ERG Theory According To Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs If motivation is driven by the existence of unsatisfied needs, then it is worthwhile for a manager to understand which needs are the more important for individual employees. In this regard, Abraham Maslow developed a model in which basic, when a need is mostly satisfied it no longer motivates and the next higher need takes its place.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is shown in the following diagram: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Physiological Needs

Physiological needs are those required to sustain life, such as:

• Air

• Water

• Nourishment

• Sleep

According to Maslow’s theory, id such needs are not satisfied then one’s inspiration will ascend from the quest to content them. Higher needs such, as social needs and

• The ERG theory allows the order of the needs be different for different people.

• The ERG theory acknowledges that if a higher level needs remains unfulfilled, the person may regress to lower level needs that appear easier to satisfy. This is known as the frustration-regression principle.

Thus, while the ERG theory presents a model of progressive needs, the hierarchical aspect is not rigid. This flexibility allows the ERG theory to account for a wider range of observed behaviors. For example, it can explain the “starving artist” who may place growth needs above existence ones.

McClelland’s Theory of Needs

In this acquired-needs theory, David McClelland proposed that an individual’s specific needs are acquired over time and are shaped by one’s life experiences. Most of these needs can be classed as achievement, affiliation, or power. A person’s motivation and effectiveness in certain job functions are influenced by these three needs. McClelland’s theory sometimes is referred to as the three-need theory or as the learned needs