Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in Work and Leadership

Introduction

One of the most popular theories of human motivation developed in the 20th century comes from Maslow's (1943) hierarchy of needs model. The hierarchy of needs is based on the idea that basic, fundamental human needs — such as love and shelter — must be satisfied before a person can go on to fulfill higher-order needs, such as the need for esteem or the need to be independent and self-motivated. At the top of the pyramid Maslow developed is the goal of self-actualization, which means that a person is motivated to succeed by an innate desire and does not rely upon any extrinsic motivation. This paper describes the principles of Maslow's hierarchy of needs and explains how they can be used in the workplace, the military, and the field of psychology.

The Hierarchy of Needs Model

There are two main types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is external to the person and is used to drive a person toward a goal; it can be something as simple as a promise of a bonus. Intrinsic motivation is different in that it comes from inside the person — the individual is driven to achieve a goal because of an innate desire to grow, develop, and accomplish meaningful things (Gerhart & Fang, 2015). The goal of human motivation is to get people intrinsically motivated so that they can perform at a high level for the good of what they are doing. In other words, intrinsic motivation corresponds with the expression that virtue is its own reward. It is thus that at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid one finds self-actualization — the ability to achieve one's fullest potential.

Maslow (1943) posited that the most important needs, which must be met first and foremost, are physiological needs: food, water, warmth, and rest. If a person is unable to eat or to rest, it does not matter what the job is, because he will not be in a condition to operate to his fullest potential. A human being's most essential needs must be met before he can ever be expected to achieve great results.

Once the basic needs are met, human psychology comes into play. Here, Maslow (1943) argues, the next set of needs must be satisfied: security, shelter, and safety. If a person does not feel safe, he will be psychologically agitated — constantly anxious about his own position, constantly worried about what might happen to him. He must be made to feel secure, safe, and sheltered. If he has no sense of this security, it will not matter how well he is fed or how much rest he has, because there will be an underlying psychological unease that prevents him from climbing upward toward his higher-order self. This is consistent with what Schyns and Schilling (2013) argue about effective management: if employees do not feel safe and secure with their managers, they are not going to perform, and they may even actively seek to undermine the workplace. Disengaged leaders promote anxiety and instability, and people who do not feel safe and secure cannot be expected to meet expectations.

Next on the ladder toward self-actualization is the need for friendship, belonging, and love. These are psychosocial needs that often carry an emotional component, given that human beings are social creatures. This is also one reason leaders are encouraged to develop social and emotional intelligence skills (Goleman & Boyatzis, 2008; Hendon, Powell & Wimmer, 2017). People have emotional needs that must be respected: they want to feel that they are part of a team, a group, a collective, which gives them a sense of identity, purpose, and place — beyond what a physical location called "home" can provide. Identifying with others through friendship, shared values, and a feeling of belonging and acceptance is crucial for the psychological, emotional, and social development of the individual. This dynamic is also expressed in Erikson's model of psychosocial development, in the various stages of conflict that every person progresses through over the course of a lifetime (Malone, Liu, Vaillant, Rentz & Waldinger, 2016).

Having a sense of belonging contributes to the development of self-esteem, which constitutes the next-to-last rung on the ladder to self-actualization. The need for esteem relates to feelings of self-worth, prestige, appreciation, acknowledgment of one's contributions, respect from others, and self-respect. These feelings generally come from reinforcement, positive feedback, and supportive interactions based on the perception of a job well done. One must have genuinely accomplished something worthwhile at this stage in order to achieve adequate levels of self-esteem. A false esteem will not satisfy the conditions for moving upward, because true esteem — a sense of one's own skills, abilities, and their value to society — is needed before self-actualization is within reach. One cannot simply be given a participation trophy by a well-meaning teacher and told that he has done a good job when nothing special was done to merit the praise. That does not give the person an accurate sense of his potential or value; it artificially inflates pride and vanity. When that inflated sense is not reinforced by subsequent reality, it collapses, and the person is unable to self-actualize because his real value has never actually been determined (Walker & Bright, 2009).

The final level of the hierarchy is where self-fulfillment needs are satisfied. This is where one reaches one's creative potential and is motivated by the desire to demonstrate what one can do — and to do it well. This is what is meant by self-actualization. The individual is self-motivated and driven to succeed because he recognizes the potential within himself and is eager to fulfill it, seeing the inherent value in doing so.

How the Principles Apply to Leadership in the Workplace

The principles of motivation derived from Maslow's hierarchy can be used in all settings — industrial, military, and psychological. Essentially, effective application is about keeping things positive but honest. Leaders must recognize that no one will be motivated by neglect or disengagement. Leaders should be hands-on, honest, and supportive. Their followers must be able to see that their best interests are valued, and they must feel that their needs are being met — from the most basic (food, rest, shelter, security) to the most complex (genuine rather than false praise, in a supportive environment that challenges them to develop their skills to the fullest).

One reason there is so much turnover in the nursing industry, for example, is that nurses are overworked and have little job satisfaction. They do not get the rest they need, which prevents them from attaining a high level of motivation; they burn out and lose interest and joy in their work (Leiter & Maslach, 2009). In any industry, it is important that leaders ensure their employees receive appropriate levels of rest so that they do not burn out. Burned-out employees tend to have little job satisfaction, and when that occurs, morale collapses and broader problems follow.

The principles of the hierarchy can also be applied by ensuring that employees have a sense of community and belonging in their workplace. In some industries it is common for silos to develop, or for in-groups to exclude others from meaningful decision-making processes. Employees will not be motivated if they feel they are not part of the team or that their input is not valued. Leaders need to remain engaged and foster a spirit of friendship, respect, and appreciation in the workplace. Much of this will depend on developing an effective, inclusive workplace culture. The more welcomed and respected employees feel, the more likely they are to contribute actively. At the same time, it is counterproductive to instill false esteem in workers. False esteem can prevent self-actualization, particularly when a person is challenged to perform at a high level and finds that his skills fall short of what he was led to believe through unearned praise. Praise should be given when it is deserved; leaders should not dispense it indiscriminately.

Conclusion

Maslow's hierarchy of needs model is a valuable tool for helping people become more self-motivated. Self-actualization is the ultimate goal of human motivation — it is intrinsic and depends on nothing other than the individual's own sense of self-worth and the desire to make good use of his skills and talents. To reach that level of motivation, lower-level needs must be met first, and leaders play a critical role in ensuring that those foundational needs are satisfied.

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