Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
Maslow wanted to understand what motivates people. He believed that people possess a set of motivation systems unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires.
Maslow stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others. Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behaviour. Once that level is fulfilled the next level up is what motivates us, and so on.It argues that while people aim to meet basic needs, they seek to meet successively higher needs.
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.
3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, trust and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love. Affiliating, being part of a group (family, friends, work).
4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.
5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
. The first four levels are often referred to as deficiency needs (D-needs), and the top level is known as growth or being needs (B-needs).
The deficiency needs are said to motivate people when they are unmet. Also, the need to fulfil such needs will become stronger the longer the duration they are denied. For example, the longer a person goes without food, the more hungry they will become.
One must satisfy lower level deficit needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. When a deficit need has been satisfied it will go away, and our activities become habitually directed towards meeting the next set of needs that we have yet to satisfy. These then become our salient needs. However, growth needs continue to be felt and may even become stronger once they have been engaged. Once these growth needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.
Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by a failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences, including divorce and loss of a job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy. Therefore, not everyone will move through the hierarchy in a uni-directional manner but may move back and forth between the different types of needs.
How to Apply Maslow’s Theory to the Workplace
With Maslow’s theory, an employee’s beginning emphasis on the lower order needs of physiology and security makes sense. Generally, a person beginning their career will be very concerned with physiological needs such as adequate wages and stable income and security needs such as benefits and a safe work environment.
1.Physiological needs – This includes having a place to work, regular monthly salary, comfortable working environment and essential facilities (such as a tea/coffee making facilities)
2.Safety needs – These needs include having formal contracts of employment as well as benefits such as a pension scheme and sick pay. There should also be an emphasis on health and safety in the working environment.
3.Social needs – Promoting group working across teams, departments and different levels, as well as encouraging team building through social activities can help satisfy these needs. If you have employees who work from home or other remote locations (perhaps field-based) then it is important to ensure that you and their manager are fulfilling their social needs.
4.Self-esteem – At the self-esteem level respect for others and praise is important. A 360-degree feedback and appraisal system can help recognise employees’ contributions and a peer to peer or social recognition programme will celebrate employees’ achievements and confer prestige and respect.
5.Self-actualisation – At the highest level personal development plans, training, secondments, mentoring, and the opportunity for promotion enable staff to be the very best they can be. By implementing regular talent planning meetings among managers and HR, having career discussions with employees and offering options such as fast-track management programmes your organisation can fulfil employees’ self-actualisation needs while ensuring they have the expertise to fill future vacancies.
This simple motivation tool remains important and as such it can help management achieve many organisational goals, such as improved staff retention and employee engagement, as long as they understand how to apply it in a practical manner and continually adapt to meet their employees’ changing needs.
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