Employee motivation theories

Employee motivation theories

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

One of the most widely mentioned theories of motivation is the hierarchy of needs theory put

forth by psychologist Abraham Maslow. Maslow saw human needs in the form of a

hierarchy ascending from the lowest to the highest and he concluded that when one set of

needs is satisfied this particular need ceases to be a motivator.

The hierarchy is illustrated by the figure below:

Figure 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Source: Mullins (1996)

Safety

Physiological

shelter, clothing and sex. Deprivation of these basic needs causes a lot of tension to

employees and lead to job dissatisfaction and eventually poor job performance. NSSF should

ensure that her employees are well catered for in as far as the provision of these basic

physiological needs is concerned.

Security or safety needs – these are the needs to be free of physical danger and the fear of

losing a job, property, shelter etc. i.e. the need for a stable environment free from threats. In

Kenya, recently there has been a rise in insecurity especially in urban areas. NSSF should

ensure protection and security to their employees all over the country to ensure that this basic

improve their performance. The organization should also allow for informal groupings in

form of unions and employee welfare associations.

Esteem needs – according to Maslow, once people begin to satisfy their need to belong, they

need to be held in esteem both by themselves and by others. This kind of need produces such

satisfaction as power, prestige, status and self-confidence. Just like other people, the

employees of NSSF also have this need.

Need for self-actualization - Maslow regards this as the highest need in the hierarchy. It is

the desire to become what one is capable of becoming, to maximize/realize one‟s potential

and self-fulfillment. Maslow‟s theory has been subjected to considerable research. Self-

actualization needs are not necessarily a creative urge and may take many forms, which vary

collected data on 187 managers in two different organizations over a period of 6 – 12 months.

They found little evidence to support Maslow‟s theory that human needs form a hierarchy.

satisfied. They further found that the level of strength of the need varied with individuals. In

some individuals, social needs predominated while in others, self-actualization needs were

hierarchy. They found that as managers advance in organizations, their physiological and

safety needs tend to decrease in importance and their need for affiliation esteem and self-

actualization tend to increase. They insisted, however, that the upward movement and the

need for prominence resulted from upward career changes and from the satisfaction of lower

order needs Mullins, (1996).

Man‟s behavior is seen as dominated by his unsatisfied needs and he is a perpetually wanting

animal; for when one need is satisfied, he aspired for the next higher one. This , therefore,

should be seen as an ongoing activity. What Maslow‟s theory seems to be silent on, is the

time frame upon which this needs are satisfied making it difficult to establish at what point

the individuals get satisfied and start being productive for the sake of the organization. By

Work environment is a major contributor to the performance of employees. An enabling

environment has to be created for a worker to discharge his or her duties well. Deprival of

environmentally friendly factors leads to serious dissatisfaction.

Much of what influences an employee‟s working environment includes among others shelter,

commuting, office environment and employee-employer relationship. It makes sense that

people that are happy with their working environment/conditions will work far more

effectively and happily than those who are uncomfortable. It, therefore, makes sense to

consider certain aspects of employee workspace quite carefully (Cole, 1997).

Motivational Factors

A very important question in the study of motivation is; what motivational techniques can

more than monetary value, it can also mean status or power. Economists and most managers

tend to place money high on the side of motivators whereas behavioral scientists tend to place

it low. Probably neither view is right (Mullins, 1996).

However, if money is to be a motivator, then managers must remember certain things.

Money is likely to be more important to people who are raising a family, that to people who

have „arrive‟ in the sense that their monetary needs are not so urgent. Money is urgent

means of achieving a minimum standard of living though this has a way of getting higher as

people become more affluent. It is probably quite true that in most enterprises, money is used

as a means of keeping an organization adequately staffed and not primarily as a motivator.

Money as a motivator tends to be dulled somewhat by the practice of making sure that

salaries of various managers in a company are reasonably similar. Organizations often take

great care to ensure that people on comparable level are given the same or nearly the same

compensation. This is understandable since people usually evaluate their compensation in

Even if a company is committed to the practice of comparable wages and salaries, a well

manages firm need not to be bound to the same practice with respect to bonuses. In fact it

appears that unless bonuses to managers are based to a major extent to individual

performance, an enterprise is not buying much motivation with them. The way to ensure that

money has meaning as a reward for accomplishment and as a means of giving people

pleasure from accomplishment is to base compensation as much as possible on performance.

Money can motivate only when the prospective payment is large relative to a person‟s

income. The trouble with many wage and salary increases and even bonus payments, is that

they are not large enough to motivate the receiver. They may keep the individual from being

dissatisfied and from looking for another job, but unless they are large enough to be felt, they

However, the role of money as a motivator is controversial. Usually productivity does not

There are many qualified people willing to work for the government or university for the low

pay and are still satisfied and committed. There are also many highly motivated members of

religious orders who work for low salaries. Some other people also work with a lot of

commitment and dedication for charitable organizations with little or no pay. The role of

money as a motivator is therefore not very clear.

is increased awareness and participation. The right kind of participation yields both

motivation and knowledge valuable for enterprise success. Participating means recognition.

It appeals to the need of affiliation and acceptance and it gives people a sense of

accomplishment. But encouraging participation should not mean that managers weaken their

position. Although they encourage participation of subordinate on matters with which the

latter can help and although they listen carefully on matters requiring their decisions, they

must decide themselves (Mullins, 1996).

REFERENCES

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Gary Dessler (2000). Human Resource Management. 7th Edition. Prentice Hall, Inc

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Organizational Setting, Organization Behavior and Human Performance. 5th

Edition pg 12 – 35.

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