Need Theories of Motivation

Need theories attempt to pinpoint the intrinsic factors that stimulate behavior (Lee & Raschke, 2016). Needs are physiological or psychological deficiencies that arouse behavior. These needs can be strong or weak under the influence of environmental factors. Thus, human needs change over time and in different situations (Robbins & Coulter, 2018).

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

The most famous theory of motivation is probably that of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory. Maslow was a psychologist who suggested that within each person there is a hierarchy of five needs (Robbins & Coulter, 2018).

Figure 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Source: (Robbins & Coulter, 2018)


  1. Physiological needs: Human needs for food, drink, housing and other physical requirements (McLeod, 2018).
  2. Safety needs: Human needs for security and protection from physical and emotional harm, and confidence that physical needs will continue to be met (McLeod, 2018).
  3. Social needs: Human needs for affection, belongingness, acceptance and friendship (McLeod, 2018).
  4. Esteem needs: A person's internal esteem need factors such as self-respect, autonomy and achievement and external esteem factors such as status, recognition and attention (McLeod, 2018).
  5. Self-actualization needs: A person's needs for growth, reaching one's potential and self-fulfillment; the desire/drive to become what someone is capable of becoming (McLeod, 2018).

When the concept of the hierarchy of needs is applied to work organizations, the implications for management activities become clear. Managers have the responsibility to create the right climate in which employees can develop to their full potential. It would be theoretical if such a climate were not provided that would increase employee frustration and may result in poorer performance, lower job satisfaction, and higher withdrawal from the organization (Steers & Porter, 1983).

Champagne & McAfee (1989) states some possible ways to meet employee needs:


Figure 2: Different ways to meet employee needs

Source: (Champagne & McAfee, 1989)

Following are some examples how certain renowned business organizations are addressing different employee needs as per the Maslow’s model.

1. Physiological needs: Google has bikes and electric cars to take employees to meetings, entertainment centers, organic gardens and eco-friendly furniture. The company wants to make the lives of its employees more comfortable and is constantly looking for ways to improve the health, well-being and morale of Google employees (Levy & Jurist, 2019).  

2. Safety needs: The fact that the CEO of Facebook, one of the most dynamic and fastest growing companies in the world, is meeting with entry-level employees says a lot about how Mark Zuckerberg does business. Instead of casting people into roles based on age and experience, Facebook evaluates everyone's ideas clearly and distinctly (Levy & Jurist, 2019).

3. Social needs: The HBO’s Corporate Social Responsibility team brings together HBO employees, talent, and nonprofit partners to make a difference in social issues related to their industry and their communities. Employees are inspired by their top-down leadership to educate, act and help make the world a better place (Levy & Jurist, 2019).

4. Esteem needs: Southwest Airlines gives employees "permission" to do whatever it takes to make customers happy, allowing them to do whatever it takes to achieve their vision (Levy & Jurist, 2019).

5. Self-actualization needs: Google offers one of the most innovative work environments for its employees. The company cares so much about innovation that it has formulated nine innovation principles. One of their principles encourages Google employees to spend 20% of their time implementing innovative ideas they are passionate about, leading to products and apps like Google News, Google Alerts, and Google Maps Street View (Levy & Jurist, 2019).

Some of these ideas can be easy and cheap to implement, while others can be quite difficult or expensive. In addition, the level and type of employee needs may vary. Champagne and McAfee (1989) stated that managers who use these strategies are generally viewed more favorably by managers and are perceived as more considerate, supportive and interested in the well-being of their employees.

McClelland’s Need Theory

David McClelland and his colleagues proposed the theory of three needs, which states that three acquired (not innate) needs mainly acts as work motives (Robbins & Coulter, 2018).

McClelland based it mainly on the studies of managers. He identified three needs as the most important (Armstrong, 2009).

1. The need for achievement is defined as the need for competitive success which is measured against a personal quality standard.

2. The need for affiliation/belonging, defined as the need for warm, friendly, compassionate relationships with others.

3. The need for power, defined as the need to control or influence others.

Since effective managers must influence others positively, McClelland suggests that top managers should have a high need for power coupled with low need for affiliation (Kretiner & Kinicki, 1998).


References

Armstrong, M., 2009. Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 11th ed. London and Philadelphia : Kogan Page.

Champagne, P. & McAfee, B., 1989. Motivating strategies for performance and productivity: A duide to human resource development. New York: Quorum Books .

Kretiner, R. & Kinicki, A., 1998. Organizational Behavior. 4th ed. Boston: Mcgraw-Hill.

Lee, M. T. & Raschke, R. L., 2016. Understanding employee motivation and organizational performance: Arguments for a set-theoretic approach. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 1(3), pp. 162-169.

Levy, P. & Jurist, S., 2019. A Business Application of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. [Online]
Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/business-application-maslows-hierarchy-needs-suzy-jurist
[Accessed 19 August 2022].

McLeod, S., 2018. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology.

Robbins, S. P. & Coulter, M. K., 2018. Management. 14th ed. New York: Pearson Education.

Steers, R. & Porter, L., 1983. Motivation & Work Behavior. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Comments

  1. Aruna AththanayakeSeptember 5, 2022 at 1:18 PM

    Interesting article. According to Amanda et al. (2022) It is critical for a business to have a thorough understanding of its employees' requirements and desires as they progress through the work lifecycle, which might vary from level to level and from person to employee. It will assist the organization in planning for the future and keeping employees motivated, which will assist the organization in reducing employee turnover and increasing employee job satisfaction where the company maintains a skilled and motivated staff which helps to increase productivity and is also an asset to the company rather than an expense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reshan FernandoSeptember 10, 2022 at 6:40 AM

      Yes indeed, In today's highly competitive labor market, there is ample evidence that organizations, regardless of size, technological advances, market orientation faces retention challenges (Ramlall, 2004). Fitz-enz (1997) stated that the average company loses about $1 million with every ten managerial and professional employees that leave the organization combined with direct and indirect costs; the total cost of an exempt employee's turnover is at least one year's salary and benefits.

      Delete

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