Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: How it is applied to the Commercial Bank sector in a modern context?
In our daily lives in the ever-challenging balance between our professional lives vs. personal life our needs and wants are been more completed and compulsory on the way to our journey. In this blog, we will take a look at Maslow’s hierarchy (or pyramid) of needs more in-depth to answer these questions. Discover everything that needs to know about motivation through this theory by further relating to an organization in reality.
Figure 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need(Maslow’s Pyramid)
Source :( Maslow, 1954, cited in Jerome 2013)
Maslow’s concepts were originally offered as general explanations of human behavior but quickly became a significant contribution to workplace motivation theory, and are still used by managers today to understand, predict and influence employee motivation (Charted Management Institute, 2012) Maslow suggests that there are five major need categories that apply to human beings, as follows:
1. Physiological needs
2. Safety Needs
3. Needs for love, affection, and belongingness (Social Needs)
4. Esteem Needs
5. Self-actualization Needs
These levels of needs are illustrated as a pyramid where it begins from the bottom to the top level. When the lower need is satisfied the next highest becomes dominant and the individual’s need is focused on the next level of higher need (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014) as per Jerome, (2013) the five levels of needs on Maslow’s hierarchy are discussed as below:
(i) Physiological needs
This refers to biological needs which are the strongest needs since if a person were deprived of all needs such as, need for air, food, water, and relatively constant body temperature. These are basic biological needs persons to function at an optimum biological level. And it is these physiological ones that would come first in the person's search for satisfaction and healthy living.
(ii) Safety needs
When all physiological needs are met and are no longer controlling thoughts and behaviors, the needs for security can become active”. While adults have poor awareness of their security needs except in times of emergency or periods of disorganization in the social structure such as rioting, war, social conflicts, children often display the signs of insecurity and the need to be safe. And this is the second most important need that a human needs as per the theory
(iii) Needs for love, affection, and belongingness
Maslow states that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation by means of insolvent of both giving and receiving love, affection and a sense of belonging. These needs are required after the needs for safety and for physiological well-being are fulfilled, where the level of needs for love, affection, and belongingness can emerge.
(iv) Needs for esteem
Sooner the first three levels the Maslow’s pyramid are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others. The need for stability, high level of self-respect, egotism, and respect from others are satisfied, the person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless.
(v) Needs for self-actualization
Finally as per Maslow’s hierarchy theory where it is at the top of the pyramid is Self- actualization and this is the most completed need of all. By means of all foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was "born to do." "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, and a poet must write." These needs make themselves felt in signs of restlessness. The person feels on edge, tense, lacking something, in short, restless. If a person is hungry, unsafe, not loved or accepted, or lacking self-esteem, it is very easy to know what the person is restless about. However, it is not always clear what a person wants when there is a need for self-actualization (Jerome, 2013).
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory and Motivation
Motivation refers to the states within a person or animal that drives behavior toward some goals. As per Ryan and Deci, (2000) motivation is defined as “to be moved to do something. Rather than the factors that motivate individuals” Further, according to Ryan and Deci, Motivation has two-fold which are “Intrinsic Motivation and “Extrinsic Motivation”.
Intrinsic Motivation refers to where an individual’s level of motivation which is coursed within the individual such as a person could be motivated in producing quality music due to the enthusiasm for music is within the individual (Ryan and Deci, 2000) Extrinsic Motivation refers to an individual’s motivation levels are based on external factors such as recognition and rewards, as monetary rewards, career recognition, career progression and other external factors (Ryan and Deci, 2000) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is widely used in the world of management rather than for psychological aspects. The needs of employees are been categorized under the five levels of the theory in order to motivate buy a means of capitalizing by the employer.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory in Organizations.
