Advantages and disadvantages of Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory is the most widely used theory in organizational motivation research. Abraham.h.maslow proposed that people have a series of complex needs, which can be arranged into a ladder-like hierarchical structure according to the priority order, including four basic assumptions:

* Satisfied needs are no longer an incentive. People are always trying to meet a certain demand. Once a demand is met, there will be another demand to replace it.

* Most people's needs are complex, and there are many needs that affect their behavior at any time.

* Generally speaking, only when the lower-level needs are met will the higher-level needs have enough vitality to drive behavior.

* There are more ways to meet higher-level needs than to meet lower-level needs.

Maslow's theory divides needs into five categories: physiological needs, security needs, social needs, respect needs and self-realization needs, which are arranged from low to high.

Physiological needs: The needs for food, water, air and housing are all physiological needs, and the level of this demand is the lowest. People always try their best to meet such needs before turning to higher-level needs. When a person is hungry, he is not interested in anything else. His main motive is to get food. Even today, many people can't meet these basic physiological needs. Managers should understand that if employees are still busy with their physical needs, what they really care about has nothing to do with the work they do. When trying to motivate subordinates by meeting such needs, we are based on the assumption that people work for pay, mainly about income and comfort, so we try to motivate employees by increasing wages, improving working conditions, giving more spare time and rest time, and improving welfare benefits.

Security needs: Security needs include personal safety, life stability and freedom from pain, threat or disease. Like physiological needs, the only thing people care about before the safety needs are met is this demand. For many employees, security needs are manifested in security and stability, as well as medical insurance, unemployment insurance and retirement benefits. People whose main motivation is safety demand mainly regard it as a guarantee that they will not lose their basic needs when evaluating their career. If managers think that safety requirements are the most important for employees, they will pay attention to using this requirement in management, emphasizing rules and regulations, occupational safety and welfare, and protecting employees from unemployment. If employees have a strong demand for safety, managers should not be unconventional when dealing with problems, and should avoid or oppose risks, while employees will complete their work according to the rules.

Social needs: Social needs include the need for friendship, love and belonging. When the physiological needs and safety needs are met, the social needs will be highlighted, which will have an incentive effect. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, this hierarchy is completely different from the first two. If these needs are not met, it will affect the spirit of employees, leading to high absenteeism rate, low productivity, dissatisfaction with work and low mood. Managers must realize that when social needs become the main source of power, work is regarded as an opportunity to find and establish warm and harmonious interpersonal relationships, and occupations that can provide opportunities for social interaction between colleagues will be valued. When managers feel that their subordinates are trying to meet this demand, they usually adopt a supportive and approving attitude, emphasizing that they can be accepted by people who participate in business activities such as organized sports competitions and group gatherings and abide by the collective code of conduct.

Respect for needs: Respect for needs includes not only personal feelings about achievements or self-worth, but also others' recognition and respect for themselves. People who need respect want others to accept it according to their actual image and think that they are capable and capable. What they care about is achievement, reputation, status and promotion opportunities. This is because others are aware of their talents. When they get these, they not only win people's respect, but also feel confident because they are satisfied with their values. Failure to meet such needs will make them feel depressed. If the honor given by others is not based on their real talent and knowledge, but only in name, it will also pose a threat to their own psychology. When motivating employees, we should pay special attention to managers who have respect needs, and adopt the way of public reward and praise. Special emphasis should be placed on the arduousness of the work and the superb skills required for success. Awarding medals of honor, publishing praise articles in company publications and publishing honor lists of outstanding employees can all enhance people's pride in their work.

Self-realization demand: the goal of self-realization demand is self-realization or development potential. People who reach the realm of self-realization accept themselves and others. The ability to solve problems is enhanced, the consciousness is improved, I am good at doing things independently, and I am required to be alone without being disturbed. To meet this demand for talent, he should have partially met other needs at some point. Of course, people who realize themselves may pay too much attention to the satisfaction of this highest-level demand, so that they consciously or unconsciously give up meeting lower-level needs.

People who realize that demand points are dominant will be inspired to use the most creative and constructive skills in their work. Managers who pay attention to this demand will realize that innovation and creation can be carried out no matter what kind of work.

It is not unique to managers, but what everyone expects to have. In order to make the work meaningful, managers who emphasize self-realization will consider using strategies that adapt to complex situations when designing their work, assigning special tasks to people with unique skills to display their talents, or leaving room for employees when designing work procedures and making implementation plans.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs assumes that people are motivated to meet one or more important needs in their lives. In addition, the strength of any particular demand depends on its position in the demand hierarchy and the degree to which it and all other lower-level needs are satisfied. Maslow's theory holds that the process of motivation is dynamic, gradual and causal. In this process, a set of ever-changing "important" needs control people's behavior, and this hierarchical relationship is not the same for everyone. This is especially true for middle-level needs such as social needs and respect needs, and their ranking order varies from person to person. But Maslow also clearly pointed out that people always give priority to meeting their own physiological needs, and self-realization needs are the most difficult to meet.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory clarifies that people will pay attention to those goals, and also explains that those types of behaviors will affect the satisfaction of various needs, but rarely involves why needs arise. These theories also point out that most people have higher-level needs, and these needs can inspire most people as long as the environment does not hinder the emergence of these higher levels.

Many studies show that senior managers can meet their higher-level needs better than basic managers, because senior managers are faced with challenging jobs in which they can realize themselves. On the other hand, grass-roots managers are more engaged in routine work, so it is relatively difficult to meet the needs of higher levels. In addition, the satisfaction degree of demand varies according to one's work in the organization, age, company size and cultural background of employees.

Managers of production command system are more satisfied with safety, socialization, respect and self-realization than department employees, and the gap between them is the biggest.

* In terms of respect and self-realization, young employees (aged 25 or below) have stronger requirements than older employees (aged 36 or above).

* Low-level management departments and managers in small companies are more likely to feel that their needs have been met than managers working in large companies.

Facts show that events in individuals and organizations can and do change demand. Customary practices in organizations will strongly affect the generation and satisfaction of many high-level needs. For example, promotion based on past abilities can stimulate employees' demand for respect. Moreover, with the development of managers in the organization, the demand for security is gradually weakened, while the demand for socialization, respect and self-realization is correspondingly enhanced. The following is a summary of the main findings of the hierarchy of needs theory:

* Needs can be considered as the wishes that individuals strive to realize.

* Only when the lower-level needs are met can the high-level needs play an incentive role.

* In addition to self-realization, other needs may be met, and then their importance to individuals decreases.

* At a given time, people may be motivated by various needs. Anyone's demand level will be affected by personal differences and will change with the passage of time.

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