Introduction
Man
is a “wanting being” and all his needs are growing continuously and it needs to
make a background where those needs can be satisfied (Trivedi,
2019).
Researcher Abraham Maslow had introduced a theory which speaks about five
levels of needs that are very much important to human beings that decide the
motivation and satisfaction of themselves. He was a famous psychologist who
contributed all his dedications for human psychology as well as human needs and
motivation in the contemporary society (Aruma & Hanachor, 2017). Earlier Maslow’s
theory illustrates five levels of needs in human environment which are physiological
needs, safety needs or security needs, love and belonging needs or social
needs, esteem and prestige needs or ego needs, self-actualization needs or self-realization
needs (Aruma & Hanachor, 2017).
Figure 1.1
Source : (Aruma & Hanachor, 2017)
Later
on two other levels were added to the hierarchy which is also very much
important as the other five levels (Aruma & Hanachor, 2017). Figure 1.1 shows
how the five levels of Maslow’s hierarchy is divided into three major sections
and the first two levels are categorized as basic needs. The second two levels
are considered as psychological needs and the final level can be taken as
self-fulfillment needs.
How I apply Maslow’s
Hierarchy in the organization that I work for
(1) Physiological
Needs
It
is obvious that basic needs are the most important thing for a human being and
all the tasks and activities are carried out by themselves to fulfill their
basic needs (Kaur, 2013). The most important
and most basic need is psychological needs which are the key factors for the
existence of human beings (Trivedi, 2019). Human beings should
be able to breathe, should have enough food and water also sleep, sex and rest.
If these needs are not satisfied, the human body will not function in a proper
way (McLeod, 2018). As I work in a
major Engineering company in the country, I have to be very much keen on
physiological needs of my employees. The most important thing that I consider
is the “salary” of my employees. If I can value the service given by each
employee in a proper way, then it will help them to fulfill their most basic
needs easily such as food and water. During the working hours, meals and
refreshments as well as sanitary facilities are arranged according to the requirement
and it will satisfy employees in my workplace. The second most important thing
which should be considered is “holidays and leaves”. Although the salary can
fulfill the most basic needs of an employee such as food and water, the number
of holidays illustrates how he can obtain his other basic needs such as rest,
sex, warmth and sleep. I keep my thorough attention on making duty roasters of
my employees and those roasters are specially prepared considering employee’s
necessities as well as organizational goals.
(2)Safety Needs
In
an Engineering organization one of the most important things is the “human
safety”. When employees are working in anywhere in the workplace, all the
necessary safety precautions and safety rules should be followed as it will
ensure the safety of themselves. Some examples are mentioned below.
- Safety
Helmets
- Safety
Boots
- Tools
- Safety
Goggles
- Safety
Harness and belts
Not
only the personal safety, making a background in an environment which is free
of harm or without having a fear of doing the job will also be very much
important according to the Maslow’s hierarchy (Kaur, 2013). I always appreciate
and encourage my employees when they are contributing their best to the
company. If anyone is not contributing his best to the company, he should be
motivated more than other employees because it may happen due to an internal
crisis that had been built up in his life. That crisis should be addressed well
and it will make that employee comfortable in the company and the fear will go
away from him. The safety which is ensured inside the buildings also plays a
major when discussing about this topic. Fire protection systems, fire detection
systems, fire extinguishers, emergency fire exits, sanitization, sick rooms and
isolation rooms are several other safety methods which have been implemented
inside the organization. The safety needs can also evolve according to the
country they live in or the social concerns (Uysal, Aydemir, & Genc, 2018).
(3)Belongings and Love needs
A
human being needs the presence of love from his relationships which will make
him happy to live in this world (Uysal, Aydemir, & Genc, 2018). According to my
point of view it is the most important fact which translates a man to a
complete human being although the basic needs are fulfilled by the lowest level
of Maslow’s hierarchy. For an example, if I am able to arrange a “sports event”
to my employees, it will increase the relationships between themselves and
automatically develop the third level of Maslow’s Hierarchy. Annual trips, Family get together, movie
nights, day outings are some other tools which will increase the happiness of
the employees in the organization. Undoubtedly it will be a huge fact which
will help to develop the community development of the society (Aruma & Hanachor,
2017).
(4)Esteem needs
The
esteem needs can be categorized into two sections which are self-esteem and
recognition that generates in the others (Osumo, 2012). When fulfilling the
basic needs, human beings are coming to this level of the hierarchy as they
believe that esteem needs are also very much important as the basic needs. Training
and developments programs are done in my organization to the employees to teach
“how to respect the other co-workers and gain self-esteem”. The expression of
the need for respect, status and the recognition stimulate or motivate people
to do their best to the society and therefore automatically it makes the
development in the world (Aruma & Hanachor, 2017).
(5)Self-Actualization
As
shown in figure 1.1, self-actualization is the top most level in the hierarchy
and it is the place where a “perfect” human being is generated by the society.
An employee will work efficiently in this stage as he is ultimately happy
because he feels that he has something to achieve in his life (Trivedi,
2019).
Developing the talents which are hidden in human beings are also happening in
this stage and the ability to face any kind of problem generated by the society
will also be polished in themselves at this stage (Aruma &
Hanachor, 2017).
Conducting annual surveys in the organization to measure the self-actualization
of employees will reveal or give a clear image about the weak areas of the top
management which should be definitely eliminated to achieve the company goals
and success.
Conclusion
According
to the researches which have been done recently, it has been proved that the
lower level needs can predict the higher level needs and therefore Maslow’s
hierarchy should follow the low-high order to test the human needs in a
practical and successful way (Shi & Lin, 2021). Anyhow some
limitations can also be found in this hierarchy and appropriate solutions can
be given to those limitations by doing many more researches in future (Trivedi, 2019).