The aforementioned theory may be applied to the roles of organizational cultural and human resource management in improving employee’s performance despite some criticism or limitations of the theory. While some research has shown support for Maslow’s theory, others have not been able to substantiate the idea of a needs hierarchy that is considered to be influenced by Western culture, and thus cannot apply to all scenarios (Parker, 2000). Public and private institutions require their workers to be motivated to work and in turn, they need to know how to motivate their workers. Companies like Google give their workers different benefits apart from the economic ones, in order to keep them motivated to do their job. Companies like Google, Facebook, Virgin, are leaders in work motivation and keeping efficiency by offering their workers favorable conditions in the workplace. The main reason for this is that if employees are happy and are more likely to be motivated and the individual’s level of productivity will be higher.
From a psychological perspective, an individual’s productivity will optimize due to mental relief that no more have to be worried about the basic needs and while shifting one level to the next while satisfying each factor in each level of the pyramid.
Application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory to a leading commercial bank in Sri Lanka.
In the current context banks find ways to be on the top of its game in the industry while the competition within the industry is immense. As banks are services providing institutions which is highly customer centric. Banking products are identical to each other in comparison within the industry and gives almost the same benefit for its customers. Competitive advantage lies on the hands of individuals who provide service where it’s unique to an extent to one person to another. This is where the “culture” of the institution comes in to play.
A good organization culture improves job satisfaction of its employees and especially avoids the types of imprudently risky practices that triggered the financial crisis. Further, building a great culture also has the potential to widen profit margins and improve sales. Building a better culture can be frustrating. But banks have a tool at their disposal for improving the health of their organization is the concept of making their employees happier. (American Banker, 2018)
In consideration of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Abraham Maslow's psychological theory of what motivates humans. The theory dictates that, once a person's basic psychological and safety needs are met, he or she will develop a need to belong, then get respect and then ultimately realize his or her full potential. That last stage has the potential to affect a bank's bottom line. For example, while senior managers are responsible for ensuring that a bank's process for opening current accounts is efficient utilizing up-to-date technology – a bank employee will likely get involved at some point in the process.
If Banks focus on helping employees feel engaged and a part of something important, the results can be significant. People who feel they belong are generally happier. When people are happier, they are more likely to do their jobs with enthusiasm and to spread that positive feeling to others, including customers. Happy people are also less likely to leave for another job. Generally, the longer employees stay at their jobs, the more they improve.
By critical observation of the culture in one of the leading commercial banks in Sri Lanka. it is evident that the practices within its culture, more seem to value its “People “ in the organization. This culture has been thriving in the organization from even before the time where employees were considered as a resource in most organizations in the island. The culture relates its employees as a “Family” where employees feel a sense of belongingness towards its institution. The bank's “vision” and “mission” statement highlights its “people” in the face of their corporate image as follows.
VISION – “To be the acknowledged leader and chosen partner in providing financial solutions through inspired people”.
MISSION – “Combining an entrepreneurial spirit with empowered people and leading-edge technology to constantly exceed stakeholder expectations”. (Hnb, 2018)
This certainly inspires its employees to be motivated in a way of passion, belongingness, and culture employee engagement towards their institution. In a perspective of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, it is observed that institution has almost ticked all aspects of the theory to motivate its employees in order to reach its objectives and goals. This is enriched with both monetary and non-monetary perks for their employees. For example, the bank provides special loan schemes to its employees at low-interest rates, such as Housing and repair loans, furniture loans, wedding loans, funeral loans, pilgrimage loans, educational loans, consumer loans, motor vehicle and repair loans, bicycle loans in order to uplift their employees and their family’s living standards. This satisfies the employee’s basic needs, wellbeing, security, love and affection from their family’s and shelter and safety needs, which ticks the lower levels of the hierarchy of needs.
Further, in general, the employees receive their monthly salaries which align with the industrial benchmarks, and allowances which are considered as monetary such as cost of living allowances, medical reimbursements, traveling/food/lodging reimbursements, fuel allowances, gas allowances, spectacle, and hearing aide reimbursements, surgical and hospitalization reimbursements, Entertainment and holiday allowances, annual bonuses, servant and drivers allowances, risk allowances, telephone bill reimbursements, which varies between individuals rank and position in the bank.
