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Analysis of the maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Motivational theory can inform employee motivation
Critical evaluation of Abraham maslows theory
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Motivation is one of the most widely debated and researched topics in organisational behaviour. There are a plethora of concepts and theories that attempt to provide a better understanding as to what and how best to motivate an employee. Theories of motivation provide a solid basis to best gain basic understanding of motivational needs. Several academic papers researched while writing this essay highlighted the need for further research that focused on cultures outside of the ‘Western’ norms. In this section we will examine some theories and journal articles that will better our knowledge about motivation.
Abraham Maslow’s theory of Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow 1943) is probably the most well known theory of motivation. He proposes that every human contains a hierarchy of needs made up of of five separate levels. Beginning with the basic human needs of hunger, shelter and ending with self actualisation, Maslow’s theory (1943) has good general application, and provides a basic framework for managers to understand an employees motivational needs. (Taormina & Gao, 2013) However it is
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al 1959) proposes in his Two-Factor theory a dual continuum around job satisfaction. He proposes that if certain ‘hygiene factors’ were present in a job, workers would be adequately satisfied. Once satisfied, workers could be motivated through the work itself by means of personal growth, achievement. Similar to Maslow (1943), this theory can provide managers with a basis to understand employees needs and motivators.
David McClelland’s Theory of Needs (McClelland 1961) is supported in more detail than the previous two theories outlined. Achievement, power and affiliation are the three needs McClelland outlines which help explain a workers motivation. The need for high achievement as a motivator can be found in certain cultural characteristics. This need is met through efforts to deliver high levels of performance and willingness to accept high levels of
Maslow’s hierarchy of need is a psychological theory that was proposed by Maslow in his writing in 1943. It is a theory in psychological review about human motivation. In his writing, Maslow wanted to have a clear understanding what exactly makes people motivated. He believed that there is a system of motivation possessed by individuals, which are not connected to unconscious desires or rewards. Maslow stated that motivation helps people to attain specific needs. An individual desires to get the next need when one is fulfilled.
Motivational theories in the case of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the theory of self-determination, and Brehm’s motivation intensity theory all cater to the individual. The theories include their specific discoveries while also highlighting that the individual’s thoughts and perceptions affect their motivation. Every person has different values, experiences and temperaments that affect motivation driving them to secure basic needs or to strive past them. Although these motivation theories have their similarities they differ in their specific concepts and emphases.
The two bottom levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory are deficiency motivators. If a person’s physiological and safety needs are not met than they will suffer a deficit and this will delay their development. They will not progress on to the next stage. The next three levels of development are growth needs. This refers to an individual’s desire to grow as a person. Supervisors must understand the different Hierarchy levels to understand the motivators and who it relates to employees. On the physiological level the motivation for employees is an
Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfil the next one, and so on. The earliest and most widespread version of Maslow's (1943, 1954) hierarchy of needs includes five motivational needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
His theory, the Motivator-Hygiene Theory (or Two-Factor Theory), tries to answer what keeps employees satisfied at work. From his observations, he pointed out that job satisfaction has two dimensions: hygiene factors and motivators. He posited that hygiene factors do not provide satisfaction, but rather, in their absence, causes dissatisfaction. On the other hand, the presence of motivators provides satisfaction, but their absence does no cause dissatisfaction.
The need for achievement regards an individual’s relationship with setting challenging goals, creating competitive scenarios, and overcoming difficulties. Setting goals and creating healthy competition between employees can bring the performance level back to normal, and even better yet surpass the usual level. The need for power regards an individual’s need to positively influence coworkers and improve their wellbeing by making a difference in their life. Having an impact on the lives of others has the potential to influence employee turnover rates and attendance. If an individual feels that they have power over another employee they will be more inclined to show up to work everyday and to stay at their current job for longer than they may have originally anticipated. The need for affiliation concerns the relationships that an individual needs to maintain positive, close, or intimate feelings with others. Positive, close relationships in the workplace make individuals feel as if they are truly a part of the organization and increase satisfaction levels amongst workers. These close relationships will help employees to fell that their work is appreciated within the organization and that there certainly are people who care how they perform at their jobs. Together, achievement, power, and affiliation all play an influential part in motivating individuals in the
Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model? Harvard Business Review. Latham G.P. and Pinder C.C. (2005). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary'. Work Motivation Theory and Research at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century.
When it is discovered that a worker can fulfill the requirements of their job, but are experiencing shortcomings in doing so, many times it is believed that worker motivation may be the root of the problem (Laird 95). What, though, is work motivation? According to Laird (2006), “motivation is a fundamental component of performance “ and “is the reason that someone chooses to do some things and chooses not to do others”. In other words, work motivation is what energizes workers to the level of output required to fulfill a task, directs their energy towards the objectives that they need to accomplish, and sustains that level of effort over a period of time (Steers et al., 2004). In essence, worker motivation is what gets the job done. Employee motivation has always been a central problem in the workplace, and, as an individual in a supervisory position, it becomes ones duty to understand and institute systems that ensure the proper motivation of your subordinates. Proper motivation of employees can ensure high productivity and successful workflow, while low worker motivation can result in absenteeism, decreased productivity rates, and turnover. A large body of research has been produced regarding motivation, and much of this research is applicable to the workplace. Due to the nature of man, motivation varies from individual to individual, and, because of this, there is no one system that is the best for ensuring worker motivation in every organizational situation, and, as a product, many theories have been created to outline what drives people to satisfactorily complete their work tasks. Throughout the course of this document, the three main types of these motivational theories will be outlined and examples of each as well...
