Critically Evaluate Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Critically evaluate Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a way of understanding employee motivation in contemporary Chinese business
As is worldwide recognized, since the opening and economic reform was launched in 1978, China has made great achievements in poverty eradication and economic liberation (Brockmann et al, 2008); meanwhile, Chinese companies have become more powerful than before. However, in the world business, only a minority of them have the capacity to compete with foreign companies. Since there is a falling in happiness among Chinese (Brockmann et al, 2008), company managers are faced with an urgent challenge: how to improve employees’ motivation (Alas, 2008). The hierarchy of needs, a famous theory put forward by Maslow (1943), focuses on the issue of motivation promotion, and has been successfully applied to management in the Western world. Nevertheless, under Chinese culture and values, this theory cannot provide a satisfied solution to the motivation problem. This essay is going to evaluate Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a way of understanding employee motivation in contemporary Chinese business. It will firstly illustrate the benefits of this theory; and then explains why the theory is not suitable in Chinese business; in the end, it will focus on the research about Chinese employees’ motivation.
There is no denying that the hierarchy of needs can provide benefits for Chinese business. Firstly, the theory can be used as a self-encouragement for employees. The theory divides people’s needs into five hierarchies, including physiological, safety, belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization, which are ranged in a clear order from low level to high, and humans seek to satisfy their needs in this order. As one need of lower level has been met, the individual can shift to satisfy the needs of the next level (Sadri and Bowen, 2011). Consequently, employees themselves can use it to plan their careers, which contain great motivation for most people. For
As is worldwide recognized, since the opening and economic reform was launched in 1978, China has made great achievements in poverty eradication and economic liberation (Brockmann et al, 2008); meanwhile, Chinese companies have become more powerful than before. However, in the world business, only a minority of them have the capacity to compete with foreign companies. Since there is a falling in happiness among Chinese (Brockmann et al, 2008), company managers are faced with an urgent challenge: how to improve employees’ motivation (Alas, 2008). The hierarchy of needs, a famous theory put forward by Maslow (1943), focuses on the issue of motivation promotion, and has been successfully applied to management in the Western world. Nevertheless, under Chinese culture and values, this theory cannot provide a satisfied solution to the motivation problem. This essay is going to evaluate Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a way of understanding employee motivation in contemporary Chinese business. It will firstly illustrate the benefits of this theory; and then explains why the theory is not suitable in Chinese business; in the end, it will focus on the research about Chinese employees’ motivation.
There is no denying that the hierarchy of needs can provide benefits for Chinese business. Firstly, the theory can be used as a self-encouragement for employees. The theory divides people’s needs into five hierarchies, including physiological, safety, belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization, which are ranged in a clear order from low level to high, and humans seek to satisfy their needs in this order. As one need of lower level has been met, the individual can shift to satisfy the needs of the next level (Sadri and Bowen, 2011). Consequently, employees themselves can use it to plan their careers, which contain great motivation for most people. For