Critical Review of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Motivation plays a vital element in job satisfaction and productivity. Maslow’s Hierachy of needs is perhaps the earliest of theories addressing this motivation needs as far back as 1943. Abraham Maslow was a clinical psychologist his theory was based on personal opinions based on experimentation. It was groundbreaking theory in motivation.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is style very much in use much like the scientific management theories which are still in practice many decades later.    

The problem perhaps was the compartmentalization of the needs and the assumption that when one need is satisfied people went to the next level this was not reality. Instead a person may want security needs and love needs at the same time. Arguments for the theory of hierarchy of needs are that it rationale lies in its ability to suggest to managers how they can support subordinates to become self-actualized. It allows managers to accept employee’s accomplishments thus they can be awarded and rewarded

Maslow was of the view and proposed that individuals who grew up in an environment where their needs are not met they will not function healthy and well adjusted. Maslow’s concepts don’t support the distinction between the deficiencies and growth needs. however, showed that not all persons are able to satisfy their higher-order needs on the job.

Research further suggested managers from higher echelons of organizations are likely to satisfy both their growth and deficiency needs lower level managers are unlikely to satisfy only their deficiency needs on the job (Greenberg and Baron, 2003.

Theory Considered an Oversimplification
Maslow’s theory is also blamed for oversimplification and not pragmatic in application at workplace Other researchers are critical of the need theory of motivation on the basis that it makes unrealistic assumption in the it generalizes 1. All employees are similar 2. There is only one best way 3. That all situations are similar Basset-Jones & Lloyd (2004, p 961)

Despite the various criticism of the hierarchy of need theory this theory has made a lasting impact in the minds of managers and students of social behavior and major contributed to shape managerial thinking. Furthermore, it's a concept still thought in B school it has weathered the test of time.

Reference
Basset-Jones, N. & Lloyd, G.C. (2005), “Does Herzbergs Motivational Theory have staying power”? Journal of Management Development, Vol.24, No.10, pp. 57-56

Greenberg J and Baron A.R (2003) “Behaviour in Organisations”, Prentice Hall, Vol. 8, pp. 195


Kaur, A., (2013) Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory: Applications and Criticisms. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies. ISSN 2248-9878 Volume 3, Number 10 (2013), pp. 1061-1064.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Performance appraisal its importance in contemporary global firms Performance management is about how individuals contribute to an organization's goals. Effective performance management and appraisals focuses on aligning the company’s workforce, building competencies, improving employee performance and development, and driving better business results ( Lee, 2017) Hence performance appraisals and management systems are important review tools that motivate, lead to job satisfaction and high performance if executed effectively (Buckingham, and Goodall, 2015). The success of a Performance management and reviews will entirely depend on the extent to which preparation and planning has been carried to effectively implement the system. It should not be harried, there should be effective communication between managers and their subordinated. It should be carried out in a manner that participation and cooperation of the employees maximize to enhance trust and confidenc...
Read more

Employer / Employee Relationship and expectations

Employer / Employee Relationship and expectations The employer employee expectations, rights and responsibilities along with contracts of employment and psychological contracts both parties have various expectations and aspirations. Any damage to the aspirations and expectation can lead to negative impact between both parties. Thus, effectively managing these relationship is the ultimate objective of human resources professional to achieve employee engagement, motivation and job satisfaction at work-place (CIPD, 2017). Legal and Psychological Contract While the legal contract has limited representation of the relationship between the party’s employees are force accepting the terms of contract. On the other hand, the psychological contract is considered more influential as it manages the perceptions between the employer and employee and it also stands as a platform that influences how individually and collectively they behave at work day to day.  Basically, the psychologica...
Read more

Talent Management in Global Firms

Talent Management in Global Firms Tighter labor markets, economic uncertainty and globalization are key issues that will shape the workplace and the HR profession in coming years.  Other contemporary issues include ethics, Global practices, HR discipline, Labor relations and technology. Throughout past few years these challenges have grown. The tight labor markets make HRM to work in different ways in seeking the best workforce for his or her organisation’s in some markets the conditions are worse than others. One of the ways that HRM professionals address labor issues strategically is by looking at talent management (which may be inclusive or exclusive practice to the company). One academic suggest that as labor market conditions improve and the need for skilled and educated workers rises around the world, organizations are finding it more difficult to attract the best employees. This makes it increasingly necessary for HR to help build a strong employer brand to enhance ta...
Read more