Motivating Employees Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Motivating Employees Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Jeannie Hahn
MBA 601
Organizational Behavior
Fall 2012
In 1943 Abraham Maslow introduced his theory that there are five basic needs that lie beneath all human activity, a hierarchy of needs, in his paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" (Cherry n.d.; Sadri 2011). Maslow’s theory suggests that people are driven to substantially satisfy their basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs (Cherry n.d.; Sadri 2011). Maslow’s hierarchy is most often visually displayed as a pyramid with the most basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid and the complex needs at the top of the pyramid (Cherry n.d.). The needs at the base of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth and the needs at the top of the pyramid are about safety and security (Cherry n.d.). The five basic needs, in hierarchical order from the most fundamental to the most complex, are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization (Sadri 2011). Maslow’s model has been studied in various disciplines, however, in business it is approached as a model for understanding motivation (Benson & Dundis 2003). The use of Maslow’s model in the business or organizational setting provides a means to understand and affect employee motivation. Maslow’s model has the same five levels in the work setting, but the definitions were modified (Benson & Dundis 2003).
Physiological needs, according to Maslow, are the most basic fundamental human needs because all other needs become secondary until these basic physiological needs are met (Cherry n.d.). Physiological needs cover two main concepts: homeostasis and appetite (Datta 2011). Homeostasis is defined as “the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to
Jeannie Hahn
MBA 601
Organizational Behavior
Fall 2012
In 1943 Abraham Maslow introduced his theory that there are five basic needs that lie beneath all human activity, a hierarchy of needs, in his paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" (Cherry n.d.; Sadri 2011). Maslow’s theory suggests that people are driven to substantially satisfy their basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs (Cherry n.d.; Sadri 2011). Maslow’s hierarchy is most often visually displayed as a pyramid with the most basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid and the complex needs at the top of the pyramid (Cherry n.d.). The needs at the base of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth and the needs at the top of the pyramid are about safety and security (Cherry n.d.). The five basic needs, in hierarchical order from the most fundamental to the most complex, are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization (Sadri 2011). Maslow’s model has been studied in various disciplines, however, in business it is approached as a model for understanding motivation (Benson & Dundis 2003). The use of Maslow’s model in the business or organizational setting provides a means to understand and affect employee motivation. Maslow’s model has the same five levels in the work setting, but the definitions were modified (Benson & Dundis 2003).
Physiological needs, according to Maslow, are the most basic fundamental human needs because all other needs become secondary until these basic physiological needs are met (Cherry n.d.). Physiological needs cover two main concepts: homeostasis and appetite (Datta 2011). Homeostasis is defined as “the tendency of a system, especially the physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus that would tend to
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