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An essay on the humanistic approach
Introduction to the humanistic approach
An essay on the humanistic approach
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The success of an organisation is considerably dependent on the benefits of increased work motivation, since it stimulates the desire for achieving fulfilment, therefore enhancing the employees’ performance along with job satisfaction (Hoang, 2014). It is not only the goal that provides a source for motives, but also the emotional states which bring motives to life (Peters, 1958). I consider values one of the essential aspects to analyse when trying to attain a motivated workforce. Rewards seek to satisfy needs, however, it is the individual’s values that shape their preferences regarding rewards, thus defining needs and acting as a catalyst when pursuing a specific outcome (Schwartz 1999, cited by Lage Monteiro de Castro et al. 2016). Many …show more content…
To discuss whether or not the reward system can stimulate motivation on its own, I decided to build on two motivational theories, which I consider complementary: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow 1954), supplemented by Expectancy Theory (Vroom 1964).
Maslow (1954) analysed the broader features of human behaviour, taking into consideration what exactly motivates behaviour according to the gratification development of needs. Even though there is an extended version of the hierarchy, he initially identified five levels of needs which come in a particular order: psychological, safety, belongingness and love, esteem and self-actualization. It was emphasised that, since only unsatisfied needs stimulate behaviour, each unsatisfied need becomes the individual’s goal and acts as a motivator. The first four needs become more
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Any dominating need can end up controlling the individual, thus determining their vision of the world, as well as their ideology of values. If a person hasn’t fulfilled any needs, it is most likely that the major motivation would be the psychological needs because they are the most controlling (Maslow 1954). In order to survive, everyone needs an acceptable income and work conditions which will help them fulfil their life and since being protected from danger is one of the main priorities of human beings, the desire for security and stability are perceived to be universal. Having said that, I believe that psychological and safety needs involve the same primary rewards offered by every job, thus subjective values do not make a difference. Emerging to the need of belongingness and love, the implication of individualised rewards and external sources becomes more prominent. Maslow (1970, p. 44) suggested that people “may be motivated by their unsatisfied hunger for intimacy…and by their need to overcome loneliness”. This process seems more like a personal journey, rather than an organizational matter, but
Simons, Janet A., Donald B. Irwin, and Beverly A. Drinnin. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Psychology: the Search for Understanding. St. Paul: West Pub., 1987. Print.
The credible version of hierarchy of needs of Maslow (1943, 1954), have five motivational levels that are arranged in a pyramid with depicted levels. The stages are divided in basic needs which include, psychological, love, safety, and esteem. These needs are also primary of deficiency needs. The other needs are growth needs which incorporate self-actualization needs. When basic needs are not met, they are said to motivate people. The strength of the desire of such needs depends with the time in which they are denied. For example, the more a person lacks food, the hungrier that person becomes. Basic needs must be satisfied before a person proceeds to satisfy other needs in the higher levels. When basic needs are satisfied reasonably, the person can now strive at achieving the self-actualization level, which is the highest level.
Maslow believed that there was a hierarchy of five innate needs that influence people’s behaviors (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p.246-247). In a pyramid fashion, at the base are physiological needs, followed by safety needs, then belonginess and love needs, succeeded by esteem needs, and finally the need for self-actualization. Maslow claimed that lower order needs must be at least partially satisfied before higher level needs are addressed. Furthermore, behavior is dominated by solely one need
People have long considered general theories of motivation, and the question regarding the specific motives that direct and energize our human behavior has undergone tremendous speculation. To this day the question still stands: what is it that humans seek most in life? In an effort to answer this question, Abraham Maslow proposed what he called the hierarchy of needs. Maslow theorizes that human beings are motivated to fulfill this hierarchy, which consists of needs ranging from those that are basic for survival up to those that promote growth and self-enhancement (Kassin 300).
In 1954 an American psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that all people are motivated to fulfill a hierarchical pyramid of needs. At the bottom of Maslow's pyramid are needs essential to survival, such as the needs for food, water, and sleep. The need for safety follows these physiological needs. According to Maslow, higher-level needs become important to us only after our more basic needs are satisfied. These higher needs include the need for love and 'belongingness', the need for esteem, and the need for self-actualization (In Maslow's theory, a state in which people realize their greatest potential) (All information by means of Encarta Online Encyclopedia).
Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfil the next one, and so on. The earliest and most widespread version of Maslow's (1943, 1954) hierarchy of needs includes five motivational needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
According to Robbins et al; (Robbins et al, pg 296) motivation refers to the process by which a persons efforts are energized, sustained, and directed towards a goal. This definition has three key elements: energy, direction, and persistence. Motivation is a complex and important subject, has historically been given a great deal of attention by Psychologists, who have proposed theories to explain it. (Riggio, pg 188),
Physiological needs are requirements necessary to sustain life such as water, air, shelter, warmth, and food (McLeod). Maslow argued that these needs take priority before individuals can act based on further needs. If an individual is having trouble breathing, or having an asthma attack, this individual's behavior will be driven by this and the motivation to improve their breathing will take precedence over any other concerns. Of course, people can go limited amounts of time without food or water and still operate among the higher levels, but at the extreme levels, can severely alter and drive a person's behavior. Assuming the physiological needs are met, the next level is Safety and Security Needs. This level encompasses not only bodily safety, but things such as financial safety and emotional safety and security (McLeod). When the economy goes into a recession and people's financial safety and security needs are severely affected, people tend to behave differently due to the lack of security. Social needs, which is a level above Safety and Security, will become reprioritized as individuals can stop going out with friends and start working additional hours or two jobs in order to conserve funds. The need for love and belonging, comprises the middle level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid. It is a need to feel belonging to a particular group of people such as friends, family, coworkers,
Similarly, Maslow's theory also reflects that humans have an internal force to reach their highest potential (Maslow, 1968). Maslow examined the hierarchy of basic human needs and developed a pyramid of requirements which motivates human beings and shapes their personality. At the bottom of his pyramid are found the basic physiological motivations which are necessary for survival such as food and shelter. The next level incorporates the need for safety, both physical and psychological. This is followed by love and belongingness which relate to receiving and giving affection. Presuming the love need is met, the next level up is the need for esteem which includes the feeling of self-esteem and self-respect. At the top of the pyramid stands the complex need for self-actualization which is a meta-need as per Maslow (1964) and we can reach it through peak experiences. It is the highest level of growth when someone reached her or his capacity to the fullest. Maslow estimated that only 1 percent of people ever really fulfil this need (Maslow,
If motivation is driven by the existence of unsatisfied needs, then it is worthwhile for a manager to understand which needs are the more important for individual employees. In this regard, Abraham Maslow developed a model in which basic, when a need is mostly satisfied it no longer motivates and the next higher need takes its place.
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a theory of basic human needs: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. His theory suggests that embedded in the very nature of each human being are certain needs that must be attained in order for a person to be whole physically, psychologically, and emotionally. First, there are phys...
In daily life, we need motivation to improve our performance in our job or in studies. Motivation is an internal force, dependent on the needs that drive a person to achieve. In the other words, motivation is a consequence of expectations of the future while satisfaction is a consequence of past events (Carr, 2005). We need to give reward to our self when we did correctly or we has achieve our target. Reward is something that we are given because we have behaved well, worked hard, or provided a service to the community. Theories of motivation can be used to explain the behavior and attitude of employees (Rowley, 1996; Weaver, 1998). The theories include content theories, based on assumptions that people have individual needs, which motivate their action. Meanwhile according to Robbins (2001), motivation is a needs-satisfying process, which means that when a person's needs are satisfied by certain factors, the person will exert superior effort toward attaining organizational goals. Schulze and Steyn (2003) affirmed that in order to understand people’s behavior at work, managers or supervisors must be aware of the concept of needs or motives which will help “move” their employees to act.Theories such as Maslow (1954), McClelland (1961), Herzberg (1966) and Alderfer (1969) are renowned for their works in this field. The intrinsic reward or also be known as motivators factors is the part of Herzberg motivation theory. Motivators are involve factors built into the job or the studies itself such as achievement, recognition, responsibility and advancement. Hygiene factors are extrinsic to the job such as interpersonal relationship, salary, supervision and company policy (Herzberg, 1966. There have two factors that are called hygiene fac...
Abraham Maslow wrote the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. This theory was based on fulfilling five basic needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. Maslow believed that these needs could create internal pressures that could influence the behavior of a person. (Robbins, p.204)
Motivation is the force that transforms and uplifts people to be productive and perform in their jobs. Maximizing employee’s motivation is a necessary and vital to successfully accomplish the organization’s targets and objectives. However, this is a considerable challenge to any organizations managers, due to the complexity of motivation and the fact that, there is no ready made solution or an answer to what motivates people to work well (Mullins,2002).
The Hierarchy of needs theory, by Maslow, shows the basic and the advanced needs that the person should fulfill to reach his or her highest potential. That is why the theory is best depicted as a pyramid including seven stages. The first stage is physiological needs: water, body temperature, sleep, and sex. When one satisfies those needs, he or she can go to the next stage. Safety needs is the second stage. Here, the person is concerned about his safety and stability, so he tries to find a good job to support himself financially, and also find a good home in a safe place. The third stage is belongingness and love. To love and be loved and accepted becomes very important in this stage, so the person starts to worry about his relationships. Being accepted and loved will lead successfully to the fourth stage, which is esteem needs. In this level, the person is more concerned about achieving and gaining approval. Ones those needs are fulfilled, the cognitive needs come to be a priority. This fifth level is attained by seeking knowledge and explor...