The institution rewards with monetary and non-monetary rewards for the achievement of various targets and goals, such as part financing of staff annual trips, foreign tours. And even the institution rewards the highest ranked corporate personnel with luxury vehicles such as Mercedes Benz’s and BMW which is borne by the bank for their esteem needs.
Furthermore, the management of the institution shares its strategic plans with their employees and regular emails by the CEO and birthday wishes on each and everyone's birthday directly from the office of the CEO and human recourses division where the individuals develop sensation of belongingness and special.
The bank maintains a culture where employees' opinions, innovations, ideas are been appreciated and accepted via a communication avenue called “Spark”. This is where the employee posts their ideas to the attention of the management which is an online tool. Further, the bank has implemented a confidential reporting system named as “whistleblowing” where any employee can report or bring to the notice of the management if there is any unethical or fraudulent activity is been practiced among the banks network where the banks safety and/or the employees safety is at a risk, to a dedicated director of the board by a telephone call while informants identification is not disclosed. This part of its culture makes sure the individual’s safety needs. The working environment of the employees is maintained with considerable health and safety standard’s considering agronomical aspects.
Therefore it is evident that the subject commercial bank in Sri Lanka clearly maintains an organizational culture where its employees are motivated and satisfied to a greater extent. Whereas the banking institution claims to be one of the leading banks on the island and been awarded many esteem rewards from reputed bodies and sustains in the industry by its competitive advantages where “people” are being involved.
References
American Banker (2018) what banks can learn from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,[online] Available from https://www.americanbanker.com/opinion/what-banks-can-learn-from-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs [Accessed 30 September 2018].
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S. (2014) Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice.13 edn.UK: Kogan Page Limited.
Chartered Management Institute (2012) Abraham Maslow the Hierarchy of Needs Thinker. Corby, UK: Chartered Management Institute.
Explore Psychology (2018) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, [online] Available from https://www.explorepsychology.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs [Accessed 30 September 2018].
Hatton National Bank PLC (2018) corporate web site,[online] Available from https://www.hnb.net/about-the-bank/our-profile [Accessed 30 September 2018].
Jerome, N. (2013) ’Application of the Maslow’s hierarchy of need theory; impacts and implications on organizational culture, human resource and employee’s performance’. International Journal of Business and Management Invention 2013: Department of Economics Taraba State University Jaling, Nigeria 2 (3) pp.39-45.
Kian, T.S and Yusoff, W.F.W (2015) Intrinsic-Extrinsic Motivation Revisited: Exploring their Definitions. International Journal of Management Sciences Research Academy of Social Science 6(3), pp.136-139.
Parker, M. (2000) Organizational Culture and Identity. United Kingdom: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Ryan, M.R and Deci, E.L (2000) Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology University of Rochester 25, pp.54–67.
Workline, M.C., Dutton, J.E., & Hardin, A.E., (2017) Forming Stronger Bonds with People at Work: Emotional Intelligence. Harvard Business Review. [Online] Available from https://hbr.org/search?search_type=searchall&term=Forming+Stronger+Bonds+with+People+at+Work. [Accessed 1 October 2018]
Hi Chaminda,Interesting read.Yet there were few critics made on the Maslow's Need theory. Nadler & Lawler (1979) cited in Graham & Messner (2000) argue that the theory makes the following unrealistic assumptions about employees in general that:
ReplyDelete(a) All employees are alike.
(b) All situations are alike.
and that,
(c) There is only one best way to meet needs.
Thank you for your comments. In reality it is a basic understanding that no single theory can be applied to all situations, especially in a human resources point of view which is clear that “No Individuals are alike”. That is one of the main reasons that the study of Human Recourses Management have come to its very existence, and continuously updated to fit the modern era.
