially satisfied, the individual will progress to the next level, which is to satisfy his/her safety needs. This process continues until the individual reaches the highest level of the hierarchy, which is to satisfy his/her self-actualization needs.In conclusion, although Maslow’s theory is widely-used and recognized by managers worldwide, it still has a few defects. Research has found that the five level of needs proposed by Maslow is not always present and that the orders of the needs are not always similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
