Staffing with Abraham Maslow
Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2008
by Daiv Russell
Envision Web Marketing
The Maslow Hierarchy of Needs transcends many areas of life, but none more so than the business world. People are at such staggered phases of life that the chances for conflict are of great concern in business. While a member of management may have reached the self-actualization stage with a wife and children, an entry-level employee may just be trying to secure his first apartment. The vast difference between employees of different stages of the Maslow hierarchy is most readily shown by the previous example. The stress level of someone who is barely getting by, having trouble with their physiological and safety needs is of great concern. Someone under that much stress may have their work begin to suffer. Conversely, someone who has met these basic needs, with an apartment, family, and enough money to easily get by, will more often than not provide superior work compared to others. It is difficult to focus in the monotony of the daily workday, and having the ability to provide that focus increases efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. It is for this reason that it is in the best interests of businesses to hire employees through a vigorous interview process who have the most stable life environment. Taking into account the Maslow theory, staffers should attempt to hire more employees in the self-actualization and esteem stages. Employees in both these stages tend to have others most clearly in mind while working. Employees in the esteem stage are a good fit for a business because their main desire is to gain the respect and attention of others. They can do so by providing quality work and maintaining excellent interpersonal relationships with other employees. They also have a competitive drive to excel compared to their coworkers. Any kind of workplace competition generates higher quality turnout and workplace cohesion. Employees in the self-actualization stage are also useful employees. These employees are focused on the task at hand. They have a calmer demeanor, knowing their self-worth and not having the lesser of life's struggles bearing down on them. Also, since people do not stay in a single stage, and my slide back down the pyramid, it is better to have someone who is still high enough on the pyramid, even with a backslide, who will still be a confident, efficient worker. The Maslow theory has proven useful in many facets of life, but perhaps the business world most importantly. A thorough review of business will find that the more competent, focused, efficient employees on staff, the better the ultimate success of the business. And what better way to secure this success than to hire members of the workforce who embody traits enabled by the top tier of Maslow's pyramid. Daiv Russell is a management and marketing consultant with Envision Web Marketing. Read more Management Articles, learn about Abraham Maslow and the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
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