critically evaluate Maslow

Due to the increasingly fierce competition in the contemporary business climate, the importance of employee motivation in the company cannot be overlooked. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as one of the best-known motivational theories has been applied extensively in the management of US companies, and some firms from other countries; such as, China, are also utilizing Maslow’s theory in order to assist in the employee motivation. However, because of the invalid ordering of human needs, cultural diversity, and different levels of economy, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs cannot be used in current Chinese business to motivate employees. This essay will critically evaluate the viability of Maslow’s theory. It begins with a brief introduction and some support of the theory, then gives the arguments against it, finally anticipates some doubts and dispute about it.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs hypothesizes that there are five levels of needs within every human being, which are physiological, safety, social, and self-actualization, and an individual have to satisfy basic-level needs in order to progress to the higher level. As to this theory, there are three main reasons in support of the utilization of it as a method to understand Chinese business. Firstly, this model is so ubiquitous in business communities especially western countries that can be used to help to understand and to deal with many things. (Sydney Institute, n.d.). For example, Cangemi (2009) has used Maslow’s model as a method to resolve a labor problem in Latin America. Consequently the theory is possible to be applied in China. In addition, there is evidence given in favor of the model that the current @work research focusing on almost 50,000 North American workforces from 1997 to 2000 indicates there is a hierarchy of human needs, which shows the same result of Maslow’s theory. China’s transition of economy is another reason consenting to the application. As Brockman and Delhey et al. (2008) claim, China seems