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Anyone familiar with this or have any thoughts ?
Maslows hierarchy of needs was developed in the 1940's by an american psychologist. While Maslow intended this to be more of a broad view of the human psyche pertaining to life in general and what motivates people, I just recently covered it in a college class for leadership studies that approached Maslows theory from the work perspective and how these needs relate to employees goals and motivations at work specifically.
Basically Maslows theory is that humans have 5 areas of "needs" that motivate us in life. And people approach these needs in sequence and do not move on to the next need until the previous need is met and satisfied.
For employees, the first need is "physiological". This is the essentials of life. Basically, does a job provide you with enough pay to afford to live. Do you have food, shelter clothing etc...
the second need/motivating factor is "safety and security". Is your job secure? Is the industry you are in sustainable or is it susceptible to a volatile market or lots of turnover? Do you have long terms health benefits and retirement for your post working life?
the third need is "love and belonging". this is where the needs transition to social factors and feeling valuable. Do you enjoy the people you work with or do you dread going to work? Do you feel social connection?
the fourth need is "self-esteem". This can be a little different for each person, but basically do you feel like you are doing something valuable that you are proud of? This could also mean having a job title with prestige, or knowing that you have the respect of your peers. Some people might want self autonomy at work where others are not looking over their shoulders telling them how to do their jobs.
the fifth and final need/motivation is "self actualization". This is basically where you no longer need outside influences to motivate you and you are driven to be the best version of yourself. This could be different for everyone. Could be about having a great family and work life balance. Cold be mastering your craft and excelling. Could be just living life right and being healthy. Maybe to some it is practicing faith. The point is you cant truly focus on being the best version of ones self until you have met all the previous needs.
A class mate of mine got me thinking. He works for an organization that deals with people that are homeless and have substance abuse issues and helping them get back on their feet through counseling and leading them to resources that are available. He mentioned that Maslows heierarchy is very relevant to the people he works with because they have physiological needs that are much more dire and acute than most people. How do you worry about improving yourself when you dont even have a home or food? Of course this also got me thinking about how maybe maslows hierarchy is not quite so simplistic and people are more nuanced than just going from one need to another. I mean how do you convince a drug addict to work on themselves if they dont have the desire for one of the later phases on maslows list such as self esteem to begin with?
Maslows hierarchy of needs was developed in the 1940's by an american psychologist. While Maslow intended this to be more of a broad view of the human psyche pertaining to life in general and what motivates people, I just recently covered it in a college class for leadership studies that approached Maslows theory from the work perspective and how these needs relate to employees goals and motivations at work specifically.
Basically Maslows theory is that humans have 5 areas of "needs" that motivate us in life. And people approach these needs in sequence and do not move on to the next need until the previous need is met and satisfied.
For employees, the first need is "physiological". This is the essentials of life. Basically, does a job provide you with enough pay to afford to live. Do you have food, shelter clothing etc...
the second need/motivating factor is "safety and security". Is your job secure? Is the industry you are in sustainable or is it susceptible to a volatile market or lots of turnover? Do you have long terms health benefits and retirement for your post working life?
the third need is "love and belonging". this is where the needs transition to social factors and feeling valuable. Do you enjoy the people you work with or do you dread going to work? Do you feel social connection?
the fourth need is "self-esteem". This can be a little different for each person, but basically do you feel like you are doing something valuable that you are proud of? This could also mean having a job title with prestige, or knowing that you have the respect of your peers. Some people might want self autonomy at work where others are not looking over their shoulders telling them how to do their jobs.
the fifth and final need/motivation is "self actualization". This is basically where you no longer need outside influences to motivate you and you are driven to be the best version of yourself. This could be different for everyone. Could be about having a great family and work life balance. Cold be mastering your craft and excelling. Could be just living life right and being healthy. Maybe to some it is practicing faith. The point is you cant truly focus on being the best version of ones self until you have met all the previous needs.
A class mate of mine got me thinking. He works for an organization that deals with people that are homeless and have substance abuse issues and helping them get back on their feet through counseling and leading them to resources that are available. He mentioned that Maslows heierarchy is very relevant to the people he works with because they have physiological needs that are much more dire and acute than most people. How do you worry about improving yourself when you dont even have a home or food? Of course this also got me thinking about how maybe maslows hierarchy is not quite so simplistic and people are more nuanced than just going from one need to another. I mean how do you convince a drug addict to work on themselves if they dont have the desire for one of the later phases on maslows list such as self esteem to begin with?