References
Aruma, E., &
Hanachor, M. E. (2017). Abrahim Maslow's Hierachy Of Needs and Assesment of
Needs in Community Development. International Journal Of Development and
Economic Sustainability, 15-27.
Kaur, A. (2013).
Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory : Applications and Criticisms. Global Journal
of Management and Business Studies, 1061-1064.
McLeod, S.
(2018, May 21). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology.
Osumo, L. N.
(2012). Perceived Importance Of Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs Among Employees
Of The Institute Of Advanced Technology,Nairobi. Nairobi: School Of
Business,University of Nairobi.
Shi, Y., &
Lin, X. (2021). A Test of Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs Concept by a
Correlational Model Among Adult Learners. American Association for Adult and
Continuing Education Inaugural 2020 Conference Proceedings (pp. 229-234).
China: American Association for Adult and Continuing Education.
Trivedi, A. J.
(2019). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs-Theory of Motivation . International
Journal of Research in all subjects in Multi Languages, 38-41.
Uysal, H. T.,
Aydemir, S., & Genc, E. (2018). Maslow's Heirarchy of needs in 21st
century:The examination of vocational differences. Researches on Science and
Art in 21st century, 211-227.
Hi Lakshan, agree with what you have said in your post. Explaining the Hierarchy of Needs Theory on Organizational Culture, Jerome, N. (2013) have stated that HR management practice and culture of an Organisation should give the opportunity for the employees to achieve their self-esteem and self-actualization needs. It is further described that employees will offer their best when they realise that the Organisation cares about their development.
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan. I totally agree with your post regarding Maslow's hierarchy of needs reflecting to enhance employee engagement. I would further wish to quote an addition from two other authors, "if leaders take into consideration the needs of the individual, the new technology that provides challenges and opportunities for meeting those needs, and provides the training to meet both sets of needs, enhanced employee motivation and commitment is possible" (Benzen & Dundis,2003).
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan, A very comprehensive post. The basis of Maslow's theory is that we are motivated by our needs as human beings. This may help explain why we are "stuck" or unmotivated. Our most important needs may not be met, preventing us from becoming the best possible version of ourselves. According to findings of McLeod, (2007), Maslow (1943) first stated that individuals must meet the needs of lower deficits before proceeding to meet the needs of higher growth. However, he had later revealed that needs satisfaction was not an "allornon" phenomenon, and his previous statement was "a false impression that one need must be met 100% before the next need arises.(1987, p. 69).
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan, I agree with the contents of this post. I would like to add one more thing to it. Maslow provides a high rank for security needs. Therefore an organization can provide welfare facilities to its employees. For example, health insurance can be provided to employees of the organization and it can also cover those employees and their family members. Through it, the leaders of the organization are able to create a sense of security in the minds of the employees of the organization. It also helps to increases the employee Motivation and Engagement (Waititu, Kihara and Senaji, 2017).
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan. Wonderfully related to your organisation. According to a study of engaged business units, only 4 % had mentioned pay as a drive towards engagement, while the main factor was a sense of belonging on their teams and feeling empowered ( David,2014).
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan, I agree with your blog. Managing employee relations and engagement in today's competitive paradigm of personal management is a big problem for businesses. According to human resource experts, if an employee is not driven, he will not be able to give his all to the company. If satisfied employees have a strong motivation for performance excellence and a strong dedication to their employers' well-being, they will rise to the level of a 'designated employee,' who is emotionally invested in the business process and develops a strong zeal. To achieve business objectives Changing the focus from employee satisfaction to identifying the various workplace factors that influence employee engagement is alphabetical of significance. Furthermore, Maslow's hierarchical motivation theory has been combined with Mercer's employee engagement theory to produce an organizational methodology. (MADAN, S., 2017)
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan , nicely done the post and The Hierarchy of Requirements, developed by Abraham Maslow, asserts that people's activities are motivated by physiological demands, which are represented by a pyramid of needs, with the most basic needs at the bottom and more complicated needs at the top (Cherry, K. 2022).
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan, Totally agreed with your post. Abraham Maslow published a paper titled "A Theory of Human Motivation" that established his hierarchy of needs. Five essential needs—physical, social, emotional, and self-actualization—are said to be the driving forces behind motivation. An employee's motivation rises in direct proportion to the degree to which these demands are met (Kelliher, 2012)
ReplyDeleteHello Lakshan. well explained Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. According to Smith & Cronje (1992), Maslow's theory is explained based on the notion that people aspire to achieve more in life, and their demands are prioritized according to their importance.
ReplyDeleteHi Laksha very well explained in the blog. The way Maslow's theory is explained, according to Lake ( 2000) is based on the fact that people want to achieve more in life, and their needs are prioritized according to their importance.
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan, a well elaborated post. Further, Maslow also suggested that there are several prerequisites to be prepared to meet the needs and he believed that having these prerequisites make it easier for people to achieve their needs (Hopper, 2020).
ReplyDeleteHello Lakshan, I agree with your content of Maslo'w's theory managers have the responsibility to create a proper climate in which employees can develop to their fullest potential. Failure to provide such a climate would theoretically increase employee frustration and could result in poorer performance, lower job satisfaction, and increased withdrawal from the organization” (Steers & Porter, 1983, p.32).
ReplyDeleteHi Lakshan,
ReplyDeleteThe hierarchy of needs which was developed by Abraham Maslow can, however, be used as a
method of assessing needs in community development in various communities in the
contemporary society. This method of hierarchy of needs which Abraham Maslow developed
emphasizes that there are certain basic needs which must be met before other needs can be
considered in various communities (Agarwal,2017).