Levels of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Need theory is in fact a combination of theories that concentrates on employees’ requirements as the sources of motivation.

Need theories suggest that employees search to fulfill many of their needs at duty, so their behavior at duty is directed toward need satisfaction. A need is requirement for well-being and survival.

The same five needs are sought to satisfy by all people, according to Abraham Maslow. These five needs are safety needs, physiological needs, esteem needs, need to belong and self-actualization needs.

Maslow suggested that the needs are ordered in a hierarchy of significance, with the most compelling or basic needs at the bottom, which are physiological and safety needs.

Before a person seeks to fulfill higher needs in the hierarchy, basic needs must be satisfied. The need is no longer a source of motivation that is once satisfied according to Maslow.

Managers understand that employees need differ with the help of Maslow theory and that motivation for one employee is not motivation for another employee.

An employee’s needs must be identified by managers along with surety of fulfilling those needs if required behaviors are done.

Levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Organizations can assist employees who are at various levels in Maslow’s hierarchy fulfill personal needs while also accomplishing organizational objectives and a competitive advantage.

Physiological Needs: Drink, food, sexual satisfaction and other physical requirements.
Safety Needs: Protection & security from emotional & physical harm, as well as sureness that physical requirements will continue to be fulfilled.
Social Needs: Belongingness, affection, friendship & acceptance.
Esteem Needs: External esteem factors such as recognition, status & attention and internal esteem factors autonomy, self-respect & achievement.
Self-Actualization Needs: Self-fulfillment and growth and achieving one’s potential.

According to Maslow, before the next level is activated, every level in the hierarchy must be substantially satisfied and a need no longer motivates behavior once it is substantially satisfied.

In other words, the next need becomes dominant as each need is substantially satisfied. In terms of persons rises the needs hierarchy.

From the viewpoint of motivation, Maslow’s theory suggested that a considerably satisfied need will no longer motivate a person, although no need is ever fully satisfied.

According to Maslow, in order to motivate someone, one requires to comprehend what level that person is on in the hierarchy and concentrate on fulfilling needs at or above that level.

Managers who accepted Maslow’s hierarchy tried to alter their management practices and organizations so that workers requirements could be fulfilled.

Furthermore, Maslow differentiated five needs into lower and higher levels. Esteem and self-actualization were described as higher -order needs and physiological and safety needs are described as lower-order needs.

The difference between the two levels was made on the premise that lower-order needs are predominantly satisfied externally and higher-order needs are satisfied internally.

See Also: Traits of Leadership

Almost all permanently employed employees have their lower-order needs considerably satisfied, in terms of economic prosperity, naturally concluded from the Maslow classification.

During the 1960s & 1970s, Maslow need theory got wide recognition, particularly among practicing managers.

However, the theory hasn’t validated by the research generally. No empirical support for the theory was provided by the Maslow.

Basic Assumptions

The role of a need decline, once it is satisfied.
Needs are complicated and simultaneously multiple needs act.
Before higher level needs are activated, lower-level needs must be satisfied.
Employee behavior was influenced by environment and individual.
Although environment can place constraints, individuals decide behavior.
Persons have different goals/needs.
Desired outcome is led by determining among alternatives based on perception of behavior.
In order to satisfy higher level needs, more ways exist.