IGNOU : M.COM : MCO 1 : UNIT 10 : Q - 2. Critically examine the need hierarchy theory of motivation. Do you think that the assumptions of Maslow are hypothetical?

 

Ans. Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory

 

Abraham Harold Maslow advocated the theory of motivation based on various needs. Maslow identified five distinct categories of needs. He arranged these needs into a hierarchy, and stated that individuals wish to satisfy particular need to a moderate extent, and then tries to satisfy the next need in the hierarchy. Maslow identified human needs into five distinct categories. They are arranged in the order of their importance forming a hierarchy.

 

According to Maslow, certain concepts are relevant for understanding the needs. They are pre-potency, deprivation, domination, gratification and activation. Pre-potency is the strength associated with the needs. Physiological needs have greater pre-potency. Deprivation is the perception of an obstacle for satisfaction of a need. Thus, deprived need has high pre-potency. Domination is attaching importance to a need. A deprived need dominates the individual. In order to reduce dissonance associated with the deprivation, individuals try to gratify by undertaking some action. Therefore, gratification is the satisfaction of the need. Gratified need does not dominate. At the end, activation of need determine motivation. Need satisfaction activates the needs from one level to next higher levels. Maslow believes that these repeat as a cycle until the highest level need is satisfied. Based on the concept Maslow identified five categories of needs and their role in motivating individuals. They are described below:

 

1) Physiological Needs : Basic and primary needs required for human existence are physiological needs. They relate to biological and are required for preservation of basic human life. These needs are identified to the human organ in the body. They are finite needs. They must be satisfied repeatedly until human beings die. They are not associated with money alone. They are hunger, thirst, sleep, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs. The proposition relating to the basic needs is that they are primary motivators to any individual and once they are satisfied, they no longer motivate. The next level need becomes important for satisfaction until the basic need is dormant. Provision of adequate monetary rewards to satisfy these needs motivate employees in organisations.

 

2) Safety Needs : Individuals seek protection from natural environment, biological danger, economic deprivation and emotional threat from other beings and animals. For this purpose, he wishes security for himself. The protection may be in the form of seeking a shelter and forming into primary groups to combat threat from the natural beings. The motivational proposition are that the safety needs dominate as soon as physiological needs are satisfied, and after individual seeks to satisfy fairly the security needs they do not motivate him. In order to motivate employees, organisations provide fringe benefits, health and accident insurance, housing loans, etc.

 

3) Social Needs : Basically individual is a social being. He cannot live in isolation and silence. Thus, he intends to establish relationship with other human beings and some times wish to rear animals. Social needs emerge from the basic urge of individuals to associate, belong with others, make friendship, make companionship, desire to be accepted by others and seek affection. These needs are secondary in nature. The propositions relating to social needs are that these needs are satisfied by symbolic behaviour and through physic and psychic contact with others in the society. They are substantially infinite and exist until the end of human life. Organisations should provide scope for formation of informal groups, encourage working in teams, and provide scope for interpersonal communication, interpersonal relationships and interpersonal understanding to motivate employees.

 

4) Esteem Needs : Maslow believes that people seek growth. They have natural desire to be identified and respected by others. This instinct is called as esteem. Esteem needs are associated with self-esteem and esteem from others. The need for power, self respect, autonomy, self confidence, achievement, recognition of competence, knowledge, desire to have freedom, status and secure attention of others, appreciation are some of the esteem needs individual wishes to satisfy. Maslow identified them, as higher order needs. The nature of esteem needs is that they are dormant until basic, security and social needs are fairly satisfied. Satisfaction of esteem needs produce a feeling of self-confidence, strength, capability and adequacy in the individuals.

 

5) Self-actualization Needs : Self-actualization is transformation of perception and dream into reality. Individuals have inner potential to do some thing different from others. Realising the full inner potential, one wishes to become what he is capable of becoming. Attaining to the level of fulfilment of selfactualization needs is a difficult task as individuals are not clear about their inner potentials until an opportunity is perceived. Moreover these needs change with a change in human life. The intensity of self-actualization changes over life cycle, vary from person to person and environment.

 

The following propositions are made about the motivation of individuals based on the Maslow hierarchy of needs.

 

i) Five needs are classified into lower order needs and higher order needs. While physiological, safety and security needs are lower order needs, esteem and self actualization needs are higher order needs.

 ii) Lower order needs are satisfied externally and higher needs are satisfied internally.

 iii) Individuals start satisfying lower order needs first and proceed to satisfy higher order needs later.

iv) No need is fully satisfied during the life period of individuals. A need substantially satisfied no longer motivates.

v) A need when substantially satisfied produces satisfaction and it becomes dormant. Immediately the next level need becomes active. So Individual is continuously motivated to satisfy unsatisfied needs. So, motivation is a continuous process.

vi) Satisfaction of lower order needs does not produce contentment. In fact, they produce discontentment to satisfy other needs.

 vii) Not all individuals have the same priority to satisfy the needs. Priorities differ from country to country and from situation to situation.

viii) Individuals are aggressive in the satisfaction of basic needs and unconsciousness demands the satisfaction. However, they use social consciousness in the satisfaction of other needs.

 

 Maslow’s need hierarchy theory of motivation was considered logical and simple to understand human motivation. The theory has received attention of practicing managers as they feel that identification of needs of employees provides an insight to motivate them. This theory suggested that giving same reward more than individuals’ desire will have diminishing marginal utility. This has specific significance to the practicing manager.