Note that for
this reading you only need to answer the questions provided rather than doing a
summary.
However, the questions for this chapter are harder
and will take about 6 times as long to answer as each of the questions for the
other 16 chapters and 3 appendices.
IntroductionAs a leader, you need to interact with followers, peers, seniors, and other people whose support you need to accomplish your objectives. To gain their support, you must be able to understand and motivate them. To understand and motivate people, you must know human nature. Human nature is the common qualities of all human beings. People behave according to certain principles of human nature. These principles govern our behavior. |
Maslow's Hierarchy of NeedsHuman needs are an important part of human nature. Values, beliefs, and customs differ from country to country and group to group, but all people have similar needs. As a leader you must understand these needs because they are powerful motivators. Abraham Maslow (1) felt that the basic human needs were arranged in a hierarchical order. He based his theory on healthy, creative people who used all their talents, potential, and capabilities. At the time, this methodology differed from most psychology research studies which were based on the observation of disturbed people. There are two major groups of human needs: basic needs and meta needs. Basic needs are physiological, such as food, water, and sleep; and psychological, such as affection, security, and self esteem. These basic needs are also called deficiency needs because if they are not met by an individual, then that person will strive to make up the deficiency. The higher needs are called meta needs or growth needs. These include justice, goodness, beauty, order, unity, etc. Basic needs take priority over these growth needs. People who lack food or water cannot attend to justice or beauty. These needs are listed below in hierarchical order. The needs on the bottom of the list (1 to 4) must be met before the needs above it can be met. The top four needs (5 to 8), can be pursued in any order depending on a person's wants or circumstance, as long as all the other needs (1 to 4) have all been met. THE 5 STAGE MODEL vs THE 8 STAGE MODEL Maslow's original Hierarchy of Needs had only 5 stages: the 4 lower needs plus self-actualisation. However, in his writings and his later works Maslow recognised that self-actualisation included a number of elements such as the fulfillment of the person's Cognitive needs and Aesthetic needs. He also recognised that the most developed (most self-actualised) people had changed their focus from developing themselves (self-actualisation) , to helping others develop (which Maslow referred to as self-transcendence). So although it is accurate to talk of a self-actualised person as a person who (amongst other things) has fulfilled their cognitive and aesthetic needs, and who is very focused on helping others; it is also helpful to split "self-actualisation" into these 4 parts, and particularly, to recognise that people on the highest level are not just focused on themselves. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (* Asterixes refer to stages that are only included in the 8 stage model)
Maslow posited that people want and are forever striving to meet various goals. Because the lower level needs are more immediate and urgent, if they are nor satisfied, they come into play as the source and direction of a person's goal. A need higher in the hierarchy will become a motive of behavior as long as the needs below it have been satisfied. Unsatisfied lower needs will dominate over unsatisfied higher needs and must first be satisfied before the person can climb up the hierarchy. Knowing where a person is located on this scale aids in determining an effective motivator. For example, motivating a middle-class person (who is in range 4 of the hierarchy) with a certificate will have a far greater impact than using the same motivator to motivate a minimum wage person from the ghettos who is struggling to meet needs 1 and 2. It should be noted that almost no one stays in one particular hierarchy for an extended period. We constantly strive to move up it, while at the same time forces outside our control try to push us down it. Those on top get pushed down for short time periods, i.e., death of loved-one or an idea that does not work. Those on the bottom get pushed up, i.e., come across a small prize or receive a well paying job. Our goal as leaders, is to help our people obtain the skills and knowledge that will push them up the hierarchy permanently. People who have their basic needs met become much better workers. There are able to concentrate on fulfilling the visions put forth to them, instead of consistently worrying about how to make ends meet. The best approach is to motivate people at the need level they are on, while also providing the higher-level motivation. e.g. If someone is starving it won't help to talk about how exciting and challenging a job is.... at least not until they have met their basic needs and can then focus on a higher level. At the same time, if you only focus on meeting the lower level needs, then you will only get low-level results from your workers. Characteristics of self-actualizing people: Self-actualizing people:
- CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT EACH OF THE NEEDS IN MASLOW'S HIERARCHY Note that the above readings are based on Maslow's 5 stage Hierarchy of Needs. (The difference is explained here) |
|
Herzberg's Hygiene and Motivational FactorsHerzberg developed a list of factors (2) which are closely based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, except it more closely related to work: |
HERZBERG'S HYGIENE & MOTIVATIONAL FACTORSHygiene or Dissatisfies:
Motivators or Satisfiers:
Hygiene factors must be present in the job before motivators can be used to stimulate that person. That is, you cannot use Motivators until all the Hygiene factors are met. Herzberg's needs are specifically job related and reflect some of the distinct things that people want from their work as opposed to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs which reflect all the needs in a persons life. Building on this model, Herzberg coined the term "job enrichment" to describe the process of redesigning work in order to build in Motivators. |
Theory X and Theory YDouglas McGreagor developed a philosophical view of humankind with his Theory X and Theory Y (3) . These are two opposing perceptions about how people view human behavior at work and organizational life. Theory X
With Theory X assumptions, management's role is to coerce and control employees. Theory Y
With Theory Y assumptions, management's role is to develop the potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards common goals. Theory X is the view that traditional management has taken towards the workforce. Many organizations are now taking the enlightened view of theory Y. A boss can be viewed as taking the theory X approach, while a leader takes the theory Y approach. Notice that Maslow, Herzberg, and McGreagor's theories all tie together:
|
|
|
|
Keirsey Temperament SorterDavid Keirsey and Marilyn Bates based their work on the Myers-Briggs-Type-Indicator (MBTI - which is based on the work of Carl Jung. There are four temperaments or characters that our personality is based on. Although we have the capacity for all four temperaments, we typically develop a basic attitude or predisposition for one of them. They are described with the names of Greek gods of mythology, with whom they share preferences and behaviors:
Leaders need all four types of temperaments on their team to make it well rounded. All to often, leaders tend to choose people with their same type of personality, or their favorite. But this makes a team weak, in that it cannot approach problems and implementations from all sides of the spectrum. Balance your team and choose people from all walks of life. |
|
|
Existence/Relatedness/Growth (ERG)Clayton Alderfer, in his Existence/Relatedness/Growth (ERG) Theory of Needs (4) , theorized that there are three groups of needs:
Noticed that this model is built upon Maslow's. Alderfer's ERG theory also states that more than one need may be influential at the same time. If the gratification of a higher-level need is frustrated, the desire to satisfy a lower-level need will increase. He identifies this phenomenon as the "frustration­paggression dimension." Its relevance on the job is that even when the upper-level needs are frustrated, the job still provides for the basic physiological needs upon which one would then be focused. If, at that point, something happens to threaten the job, the person's basic needs are significantly threatened. If there are not factors present to relieve the pressure, the person may become desperate and panicky. |
|
|
Expectancy TheoryVroom's Expectancy Theory states that an individual will act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. This motivational model (5) has been modified by several people, to include Porter and Lawler: Valence X Expectancy X Instrumentality = Motivation:
The product of valence, expectancy, and instrumentality is motivation. It can be thought of as the strength of the drive towards a goal. For example, if an employee wants to move up through the ranks, then promotion has a high valence for that employee. If the employee believes that high performance will result in good reviews, then the employee has high expectancy. But if the employee believes the company will not promote from within, then the employee has low instrumentality. Therefore, the employee is not motivated to perform any harder. |
|
A brief reminder: |
References1. Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and Personality.
New York: Harper & Row. 2. Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and the Nature of Man.
Cleveland: World Publishing Co. 3. McGregor, D. (April 9, 1957). Proceedings of
the Fifth Anniversary Convocation of the School of Industrial Management,
"The Human Side of Enterprise." Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. 4. Alderfer, C. (1969). Organizational Behavior and
Human Performance, vol. 4, pp. 142 - 175. "An Empirical Test of a New
Theory of Human Needs." 5. Vroom, V. (1964). Work and Motivation. New
York: Jon Wiley & Sons. |
Notes |
Copyright Info: www.WorldUni.com/copyright.htm General Info: www.WorldUni.com |