DeleteFurther, Maslow’s theory is a general understanding needs of a basic human being in the study of human behavior in a psychological aspect in the 1950s.in today’s context needs of human beings are more complex and varied . classic example is in most people’s lives a mobile devices , connection to Wi-Fi and internet has become as closes to basic needs in world where social media rules .however many have apply this theory just for the purpose of understanding basic needs of a human being for motivation. How you effectively do it in an organization is defined by how clever its human resource management has been implemented on. (Jerome 2013).
Customers’ needs are a better factor to deal in the businesses. Special in the commercial bank sector as you have mentioned in your blog. As you have expressed the Maslow’s hierarchy, it clearly elaborates the levels of a typical customer. The organization should have the capability of treating every customer level of the Maslow’s hierarchy. In this point I’m referring both the employee and the external customer as ‘the customer’. The reason is that we can classify them as internal customers as well as the external customers. The Maslow’s hierarchy applies on both these customer groups. According to Kaur (2013) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory has made a significant contribution to the organizational behavior in the area of employee motivation. My idea is that the Maslow’s hierarchy should be applied on both internal and external customers.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your comments and views.As per (Maslow, 1954, cited in Jerome 2013) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs refers to basic human needs at their different levels in a psychological perspective, where it applies to all human beings despite being customers or employees. And of course it is evident, the banking industry has recognized human needs where their products are tailored to satisfy specific needs for example products such as home loans, vehicle loans, personal loans which full fill some of the tangible needs of customers and further customer categorization for selected customers as “corporate”, “Priority circle”,” premier Banking “and even gone to the extent of operating dedicated customer centers to fulfill their esteem needs (hnb.net ,2018),(hsbc.lk, 2018)
DeleteCouldn't agree more Chaminda, The Blogs explains how you have related a Private Bank to Maslow's Need theory. As i Agree with you. All human behavior can be explained by Motivation. Managing people is always about understanding what peoples motivations are, and Maslow's Needs could be that can help understand what peoples motivations are.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your views and yes indeed the subject theory emphasizes on basic human needs in a psychological point of view. and taken as a reference most firms are motivating their employees based on the theory for better performance and productivity (Armstrong 2006).
DeleteHi.. Chaminda, as you aware that the biggest challenge for bank‘s management now a days is to motivate employees for to be more competent than its competitors and to offer better services matched with customer expectations. The most valuable and volatile asset of any institution is a well-motivated and stable workforce with competence, dedication and productive. Motivation is dynamic in nature where income changes, money ceases to be a motivational factor in one day as employees grow older, interesting work becomes a motivational factor (Prahlad, 2011). This also could be considered in the way of interesting place for working.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, it’s a fact that we can’t ignore that any organization is in need of well-motivated work force in order to reach its moral objectives in a realistic scenario. And this is where tools such as both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators come in to play. And it is vital as you emphasize to motivate their staff to sustain in its industry. (Kian and Yusoff, 2015).
DeleteHi Chaminda, your blog is very interesting and you have linked Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory to the banking sector. Maslow’s model has been studied in various disciplines and in business context Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model is basically considered and used as a model for understanding the needs of individuals and what is important to the individuals which has a direct impact on employee motivation. The leaders who are capable of influencing the lives of employees whilst taking into consideration the needs of the individuals, will be able to enhance the employee motivation and commitment (Benson and Dundis,2003).
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your views and totally agree, as you highlighted, employee motivation is key for an organization to achieve its objectives in order to gain stability in its industry. Employee motivation triggers high employee engagement which effects the productivity of the firm that brings profits (Kahn,1990, p.694).
DeleteApplying Maslow's theory to organizational development and in the banking Industry lets you ensure that your organizational structure encourages employees to reach their full potential it is also important to look at from customers’ benefits too;
ReplyDeleteGiven that we are now beginning to connect customers value (their hierarchy of needs) and what investors reward. leadership teams and boards to measure and invest in what matters — not just the tangible assets at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy (material and tangible), but also the immaterial and intangibles at the top — so that their companies develop the tools and skills that deliver what matters to their customers. The result: more value for their investors (Libert, 2014).
