Maslow's Pyramid.
The classical Maslow's hierarchy of needs was published by Abraham H. Maslow in 1943 in his paper A theory of Human Motivation. According to Maslow, human beings are moved to fulfil their needs in a hierarchical way, from the basic physiological needs to the upper echelons of self-fulfilment. And only when the lower levels are properly fulfilled, will humans be motivated to move to the next stage.
Physiological needs: feeding, resting, or maintaining sexual relations.
Safety and security needs: procuring minimum services such as health, education, and the protection of the property.
Social needs: social acceptance, friendship, and acceptance within a group.
Esteem: social recognition, as a way of growing self confidence.
Self-fulfillment: at the top of the pyramid, human beings search and find a valid meaning of their lives through their work and interaction with the world and the society.
Herzberg's Two-factors Theory.
In 1959, the American psychologist Frederick Herzberg proposed a simpler model for human motivation, with a focus on the company ecosystem. In his Two-factors Theory, Herzberg distinguishes:
Hygienic factors: wages, relationship with peers, labor environment, or job security amongst others. Not having the hygienic factors covered is a source of dissatisfaction for employees. However, taking care of only these factors is not a guarantee of employee satisfaction and commitment in the long term.
Motivational factors: those factors that result in clear employee commitment, such as work recognition, continuous training programs, new professional challenges, and career planning.
It is easy to recognize the influence of Herzberg's theories in modern HHRR policies. The combination of hygienic (wages and social benefits) and motivational factors (career and development plans) are strategies used nowadays by many modern top companies in their competition to attract and retain top talents.
The anthropological model of Pérez López.
IESE professor Juan Antonio Pérez López has developed an anthropological theory of human motivation, with application in the work environment. Pérez López identifies three types of motivational forces that are always present to some extent in our decisions and actions:
Extrinsic motivation: when individuals act prompted by an external reward (or punishment), such as wages or improvements in the labor conditions
Intrinsic motivation: linked to the satisfaction that individuals obtain when performing certain tasks. The intrinsic motivation is linked to the human need of learning.
Transcendent motivation: when the action is directed towards satisfying needs of other human beings. The transcendent motivation is linked to human generosity and the inner call for serving other human beings. Parents will recognize transcendent motivation patterns in their acting with their children, and so will do senior supervisors when empowering employees and charting their career plans.
Human behaviour and psychology are complex subjects, and new theories about motivation will most likely appear in years to come. However, the classical theories of Maslow and Herzberg, or the more recent model of Pérez López can help managers understand some of the psychological forces underlying their own acts and decisions, as well as the those from their teams. And, ultimately, understand the levers that can make the difference between an average team, and highly performing and committed one.
References:
A Theory of Human Motivation, A.H. Maslow, 1943
The Motivation to Work, F. Herzberg, 1993
Fundamentos de la dirección de empresas, J.A. Pérez López, 1994
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