Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs

For management learners globally

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Abraham Maslow between 1943-1954 developed his 'Hierarchy of needs' motivation theory. It is probably the most popular and most read motivation theory. His theory suggests that within each person their is a hierarchy of needs and the individual must satisfy each level before they move onto the next. There are five hierarchical levels. These are:

Physiological needs: Food, shelter, sexual satisfaction i.e those needs needed for basic survival.
Safety needs: The need to feel safe within your environment. Also refers to emotional and physical safety.
Social Needs: The need for love, friendship and belongingness
Esteem needs: The need for self respect, status and recognition from others.
Self actualisation: The point of reaching ones full potential. Are you capable at excelling yourself?

Diagram: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

So an individual will need to satisfy their most basic need before they can move onto the next. Only when that individual knows that they have met their physiological needs will they move onto their safety needs. Maslow suggests that if you wanted to motivate an individual you will need to know where within the hierarchy they are placed. So how would an organisation use Maslows theory?

Application of Maslow's theory within the workplace.

Maslows level	What the organisation could do
Physiological	Competitive salary
Safety	Safe working condition
Social	Work social events
Esteem	Feedback via appraisal, generally praising staff
Self actualisation	Allocating more challenging and stimulating responsibilities

There are however problems with Maslows theory. Firstly it is difficult to tell at what level a person is at within their hierarchy and when that level has been satisfied. Also there is little statistical evidence to prove that this theory actually works. Neverless, it is popular and does have some weight behind it.