Appreciate your comments and views. Indeed highly motivated staffs are happy employees. Happiness psychologically promotes good attitudes and attitudes improve interaction and customer service. As per Richard Branson (2014) quotes “I take care of my people, they take care of my customers”
DeleteChaminda, You blos is clearly describe Maslow' theory. However, Abraham Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs comes at the forefront of the most important studies on motivation. Almost no motivation theory in the history of management has been as effective as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This theory put forward by Maslow argues that humans are motivated not by external motives such as reward and punishment but by the internal needs program. In other words, needs underlie the motivation of an individual (Adair, 2013). Motivation is a general concept involving desires, wishes, needs, drives, and interests. Physiological motivations, such as hunger, thirst, sexuality, are called drives. High drives like human-specific desire to achieve are called needs (Cüceloğlu, 2016).
ReplyDeleteThank you and appreciate your comments. Maslow’s theory has been a role model in which an organization could find its basic ways to be aware of the theories levels in the pyramid to address the needs of both physiological and emotional need of their employees which helps achieve synergies related to the firm’s performances and objectives (Jerome, 2013)
DeleteHi Chaminda, You have well communicated application of Maslow's theory to the commercial banking sector . However Maslow’s research explained what would drive and motivate individuals, applying the model to organizations yields a powerful framework for business prioritization. Why? Today’s next gen C-level executives face an onslaught of business priorities that must address the organization’s basic needs from regulatory compliance to higher level needs that include the management of the brand. The business hierarchy of needs uses an analogous framework to Maslow’s (Jerome , 2013)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your views and yes indeed the subject theory emphasizes on basic human needs in a psychological point of view. And taken as a reference most firms are motivating their employees based on the theory for better performance and productivity. Motivational skills could not only be relevant the human resources department but also it is more vital for the low supervisory grades whereas has the direct access to the lower levels of staff who directly interact with its customers (Armstrong 2006).
DeleteThe application of Maslow’s theory to the banking sector in a simplified manner is attractive yet an effective approach Chaminda. The needs & the desires of the modern generation has changed rapidly and are more complicated in nature so that it is essential to identify such needs in order to keep the momentum. This has been the secret your organization as well.
ReplyDeleteHowever the critics argue that that the theory makes the unrealistic assumptions about employees in general that all employees are alike, all situations are alike and that there is only one best way to meet needs (Kaur, 2013).
Despite heavy criticisms of Hierarchy of Need theory, I still believe that this theory has made a significant contribution in the field of organizational behavior and management of banks especially in the area of employee motivation which undoubtedly performed well in your esteemed organization.
Appreciate your comments and views. The secret of achievement in any organization is its culture that fits the organization and its stake holders. As per Jerome (2013) quotes “Each organization should work towards creating its own unique culture instead of copying another organization’s culture through the right application of the hierarchy of needs theory as propounded by Maslow, the right cultural elements must be selected, blended and fine-tuned over time to fulfill the unique requirements of one’s organization this entails the first stage in the hierarchy pyramid”
DeleteHi Chaminda,
ReplyDeleteThis is very fascinating work and can be learnt lot. Although Maslow’s theory is having well recognition it has its own limitations too. According to Graham & Messner (1998) there are generally three major criticisms directed to the need theory (1) There is scant empirical data to support their conclusions, (2) they assume employees are basically alike, and (3) they are not theories of motivation at all, but rather theories of job satisfaction
DeleteThank you for your comments and totally agree with your point of views .As we all aware that in reality it is a basic understanding that no single theory can be applied to all situations, especially dealing with human beings who are different and unique to one another. Maslow’s theory is a general understanding needs of a basic human being in the study of human behavior in a psychological aspect in the 1950s.in today’s context needs of human beings are more complex and varied .however many have apply this theory just for the purpose of understanding basic needs of a human being for motivation. How you effectively do it in an organization is defined by into which extent the implementation of their strategies on human resource management are successfully effected (Jerome 2013).
