Solution:

Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory:

• Prof A. H. Maslow developed a theoretical framework for understanding human motivation which has been widely acclaimed.

• According to him, a person’s effectiveness is a function of matching his opportunity with the appropriate position of hierarchy of needs.

• Process of motivation begins with an assumption that behaviour, at least in part, is directed towards the satisfaction of needs.

• Maslow proposed that human needs can be arranged in a particular order from the lower to the higher as shown in Figure II.

The need hierarcy is as follows :

• (i) Basic Physiological Needs :

  • The physiological needs relate to the survival and maintenance of human life.

  • These needs include such things as food, clothing, air, water and other necessaries of life which are biological in nature. These needs are primary needs.

• (ii) Safety and Security Needs:

  • After satisfying the ‘physiological needs, people want the assurance of maintaining a given, economic level.

  • They want job security, personal bodily security, security of source of income, provision for old age, insurance - against risks, etc.

• (iii) Social Needs:

  • Man is a social being. He is, therefore, interested in conversation, sociability, exchange of feelings and grievances; companionship, recognition, belongingness, etc.

• (iv) Esteem and Status Needs:

  • These needs embrace such things as self?confidence, independence, achievement, competence, knowledge and success.

  • These needs boost the ego of individual. They are also known as egoistic needs. They are concerned with prestige and status of the individual.

• (v) Self-Fulfillment Needs:

  • The final step under the need priority model is the need for self-fulfillment or the need to fulfill what a person considers to be his mission in life.

  • It involves realizing one’s potentialities for continued self-development and for being creative in the broadest sense of the word.

  • After his other needs are fulfilled, a man has the desire for personal achievement. He wants to do something which is challenging and since this challenge gives him enough dash and initiative to work, it is beneficial to him in particular and to the society in general.

  • The sense of achievement gives him psychological satisfaction. Maslow felt that the needs have a definite sequence of domination.

  • Second need does not dominate until first need is reasonably satisfied and third need does not dominate until first two needs have been reasonably satisfied and so on.

  • The other side of the needs hierarcy is that man is a wanting animal, he continues to want something or the other. He is never fully satisfied. If one need is satisfied, the other need arises.

  • The physiological and security needs are finite and tangible, but the needs of higher order are sufficiently infinite and are likely to be dominant ones in persons at higher levels in the organization.

  • This has been proved by various studies. A study by Boris Blai supported this by showing that managers and professionals in U.S.A. highly value self-realization, while service and manual workers value job security most highly.

  • Further, a survey of 200 factory workers in India reported that they give top priority to job security, earnings and personal benefits - all lower order needs.

  • Studies have also revealed that those needs, which are thought to be most important like social needs, egoistic needs and self-realization, are also thought to be the best satisfiers.

  • One study on two thousand and eight hundred managers in eleven countries reported that security, belongingness esteem and self-realization needs are progressively less satisfied according to the pattern of the needs priority model.