Self Esteem and Motivation
Abraham Maslows theory-Hierarchy of needs
Abraham Maslows theory argues that individuals are motivated to satisfy multiple kinds of needs some of which are more prepotent than others i.e., they are more powerful than others. The term prepotency implies that some needs are felt as more urgent than others. Maslow argues that until the most pressing needs are satisfied, other needs have little effect on an individuals behavior. This is to say that human beings must satisfy the most prepotent needs first and then proceed to the less pressing ones (Maslow, Stephenes, 2000). As we satisfy one need, it then becomes less important to us and thus other needs emerge and become motivators of our behavior. Hence, Maslow proceeds to represent this prepotency of needs as a hierarchy. The most prepotent needs appear at the bottom of the ladder with prepotency decreasing as one advance upwards. Self-actualisationreaching your maximum potential, doing you own best thing esteemrespect from others, self-respect, recognition belonging affiliation, acceptance, being part of something safety- physical safety, psychological security and physiologicalhunger, thirst, sex, rest among others.
The first needs that any person must satisfy are physiological. Undoubtedly, the most physiological needs are the most prepotent of all needs. The implication of this is that human beings who are extremely missing everything in life are most likely to satisfy physiological needs rather than any others (Zaleznik, 1989). For example, a person who is lacking food, safety, love and esteem would most probably hunger for food more strongly than anything else.
After the first level needs are completely satisfied, Maslow maintains that the immediate level of needs comes up. Individuals then become increasingly concerned with the needs for safety and security, that is, protection from physical harm, disaster, illness and security of income, lifestyle and relationships.
After the satisfaction of safety needs, individuals shift their needs and become more concerned with belonging (a sense of membership in some group or groups), the need for affiliation and a feeling of acceptance by others. After individuals have a sense of belonging somewhere, they are immediately motivated by the desire to be held in esteem. People need to be thought of as worthwhile by others, to be valued by others. They also have a strong sense of urgency to see themselves as worthwhile people. Minus this type of self concept, one sees oneself as drifting, cut off, pointless (Tesser, Stappel, 2005). Much of the dissatisfaction with certain types of job revolves around the fact that they are perceived, by the people assessing them, as demeaning and therefore damaging to their self-concept.
Maslow continues to argues that when all these needs have been satisfied (even partially), people are motivated by a desire to self actualize, to achieve whatever they define as their maximum potential, to do things to the best of their ability. He thus describes self actualization as for example, an artist must paint, a musician must make music, and a poet must write, if they are to be eventually happy. What a manis able to do, he must do. We may call this need self-actualization which refers to the desire for self fulfillment, namely the tendency for one to become actualized in what one is potentially able to do (Coy, 2005). This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.
The precise form these needs take will of course vary immensely from person to person. In one individual, it may be expressed maternally, as the desire to be an ideal mother, in another athletically, in still another aesthetically, the painting of pictures, and in another inventively in the creation of new devices. It is not necessarily a creative urge although in people who have any capabilities for creation it will take this form (Kiel, 1999).
Numerous points must be made apparent regarding Maslows model for motivation. Firstly, it should be clarified that Maslow does not implicitly mean that individuals experience only one type of need at a time. In fact, everybody experiences all levels of needs all the time, but only to varying degrees. In many parts of the world, hunger is an indisputable reality but almost every person has experienced the trend of not being able to concentrate upon a job because of a growling stomach. Productivity plummets prior to lunch as individuals transfer their thoughts from their jobs to the impending meal (Leary, 1996). After lunch, food it no longer prioritized in peoples minds but perhaps rest is, as a sense of drowsiness sets in.
Likewise in almost all organizational settings, people deal with their needs for security. For example, they are worried if they can keep their job, with needs for esteem, it they satisfied the job requirements, what perception can they have from their peers, and how will they feel.
If the employee does not produce to the level demanded by management, he is likely to be fired (security). But if he conforms to managements expectations rather than those of the group, the group may banish him (belonging) while the individual may see himself as a turncoat (esteem) and may have a feeling of having let the side down (self-esteem). People do not swiftly move from one level in the hierarchy to another in a simple, orderly manner there is a constant, but ever-changing pull from all levels and types of needs.
The order in which Maslow has set up the needs does not necessarily reflect their prepotence for every individual. Some people may have such a high need for esteem that they are able to subordinate their needs for safety, or their physiological or belonging needs to these. There is little concern for safety or physical comfort as the seeker of glory rushes forward into the muzzle of destruction.
Maslows hierarchy of needs asserts thatonce a need is satisfied it is no longer a motivatoruntil it re-emerges. For example, food is a poor motivator after a meal. The point in this is clear for management. Regrettably, many organizations and individuals still fail to get the message (Mele, 2003). Most incentive schemes are based upon needs that have already been largely satisfied. If management placed emphasis on needs that have not been satisfied, employees would be more likely to be motivated towards achieving the goals of the organization.
Human behavior is primarily directed towardsunsatisfiedneeds. Finally, an important aspect of Maslows model is that it provides for constant growth of the individual. There is no point at which everything has been achieved. Having satisfied the lower needs, one is always striving to do things to the best of his ability, and best is always defined as being slightly better than before. There has been a great deal of debate over Maslows hierarchical concept of motivation (Green, Butkus, 1999). It has a basic attraction to most people because it seems to be logical and to make sense.