Dear Chaminda, being in the same sector I totally agreed to the points you highlighted in your Blog assignment. The five steps of Maslows Hierachy theory perfectly match with the current behavior of the baking sector by you.
ReplyDeleteAs you correctly mentioned that if the banking sector management layer take appropriate steps to encourage or assist the employees in many ways of professional conduct the end result would be significant. These steps will lead to motivate the employees and resulting them to work more loyal to the institution and render the highest to their ability.
Thank you for your comments, yes indeed motivation of employees on any organization is vital for its performance and sustainability in the industry. And Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the most well-spoken theories that simplifies need of basis human being (Jerome, 2013)
DeleteChaminda , you have clearly narrated the five major need categories suggested by Maslow which applies to human beings – in addition to this Taormina & Gao says that Maslows (1943) theory specifies that the relative gratification of a need at any of the levels releases the person to start focusing on satisfying the need at the next level up in the hierarchy. Thus, when one’s physiological and safety–security needs are largely satisfied, one will be able to pay more attention to satisfying his or her need to form pleasant interactions with others (Taormina & Gao,2013).
ReplyDeleteThank you for your views, As per Jerome (2013) quotes “Each organization should work towards creating its own unique culture instead of copying another organization’s culture through the right application of the hierarchy of needs theory as propounded by Maslow, the right cultural elements must be selected, blended and fine-tuned over time to fulfill the unique requirements of one’s organization this entails the first stage in the hierarchy pyramid”.And this is where tools such as both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators come in to play. And it is vital as you emphasize to motivate their staff to sustain in its industry. (Kian and Yusoff, 2015).
DeleteHi Chaminda you have clearly identified the importance of satisfying employee needs for the better commitment towards Maslow (1943) initially stated that individuals must satisfy lower level deficit needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. However, he later clarified that satisfaction of a needs is not an “all-or-none” phenomenon, admitting that his earlier statements may have given “the false impression that a need must be satisfied 100 percent before the next need emerges” (1987, p. 69).
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments and totally agree with your point of view .it is a basic understanding that no single theory can be applied to all situations, especially dealing with human beings who are different and unique to one another and further to make every employee in an organization satisfied to 100% is not realistic. Maslow’s theory is a general understanding needs of a basic human being in the study of human behavior in a psychological aspect in the 1950s, as time passes by, needs of human beings become more complex and varied due to factors such as globalization .however many have apply this theory just for the purpose of understanding basic needs of a human being for motivation in a general context. How you effectively do it in an organization is defined by how successfully implemented their strategies on human resource management are to identify each and every ones needs in particular which is more a theory than practice.(Jerome 2013).
DeleteIt is obvious that most well-known theory of motivation is Maslow's need hierarchy theory Maslow's theory is based on the human needs. It has been observed that you have clearly communicate the vital part of the theory on Maslow's who classified all human needs into a hierarchical manner from the lower to the higher order.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Maslow's hierarchy of needs has been criticized for being overly-schematic and lacking in scientific groundling, it presents an intuitive and potentially useful theory of human motivation.
By the way, Maslow's need hierarchy theory has received wider recognition, particularly among practicing managers. This can be attributed to the theory's intuitive logic and easy to understand.
Thank you for your comments and totally agree with your point of view .it is a basic understanding that no single theory can be applied to all situations sine all theories have their pros and cons, and further to make every employee in an organization satisfied to 100% is not realistic. Maslow’s theory is a general understanding needs of a basic human being in the study of human behavior in a psychological aspect. Therefore it is up to the thinking to implement a strategic human resource management (SHRM) with a mix of relevant theories which fits the most to its culture and objectives (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014)
DeleteHi Chaminda , Well explained Blog on MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEED . I would like to state some drawbacks of the Model.There are generally three major criticisms directed to the need theory and other content theories of motivation. (A) There is scant empirical data to support their conclusions, (b) they assume employees are basically alike, and (c) they are not theories of motivation at all, but rather theories of job satisfaction (Graham & Messner ,1998). Further the Link between the Motivation and Money suggests that Money, in the form of pay or some other sort of remuneration, is regarded by many people as the most obvious extrinsic reward. Money seems to provide the carrot that most people want (Armstrong and Taylor , 2014) .
