Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs Based On The Benefits Of Employee Motivation

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

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

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