Motivation Theories - Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

 

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory of motivation that contains a five-tier model of human wants. This theory is sometimes shown as rows within a pyramid (Saul Mcleod, 2018).

Bartol and Martin (1998) have classified the major theories in motivation into three categories: needs theory, cognitive theory, and reinforcement theory.

There is not just one theory surrounding employee motivation which has been totally accepted. Furthermore, motivational philosophies are divided into three classes, content motivation, process motivation, and reinforcement theory (Lussier, 2017).

The effects of this theory provided useful insights for managers and other organization leaders. One of the advices was for managers is to find ways of motivating employees by developing programs or practices aimed at satisfying emerging or unmet needs. Another suggestion was for organizations is to implement support programs and focus groups to help employees deal with stress, especially during more challenging times and taking the time to understand the needs of the respective employees (Kreitner, 1998).

The most well-known needs theory is owing to Abraham Maslow (Maslow, 1970) and it is called as Maslow’s motivation theory of hierarchical needs. The hierarchy includes five basic levels of needs, which should be satisfied consecutively. Levels of needs, which should be pleased successively. Maslow categorized human needs into five different levels. From lowest to highest a man has to climb up without avoiding a single step (Kaur, 2013). The five levels, according to the psychologist, are as follows:


Figure 2 (Source: Research History, 2012)

The following video will explain the importance of Maslow’s hierarchy of need.

 




References

Bartol, K.M. and Martin, D.C. (1998), Management, 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.

Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A. (1998). Organizational Behavior (4 ed.). Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill.

Lussier, R. N. (2017). Management fundamentals: Concepts, applications, & skill development (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Comments

  1. Shamalka MadushanDecember 15, 2022 at 11:36 AM

    Good explanation Divangi .And in addition a workforce must be externally motivated if performance and productivity standards are to be met within a business. The motivation that serves as the engine for companies is external motivation(UYSAL et al., 2014) Motivation is a notion that has been known since ancient times but has only just started to be explored in the era after the traditional management style, whose value has been acknowledged more in light of the human aspect(UYSAL et al., 2014).

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