Application of Maslow’s theory in the employee motivation

 

Application of Maslow’s theory in the employee motivation

According to Smith & Cronje (1992), the way Maslow’s theory is explained relies on the fact that people want to increase what they want to achieve in life and their needs are prioritized according to their importance. Deriving from the hierarchy of needs by Maslow, content theories of job satisfaction revolve around employees’ needs and the factors that bring them a reasonable degree of satisfaction (Saif et al., 2012). Based on the basic physical, biological, social and psychological needs of human beings, Maslow came up with a five-stage theory that places the needs of the individual in different categories and prioritizes their attainment. (Jerome 2013).

Emphasis that Maslow’s satisfaction theory demonstrates what motivate employees further, stimulate and reinforce the behavior. Organization need to know where employees are on the Maslow’s need pyramid in order to motivate them (Iguisi 2009). Employee likes to work in an environment which their need are met, they will perform without any support (Kaur, 2013). Employees dissatisfaction is the main problem that decrease their motivation level therefor, management can improve motivation by giving relevant responsibilities to employees idea that, self-actualized employees deliver maximum work efficacy and creativity (Ozguner and Ozguner, 2014). 

The image below also highlights how the Hierarchy of Needs can work in an organization

                        


The Hierarchy of Needs is as follows:

1. Physiological needs: The first of the id-driven lower needs on Maslow's hierarchy are physiological needs. These most basic human survival needs include food and water, sufficient rest, clothing and shelter, overall health, and reproduction. Maslow states that these basic physiological needs must be addressed before humans move on to the next level of fulfillment.

2. Safety needs: Next among the lower-level needs is safety. Safety needs include protection from violence and theft, emotional stability and well-being, health security, and financial security.

3. Love and belonging needs: The social needs on the third level of Maslow’s hierarchy relate to human interaction and are the last of the so-called lower needs. Among these needs are friendshipsand family bonds—both with biological family (parents, siblings, children) and chosen family (spouses and partners). Physical and emotional intimacy ranging from sexual relationships to intimate emotional bonds are important to achieving a feeling of elevated kinship. Additionally, membership in social groups contributes to meeting this need, from belonging to a team of coworkers to forging an identity in a union, club, or group of hobbyists.

4. Esteem needs: The higher needs, beginning with esteem, are ego-driven needs. The primary elements of esteem are self-respect (the belief that you are valuable and deserving of dignity) and self-esteem (confidence in your potential for personal growth and accomplishments). Maslow specifically notes that self-esteem can be broken into two types: esteem which is based on respect and acknowledgment from others, and esteem which is based on your own self-assessment. Self-confidence and independence stem from this latter type of self-esteem.

5. Self-actualization needs: Self-actualization describes the fulfillment of your full potential as a person. Sometimes called self-fulfillment needs, self-actualization needs occupy the highest spot on Maslow's pyramid. Self-actualization needs include education, skill development—the refining of talents in areas such as music, athletics, design, cooking, and gardening—caring for others, and broader goals like learning a new language, traveling to new places, and winning awards.

For employees who endeavor to reach the top-most level in their workplace, must be self-actualized, which means they understand their skills, abilities and their own motivators. They should stay proactive to fulfill their needs positively and work their way towards success in current role.

Highly motivated and engaged employees tend to infuse positivity in other team members.

A workplace culture wherein employees feel safe, respected, encouraged and valued, certainly display high level of engagement, high productivity rates and better quality of delivery, reduced absenteeism and reduced costs, and increasing number of self-actualized individuals writing the growth story of the organization.(Nidhi,2022).

References

·       Iguisi, O. (2009). Motivation- Related Values across Cultures, African Journal of business management, vol.3 (4) pp141-150.

·        Jerome, N. (2013). Application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need Theory; impacts and Implications on Organizational Culture, Human Resource and Employee’s Performance. International Journal of Business and Management, Volume 2 Issue 3, 41-42

·       Kaur,A. (2013). Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory: Applications and Criticisms. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies. Volume 3, Number 10 (2013), pp. 1061-1064.

·       Nidhi Sharma.(2022) , Employee Motivation Workplace; Online available at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maslows-hierarchy-needs-employee-motivation-workplace-nidhi-sharma

·       Ozguner, Z., Ozguner,M.,(2014). A Managerial Point of View on the Relationship between of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Dual Factor Theory. International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 5, No. 7.

·       Saif, K.F., Nawaz, A., Jan, A. & Khan, M.I. Synthesizing the theories of job-satisfaction across the cultural/attitudinal dimensions. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 2012,3 (9): 1382-1396.

·       Smith, P.J., & Cronje, G.J. Management principles. A Contemporary South African edition. Kenwyn: Juta & ltd, 1992.Online available athttps://lakhasly.com/en/view-summary/8xLSEH6KPK

 


















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