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments and totally agree with your point of view .As we all aware that in reality it is a basic understanding that no single theory can be applied to all situations, especially dealing with human beings who are different and unique to one another. Maslow’s theory is a general understanding needs of a basic human being in the study of human behavior in a psychological aspect in the 1950s.in today’s context needs of human beings are more complex and varied .however many have apply this theory just for the purpose of understanding basic needs of a human being for motivation. How you effectively do it in an organization is defined by how successfully implemented their strategies on human resource management are (Jerome 2013).
DeleteHi Chaminda ,Interesting presentation about leading theory .Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. The most considerable restriction of Maslow's theory concerns his methodology. Maslow formulated the uniqueness of self-actualized individuals from undertaking a qualitative method called biographical analysis.
ReplyDeleteMaslow debates that motivation could be a realized phenomenon, when it is approached in terms of a ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ in the following order, Physiological, Safety, Love, Esteem and Self -actualization (Bagozzi et al, 2003).
Thank you for your comments, yes indeed motivation of employees on any organization is vital for its performance and sustainability in the industry. And Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the most well-spoken theories that simplifies need of basis human being (Jerome, 2013)
DeleteAppreciate your view. Totally agreed with your comment emphasizing that motivation is the key to employee performance in return which improves its values and achieve its moral objectives in an organization (Armstrong and Taylor 2014)
ReplyDeleteAbraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is still important and relevant in today’s business
ReplyDeleteorganizations, for every organization that seek to obtain success and excellence, any attempt to shy away from practical application of the hierarchy of needs theory, will affect negatively the organizational culture, human resource management and the employee’s performance, to achieve organizational excellence and create good atmosphere, better work environment and achieve target at the right time then a drive and application of the theory is paramount(Nyameh
j,2013).
Thank you for your comments, yes indeed motivation of employees on any organization is vital for its performance and sustainability in the industry. And Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the most well-spoken theories that simplifies need of basis human being (Jerome, 2013)
DeleteChaminda it has been a nice read however according to (Rivera and E, 2006) the conventional description of Abraham Maslow's (1943, 1954) hierarchy of needs is inaccurate as a description of Maslow's later thought. Maslow (1969a) amended his model, placing self-transcendence as a motivational step beyond self-actualization.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your views, and I totally agree with you, but this blog refers to the original theory of Maslow’s which he developed in a perspective of human psychological behavior of people. However, in todays context the original theory of 1940s and 50s is the most popular model where basic needs are related to employee motivation in a management perspective, in some cases self-actualization itself is a challenging level to achieve due to modern material needs in reality. Therefore this is a basic therary which deremins the basic need of easch levels in general. As per Jerome (2013) quotes “Each organization should work towards creating its own unique culture instead of copying another organization’s culture through the right application of the hierarchy of needs theory as propounded by Maslow, the right cultural elements must be selected, blended and fine-tuned over time to fulfill the unique requirements of one’s organization this entails the first stage in the hierarchy pyramid”.
Delete@Chaminda Ariyaratne Based on a similar research carried on Employee Motivation; Herzberg on his ‘Two Factor Theory’ drew our attention on maintenance factors similar to of physiological factors mentioned in Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs as Motivation and more intrinsic factors as Hygiene. The model further elaborated why some people were dissatisfied in their job roles while others were satisfied based on largely on working conditions and physiological needs (Ratzburg 2003, cited in Dartey-Baah & Amoako 2011).
ReplyDeleteThank you for your views. And I totally agree with your facts, but however hygiene is something that is referred in the second level of needs which is safety needs. This also refers to wellbeing of a person with in terms of health and safety (Maslow 1943, 1954).
