Human resource has become an organization’s main asset; its success is dependent on the employee performance. Motivation can be express as the strength that drives individual employees to achieve personal and organizational goals (Mitchell,1982). Motivation can strengthen the feelings of belongingness, security of the job, career development, improved remuneration, and higher intrinsic rewards (Azeem & Akhtar, 2014). Money results only in temporary compliance from workers and that money does not change workers' attitude and behaviour in the long term (Kochan, 2002). As illustrated in figure 04, money is not the one and only motivation factor of employees. Employees are consider emotional support and understanding more than financial benefits. To understand the other motivation factors which motivates employees, it’s important to study the Theories of Motivation.
Figure 04 - Employee Engagement Index
(Source - Galleup Management
Journal, 2005)
Application of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory in consumer durable industry
This theory says that
humans are motivated by needs which are in hierarchical order from basic to
higher order needs; humans address these consecutively starting with
physiological, security, affiliation, esteem and topmost self-actualization
(Rollinson 2008). Maslow states that when needs are satisfied, individuals tend to
have an inspirational motive in their life (Robbins et al 2014). Developing from the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, content theories of job satisfaction rotate around employees’ needs and the factors that bring them a reasonable
degree of satisfaction (Saif et al., 2012). According to Maslow leaders need to know the level of a person on the hierarchical pyramid in order to motivate him/her.
Then leaders need to focus on accomplishing that person’s needs at that level (Robbins
2001). Maslow
came up with a five-stage theory that places the needs of the individual in
different categories and giving priority for their attainment. These categories, in
order of decreasing priority, are in figure 05.
Figure 05 - Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs
(Source –Garasz,2010)
Above diagram
illustrate the Maslow’s idea is convenient to understand employees need and how
to fulfil it.
Physiological Needs: A physiological need is the lower level of
need and most basic, such as food, job opportunity, fair compensation,
reasonable working hours, water and food. Organization must provide the
basic needs to employee to fulfil their main requirement. If the organization
fail to give good remuneration, result will be less performance and employee want be
able to make much of contribution (Ozguner and Ozguner, 2014).
Safety Needs: This is the second
degree of needs. Once the physiological need fulfilled employees consider their
working environment free from intimidation and harms. If employee feels that they
work in unsafe environment and result will be same as less efficiency. Therefor
organization must maintain safe and friendly environment, further follows labour
rule and requirement to motivate employees, them to feel free of harm to do
their jobs (Kaur, 2013).
Social Needs: These
needs consider an individual’s desire for love, affiliation, and acceptance in
relationship with other people. In a work environment, social needs are
concerned with relating to friendly associates, identification with a good
company, and through participation in organized activities such as annual picnic, sports
meet, outdoor training and minimal office politics.
Esteem Needs: This
means the fourth level of needs. It comprise the need for self-respect and
approval of others. Organizations introduce awards banquets to recognize
distinguished achievements. Here it explains employee should value for their
achievement (Abbah, 2014).
Self-Actualization
Needs: This represent the last level at the top of the
triangle. This refers to the need to become all that one is powerful of being to
develop one’s fullest potential. Self-actualized employees represent valuable
assets to the organization human resource and self-actualization employees deliver
the best output through the motivation (Kaur, 2013).
According to Jerome
(2013) if a man’s physiological needs are satisfied by only 25% then there will
be no sign of emerging the safety needs. But if his physiological needs are
satisfied to the level of 50% then the emergence of the safety needs could be
observed. Hence an employee can be satisfied in different percentages in all
levels of the hierarchy without even a single level is not 100% fulfilled.
Further elaborating his theory Maslow explains lower levels should always have
a higher percentage of satisfaction than the immediate higher level if he is to
be satisfied for a longer period of time.
Being a manager in a
leading Consumer Durable Company in Sri Lanka, we know that eating and
drinking, excretion is a necessary and integral part of our employee’s daily
life activities, though it is considered as a highly private activity. Bathing
and dressing are also necessary to fulfil the basic needs and these are belonging
to “physiological needs.” For an example having an hour as a lunch break,
wearing company uniforms cleanly can consider as physiological needs.
Employment is the basic
need of any individual to earn a livelihood and satisfy his basic needs. Also,
a secured career is, in reality, the dream of everyone. For example, during this
COVID 19 impact time, providing face shields and masks, gloves and sanitizers
are very important for the safety of our employees. After getting a job, a good remuneration and a safe working environment are the two basic requirements of every
employee. Throughout their career, employees strive to get into a safe and
secure work environment and as managers it’s our duty to secure it. It belongs
to “safety needs”.
Perfect family
relationships and mutual attachment are what an individual hope for. Not having a
good family relationship, support from loved ones, and good friends at
showrooms can make the individual feel lonely, which will not help him to
satisfy his needs of love and belongingness. To avoid problems such as
loneliness, depression, and anxiety, it is important for us to have a healthy
social life among our employees. Personal relationships with friends, family,
and lovers play an important role, so as being associated with other groups
like religious groups, sports teams in the company, book clubs and other clubs
like Rotaract club which operates with a group of below 30 years of age of employees
to do social work are some of the examples for this. It falls into the category
of “social belonging”.
Having a good designation and recognition increases the respect of an employee at the workplace as well
in his/her society. A good job title leads to increase in his worth. People
who are able to satisfy the esteem needs by achieving good self-esteem and the
identification of others tend to feel confident in their abilities. A person who remain on this level will be motivated to work towards increasing all these factors;
their actions will be affected by their need for esteem, that is they will be
motivated towards performing such tasks that will rise their own
self-esteem, as well as the respect they receive from others. An example for
“self-esteem” can be evaluate as follows. When a branch manager or a sales supervisor
is motivated and appreciated, he/she tends to increase his/her performance as
compared to the less motivated branch manager or a sales supervisor. An
excellent performance like highest sales contributor, highest profit
contributor, best receivable management branch manager or the sales agent will
increase the recognition in the company as well as the society, which will
increase the confidence, respect, and esteem of the branch manager or a sales
supervisor. This is belonging to “self-esteem”.
Life is not about being wealthy, having a luxurious home and family; it’s about knowing our self. An
employee feels most satisfied when he/she understands that he/she realizes
his/her full potential. It comes under “self-actualization” in which an employee
understands his core strengths. For example, one employee might achieve this
feeling of self-actualization by working as confidential secretory to a
director, while another can achieve it by working as a service franchise agent
in a town.
References
Abbah, M.T. (2014). Employee
Motivation: The Key to Effective Organizational Management in Nigeria.
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Application of the Maslow’s hierarchy of need theory. International
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Need Hierarchy Theory: Applications and Criticisms. Global Journal of
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Addressing the crisis in confidence in corporations: root causes, victims,
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