Сделай Сам Свою Работу на 5

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs





Abraham Maslow’s motivation theory, commonly referred to as the hierarchy of needs, is based on two assumptions.

First, different needs are active at different times, and only needs not yet satisfied can influence behavior. Second, needs are arranged in a fixed order of importance called a hierarchy.

According to Maslow’s theory, behavior is triggered by a need deficit which drives the individual to reduce the tension it creates. Tension leads to behavior that will potentially satisfy the need. For example, a new baby in the family means a greater financial burden. As a result, the worker increases work effort to ensure a promotion and raise. In Maslow’s theory, the idea that a satisfied need can’t influence behavior is called prepotency of the need. This prepotency influences behavior. Until the need is satisfied, the unmet need is said to influence behavior. Furthermore, as soon as a lower-order need is satisfied, a higher order need emerges and demands satisfaction.

Maslow identifies five categories of needs:

· Physiological needs, such as food, air, and water.

· Safety needs, such as freedom from fear or harm.

· Social needs, such as friendship, camaraderie, and teamwork.

· Self-esteem needs, meaning acceptance of self as having value.

· Self-actualization needs, the fulfillment of potential and personal growth.

The hierarchy of needs gives managers a straightforward way of understanding how various work conditions satisfy employee needs. Certain basic conditions of employment satisfy physiological needs. Safety needs are met by safe work conditions and job security. Social needs are satisfied by interaction and communication with fellow workers. And finally, work that is fulfilling can satisfy self-esteem and self-actualization needs.

While Maslow’s ideas were a welcome relief from the emphasis on abnormal behavior that dominated the psychology of the day, they are not without some potential pitfalls. First, Maslow himself recognized that the hierarchy is not a stair-step approach. Human needs are multiple and they often occur simultaneously in modern society. It may make more sense to think about higher-order needs (such as esteem and self-actualization) as one set and lower-order needs (such as physiological, safety, and social needs) as another set. Using just these two categories, we can see that it is certainly possible for several needs to influence our behavior at any given time. Second, we have to consider the relative level of the need that is present at a given time. Being thirsty is a relative concept. If you’re in a desert and have no water, the need’s prepotency will influence 100 % of your behavior. But if you’re mildly thirsty all morning but you are writing a report, your behavior may be more determined by a deadline than your thirst. Third, Maslow’s theory describes needs as internal; it says nothing about the environment’s effect of behavior. How are needs determined? For example, the need for new clothes may be determined by comparing our clothes with those worn by friends, models, or prestigious people. So what might be considered a lower-order need for clothing becomes translated into a higher-order need for self-esteem. The referent for our need deficit is not internal but rather is external. I other words, the definition of need for new clothing is determined through other people, society, education and religion - the external environment.



To a large degree, Maslow’s ideas help us understand that everyone has basic needs that must be satisfied. One way to satisfy these needs is through work. Bu the complexity of the need satisfaction process makes simple prescription problematic. Maslow’s need hierarchy describes a model of basic human needs but offers little practical guidance for motivating workers.

1. What are two key assumptions of A. Maslow’s motivation theory?



2. What is behavior triggered by according to A. Maslow’s theory?

3. What is the prepotency of the need?

4. What are five categories of needs according to A. Maslow?

5. What are some pitfalls of the hierarchy of needs theory? Speak on each supporting your opinion by your own examples.

Text 7

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow it.

F. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation

During the 1950s, Frederick Herzberg proposed a theory of employee motivation based on satisfaction. His theory implied that a satisfied employee is motivated from within to work harder but that a dissatisfied employee is not self-motivated. Herzberg’s research uncovered two classes of factors associated with employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and so his theory has come to be called the two-factor theory.

Dissatisfiers (Factors mentioned most Satisfiers (Factors mentioned often by dissatisfied workers) most often by satisfied workers)

1. Company policy and administration. 1. Achievement.

2. Supervision. 2. Recognition.

3. Relationship with supervisor. 3. Work itself.

4. Work conditions. 4. Responsibility.

5. Salary. 5. Advancement.

6. Relationship with peers. 6. Growth.

7. Personal life.

8. Relationship with subordinates.

9. Status.

10.Security.

Dissatisfiers and satisfiers. Herzberg composed his list of dissatisfiers by asking a sample of about 200 accountants and engineers to describe job situations in which they felt exceptionally bad about their jobs. An analysis of their responses revealed a consistent pattern. Dissatisfaction tended to be associated with complaints about the job context or factors in the immediate work environment.

Herzberg then drew up his list of satisfiers, factors responsible for self-motivation, by asking the same accountants and engineers to describe job situations in which they had felt exceptionally good about their jobs. Again, a consistent pattern of response was noted, but this time, different factors were described. Herzberg observed that these satisfiers centered on the nature of the task itself. In other words, employees appeared to be motivated by job content, that is, what they actually did all day long. Herzberg concluded that enriched jobs were the key to self-motivation. In other words, the work itself, rather than pay, supervision, or other environmental factors, was the key to satisfaction and hence motivation.

Practical lessons from Herzberg’s theory. By insisting that satisfaction is not the opposite to dissatisfaction, Herzberg encouraged managers to think carefully about what actually motivates employees. According to Herzberg, “the opposite of job satisfaction is not job dissatisfaction but, rather, no job satisfaction; and similarly, the opposite of job dissatisfaction is not job satisfaction, but no dissatisfaction”. But the elimination of dissatisfaction, according to Herzberg, is not the same as truly motivating someone. An additional step is required. He feels that it takes meaningful, interesting, and challenging work to satisfy and motivate employees. He is convinced that money is a weak motivational tool because the best it can do is to eliminate dissatisfaction.

Like Maslow, Herzberg has triggered lively debate among motivation theorists. His assumption that job performance improves as satisfaction increases has been criticized for having a weak empirical basis. Others have found that one person’s dissatisfier may be another’s satisfier (for example, money). Nonetheless, Herzberg has made a useful contribution to motivation theory by emphasizing the motivating potential of enriched work.

1. What is the basis of F. Herzberg’s theory of employee motivation?

2. What are dissatisfiers and satisfiers? Speak on each of them.

3. What are practical lessons from Herzberg’s theory?

4. What is F. Herzberg’s theory criticized for? Have you got any of your

criticisms?

Language

1.Practise reading the following regular verbs (past simple tense)correctly.

Attempted, demanded, believed, based, boasted, performed, approached, involved, explained, tested, improved, claimed, argued, isolated, used, helped, proved, relied, managed, emphasized, emerged, mentioned, triggered.

2.Complete the sentences below using the following root words:

 








Не нашли, что искали? Воспользуйтесь поиском по сайту:



©2015 - 2024 stydopedia.ru Все материалы защищены законодательством РФ.