DeleteThe human is an active labor force which can be affected by many factors, sensitive to all kinds of attitudes and behaviors, develops attitude according to an organization, performs individual performance on demand and always follows alternative organizations. therefore, if performance and productivity are required within an organization, it is absolutely necessary for the labor force to be externally motivated.It is known that in the center of every productive and successful business, there are employees who cooperate with the passion for achieving excellent results with advanced organizational culture (Gignac & Palmer, 2011).
ReplyDelete.Thank you for your views, As per Jerome (2013) quotes “Each organization should work towards creating its own unique culture instead of copying another organization’s culture through the right application of the hierarchy of needs theory as propounded by Maslow, the right cultural elements must be selected, blended and fine-tuned over time to fulfill the unique requirements of one’s organization this entails the first stage in the hierarchy pyramid”.And this is where tools such as both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators come in to play. And it is vital as you emphasize to motivate their staff to sustain in its industry. (Kian and Yusoff, 2015).
DeleteWell done Chaminda, You have clearly illustrated how The Maslow's Hierarchy of needs applied for the commercial banking sector in Sri Lanka. Abraham Maslow is well renowned for proposing the Hierarchy of Needs Theory in 1943.This theory is based on the assumption that there is a hierarchy of five needs within each individual.Ranks human needs hierarchically in a five level pyramid where people seek to satisfy their needs from bottom to top starting from Physiological,
ReplyDeleteSafety, Belongingness, Esteem, and moving to Self-Actualization needs(Kakkos and Trivellas,2011).
Thank you for your comments, yes indeed motivation of employees on any organization is vital for its performance and sustainability in the industry. And Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the most well-spoken theories that simplifies need of basis human being (Jerome, 2013)
DeleteGood job Chaminda,Human resources management are considered to be very important in organizations, theories about how to motivate people to perform more efficiently and effectively are discussed extensively in research areas. One of the basic theories is Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Therefore you have selected the best topic to describe Employee motivation by linking it to one of the leading bank in the country .
ReplyDeleteAccording to Greenberg & Baron(2003)the idea implies the dual role of the theory first to organizations and second to employees on the basis that both the organization and the employees must decide on the performance of their organization, and that when employees put in their best in the service of the organization, the culture and human resource practice should also ensure that the employees’ level of needs are reflected in the values the organization holds with high esteem.
Thank you for your comments, yes indeed motivation of employees on any organization is vital for its performance and sustainability in the industry. And Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the most well-spoken theories that simplifies need of basis human being (Jerome, 2013). And this is where tools such as both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators come in to play. And it is vital as you emphasize to motivate their staff to sustain in its industry. (Kian and Yusoff, 2015).
DeleteDear Chaminda, I agrees with your content where the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs give a theoretical wider and accurate indication to understand the human nature and the behaviors (Rivera, 2006). This will be a useful tool to handling the employees in a working environment to motivate and get the maximum out comes of them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, yes indeed motivation of employees on any organization is vital for its performance and sustainability in the industry. And Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is one of the most well-spoken theories that simplifies need of basis human being (Jerome, 2013)
DeleteAs you have very well said, Happy people are also less likely to leave for another job. Generally the longer employees stay at their jobs, the more they improve. To give the service better to their customers they have to be happy in what they do. Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that human motivation is based on people seeking fulfillment and change through personal growth. Self-actualized people are those who were fulfilled and doing all they were capable of.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, Although Maslow’s hierarchy of need was originally developed with a more psychological perspective in the study of human behavior, the theory has been successfully applied to motivate their employees in a human resource management perspective in almost any organization with a common objective. (Jerome,2013)
DeleteAs the blog comprehensively explains, The subject theory is based on basic human needs to more complex needs where to be addressed in each and every level and to succeed from the bottom to the peak of the pyramid to archive “self-actualization”. Whereas in reality achievers of that caliber could only be a handful (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014).