Abraham Maslow

Most discussions of people's needs in the world of work usually begin with a basic understanding of the work generally associated with Abraham Maslow. Its central thesis is that human needs are organized in a hierarchy, with needs for survival, food, and shelter, for example, as its base. At progressively higher levels in Maslow's hierarchy are needs for security and social interaction, with the highest level being the need to learn, grow, and reach one's potential. As lower level needs become reasonably satisfied, successively higher needs become more influential in motivating human behavior. When lower level needs remain unsatisfied, factors such as learning, creativity, innovation, or self-esteem remain stagnant, never rising to the surface.

When the psychologist Abraham Maslow presented his needs hierarchy theory of motivation, it met with great approval, at least initially. Maslow suggested that individual needs are arranged in a pyramid ranging from safety at the base to self-actualization at the apex. Once one level of needs is satisfied and secure, then a higher level of needs becomes dominant. Maslow argued that the job of managing workers is to activate higher level needs and to show the means by which they can be satisfied. If successful, the manager would assure the commitment of individuals to the purpose and activities of an organization. But as managers know from experience and intuition, there are dangers inherent in Maslow's ideas. The main danger arises from the familiar problem of the discontent of rising expectations.

The models of participatory management gave birth to the movement called humanistic industrial relations, with advocates such as Abraham Maslow, who suggested in his needs hierarchy theory that any level of satisfaction is bound to produce frustration because of the activation of higher level needs. If Maslow's theory were to be proven correct, then the problem of cooperation would indeed be a never-ending challenge to management.

In applying Maslow's hierarchy of needs to the world of work, reasonable satisfaction is achieved when, in the perception of the individuals involved, environmental factors like pay and job security are adequately addressed and equitably administered. People who feel that they are adequately and fairly paid do not spend most of their days thinking about their salary unless other environmental factors lead them to do so. When discipline is handled consistently, most people are able to manage the risk of failure without allowing that risk to unnecessarily distract them.

This is not to say that when lower level needs are satisfied, they are no longer an issue. On the contrary, Maslow noted that people seem to have an insatiable ability to become dissatisfied with what he referred to as "environmental factors." Even when survival is not in question and people are reasonably well paid, they usually want to be paid better. Also, it's a rare individual who is completely secure in his or her work environment (though today, more than ever, that insecurity may be well-founded). As for social needs, they wax and wane on the strength of our personal relationships and our participation with others in the organization.

Maslow changed the science of psychology and left an indelible imprint on business and society. And yet the reason Maslow matters today, nearly three decades after his death, is precisely because of places like Silicon Valley. His wisdom and thoughts and research can guide us through the transformations ahead. As we embrace innovation and human capital as prime factors in competitive advantage, Maslow matters more today than when he lived. Maslow matters because he understood human nature and motivation and self-actualizing performance better than anyone alive today does.

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