Research has shown that motivation in an employee is an important factor which determines his performance. Motivation is the “driving force within individuals” (Mullins, 2007, p. 285). It is the concerned with finding out the reasons which shape and direct the behaviour of the individuals. The people act to achieve something so that they can satisfy some needs (Gitman and Daniel, 2008). It is important for the manager to understand this motivation of individual employees in order to inspire them and devise an appropriate set of incentives and rewards which would satisfy the needs that they have individually (Kerr, 2003). Once these needs are expected to be met in return for some specific behaviour or action, they would work more diligently to have that behaviour in them and to achieve that objective (Meyer and Hersovitch, 2001). Since it would lead to early and fuller achievement of the company objectives as the individual would work more diligently, it would lead to better organizational performance (Wiley, 1997).
Maslow needs theory has received wide recognition particularly among practicing managers. Perhaps it could provide some valuable insight in motivation. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs “hypothesized that within every human being there exists a hierarchy of five needs. Maslow separated the five needs into higher and lower orders. Physiological and safety needs were described as lower-order needs and social, esteem, and self-actualization as higher-order needs. As each of these needs becomes substantially satisfied, the next need becomes dominant. So if you want to motivate someone, you need to understand what level of the hierarchy that person is currently on and focus on satisfying the needs at or above that level.” (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p.187)
Furthermore, there are three theories which explain the different factors in how employees are motivated based on their needs. The first theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, was proved by Abraham Maslow in the years of 1943 and 1954 (McLeod, 2013). Maslow believed that society developed their motivations depending on their needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in which five motivational needs( self-actualization,esteem, belongingness and love, safety, and psychological) are demonstrated in a hierarchy pyramid. The five motivational needs are divided into three categories(basic, psychological, and
In daily life, we need motivation to improve our performance in our job or in studies. Motivation is an internal force, dependent on the needs that drive a person to achieve. In the other words, motivation is a consequence of expectations of the future while satisfaction is a consequence of past events (Carr, 2005). We need to give reward to our self when we did correctly or we has achieve our target. Reward is something that we are given because we have behaved well, worked hard, or provided a service to the community. Theories of motivation can be used to explain the behavior and attitude of employees (Rowley, 1996; Weaver, 1998). The theories include content theories, based on assumptions that people have individual needs, which motivate their action. Meanwhile according to Robbins (2001), motivation is a needs-satisfying process, which means that when a person's needs are satisfied by certain factors, the person will exert superior effort toward attaining organizational goals. Schulze and Steyn (2003) affirmed that in order to understand people’s behavior at work, managers or supervisors must be aware of the concept of needs or motives which will help “move” their employees to act.Theories such as Maslow (1954), McClelland (1961), Herzberg (1966) and Alderfer (1969) are renowned for their works in this field. The intrinsic reward or also be known as motivators factors is the part of Herzberg motivation theory. Motivators are involve factors built into the job or the studies itself such as achievement, recognition, responsibility and advancement. Hygiene factors are extrinsic to the job such as interpersonal relationship, salary, supervision and company policy (Herzberg, 1966. There have two factors that are called hygiene fac...
Motivation is an important function in organizations to motivate their employees for their ability to perform well, improving their skills, increasing productivity, job satisfaction and employee extension. Employees also are not a machines that we could just program their task in their brain and they will do it automatically, they require motivation to actually do their job properly. And so, after discussing the process models of the Maslow’s “Hierarchy of needs”, Douglas McGregor theory X and Y, and also the Herzberg’s “two factor motivation hygiene theory.” understanding the ways of motivating people, the human nature, and the substance of nature. I believe that the true motivation can only come from within and also managers can actually motivate all of their employees.
Motivation, as defined in class, is the energy and commitment a person is prepared to dedicate to a task. In most of organisations, motivation is one of the most troublesome problems. Motivation is about the intensity, direction and persistence of reaching a goal. During the class, we have learned a substantial theories of motivation and many theories of motivations are used in real business. Each theory seems to have different basic values. But, they all have been analysed for one reason, recognising what motivates and increases the performance of employees. Ident...
People’s behaviour is determined by what motivates them. The aim of this essay is to discuss the essence of the motivation and psychological strengths, its evolution, a brief overview of the key theories of the employees’ motivation and behaviour analysis. The main task is to understand how motivation affects employee behaviour and to clarify the importance of motivation. In this essay I will discuss and produce definitions and examples to answer the main question of what is the driving force and how do people’s needs influence performance at work?