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August 08, 2018, 07:36:57 AM |
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What Is Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs?
The base of Maslows theory was a pyramid, which he called Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, wherein the needs of a human being were categorized from lower to a higher order. The lowest level of the hierarchy was devoted to physiological needs such as food, water and air. As per the theory, unless the most basic, physiological needs are met, the human being cannot function.
Once these needs are met, the person needs the second layer of requirements, which Maslow called safety layer. Personal security, job security, health, and fitness formed the major components of this layer.
Once these are achieved, the person moves to the third layer of needs, termed as Love/Belonging by Maslow. In this layer, the person seeks love and affection from family and co-workers.
Self-esteems form the next layer, wherein the person seeks self-respect from his contemporaries.
Once this layer of needs is achieved, the person seeks Self-actualization, which is the ultimate need for a person, as per Maslow. And Self-actualization can only be achieved when all the other needs such as physiological, love, self-respect, and self-esteem are acquired.
Exploitation of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs by Managers
After Maslow published the hierarchy of needs in the form of a book about motivation, managers and entrepreneurs started using the theory for controlling their employees.
And, it worked for few years as well. The reason was, Maslow published the book in 1943, when World War 2 was about to end, and the USA had witnessed destruction of a massive scale. Jobs were scarce, and the economy was down.
Due to the scarcity effect, this motivation theory worked. If an employee was threatened with Do this job by 9 PM, or else, you are fired, then the management actually exploited the very basic security need of the human being. The threat directly hit the employees basic need of security, and he worked like a madman.
However, with the introduction of knowledge age and the connected economy, Maslows motivation theory falls flat. There isnt any war out there, and there is no scarcity of jobs and connections in this Internet-connected world.
But sadly, 95% of managers still use Maslows outdated theory of motivation to control and manipulate employees, even now. Maybe this is the reason for high attrition rates in some IT companies and the reason why despite having an excellent, earth-shattering product or service, a modern day company fails to grow and expand.
3 Practical Ways to Motivate an Employee
As per modern theories of motivation, in a knowledge-based, connected economy, employees simply cannot be motivated or pushed to work by threatening basic needs, which Maslow proposed.
The real change makers, the one who introduce innovation and disruption, simply cannot be reigned in, controlled by factors which dominated the 1940s and 1950s.
Here are three practical and realistic ways to motivate an employee, which completely defies Maslows Theory:
Autonomy: The Freedom to Make a Choice & Own It
This is 2017, and the biggest motivation which an employer from any industry or niche can give to their employees is freedom and autonomy. The very basic need today is not food and security, but the ability to make a choice, and the power to own that decision.
Instead of devising incentives based on competition and performance (aka Maslows Need for Financial Security), the employer should provide the employee with the power to take crucial decisions, and then ask them to be accountable to it. Instead of dictating what has to be done, and where, the employer should ask the employee to create their own goals and aspirations, and the blueprint to achieve them.
The freedom to make a choice is the biggest motivation which a modern knowledge worker can get. And employers should actually use it vehemently.
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