Dual-Factor Theory - Frederick Herzberg
Herzberg, an American behavioral scientist, experimented that people could get very frustrated about with problems about job security, salary, supervisor behavior and company policy. Nevertheless, if these issues are resolved, they do not automatically guarantee job satisfaction. Hence, he identified that job satisfaction was as a result of different factors such as achievement, recognition and growth. Herzberg commenced his research into motivation by examining the models and assumptions of Maslow. The outcome of his research is the formulation of what he termed as the Motivation-Hygiene Theory (Gerard, 1998). The basic hypotheses of this theory are that
There are two kinds of motivators, one kind result in satisfaction with the job and the other which merely prevents dissatisfaction. The two kinds are quite separate and distinct from one another. Herzberg called the factors that result in job satisfaction motivators and those that simply prevent dissatisfaction hygienes. The motivators are achievement, work itself, responsibility, recognition, and advancement. Whereas the hygienes are supervision, interpersonal relations, working conditions, company policy and administration, security, status, and money.
If hygienes are applied effectively, they can prevent dissatisfaction and if they are poorly applied they can result in negative feelings about the job. Motivators on the other hand are incentives, they can allow for psychological development on the job. They are related to the idea of self actualization, involving challenges, and an opportunity to extend oneself to the fullest, to taste the pleasure of accomplishment, and to be recognized as to have done something outstanding (Farazmand, 2002).
Hygienes simply describe the conditions of work rather than the work itself. Herzbergs emphasizes that if one wants to motivate people, he must show concern to the job itself and not simply with the external environment. For example, in the medical sense, growth, healing, and development occur as natural internal processes. They occur as the immediate product of proper dieting, regular exercising, and adequate rest among others. Hygienic procedures prevent the occurrence of disease. They do not automatically promote growth. Herzberg notes that our attention should be focused on the individuals in jobs, and not the things we surround them with. He further maintains that our tendency to think that growth and development will automatically occur if we provided better working conditions, status, security and administration, whereas in fact what perpetuates growth and the motivation to grow and develop are opportunities for achievement, recognition, responsibility and advancement (Joseph, Li, 1995). Herzberg goes further than Maslow, cutting the hierarchy off near the top and maintaining that motivation results only from some elements of esteem needs and self actualization. Herzberg, like Maslow attempts to teach the ethical management principles that many leaders today, typically in organizations that lack humanity, still struggle to grasp.
In this respect Herzbergs concepts are relevant, even though the implications of responsibility, fairness, justice and compassion in organizations are globally oriented. He is identified for his famous hygiene and motivational factors theory. Herzbergs theory is essentially concerned with peoples welfare at work. Underpinning his theories and academic teachings, he basically endeavors to bring more humanity and caring into the workplace. He did not develop his theory to be used simply as motivational tool purely to improve organizational performance. He seeks to basically explain how to manage people properly, for the good of all people at work (Maidan, 1991). His research provides that people will ultimately strive to achieve hygiene needs. Since people are unhappy without them, but once satisfied the effect soon wears off satisfaction is temporary. Poorly managed organizations fail to understand that people are not motivated by addressing hygiene needs. People are only truly motivated by enabling them to reach for and satisfy the factors that Herzberg identified as real motivators, such as achievement, advancement, development, etc., which represent a far deeper level of meaning and fulfillment (Gerard, 1998).
He has identified a precise group within the study responses which he called possibility of growth. This has risen in relatively few cases within the study and he has not considered it as a major factor. When referring to growth or personal growth in terms of his primary motivators, growth is seen as an aspect of advancement, and not confused with the different matter of possibility of growth. Using Herzberg theory is a simple, structured way to motivate teams and increase job satisfaction (Ting, 1997). By considering his two factor theory, then one will be able to work out what dissatisfies the team, what motivates them and most importantly, what one can do to increase job satisfaction. To effectively make use of Herzbergs theory, we need to consider our teams as a collection of individuals, not as a homogeneous group with one set of wants and needs (Neff, 2002). We should take each individual and ask at least two similar questions, and by the time we have worked through the team, we will have a clear idea of what we need to do to increase job satisfaction. Some factors may be within our control, some may not.
For instance, it may not be possible to influence companys holiday policy, but we could decide within the team how holidays are to be allocated. We should always work with what we can change and highlight issues we could be unable to do to our manager or through the companys employee feedback mechanisms. The working group is the instrument of society through which we can largely measure how the individual acquires his attitudes, opinions, goals and ideals. It is also one of the fundamental sources of discipline and social controls (James, John, 1997). Therefore, the working environment has an effect on groups as follows it will affect the morale of the group, it will determine whether the group achieves the objectives set by the organization, it will determine whether the degree of cooperation provided by the group will motivate the group to give of their best, it will determine whether the human relations within an organization are good or bad and finally it will also affect the relations between management and trade unions.
Unlike some staff motivation theories, Herzberg theory is easy to remember, easy to explain and easy to use. By making consideration of Herzbergs two factor theory, we can work out what dissatisfies our teams, what motivates them and most importantly, what we can do to increase job satisfaction.
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