This diagram shows the different levels within Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and what is needed to full-fill that level on the hierarchy, for someone who is going for a promotion they will need to work their way up the levels to reach the top and that promotion, Maslow believed that people will always want more (Mullins 2007) meaning that his hierarchy is a constant cycle.
The first level is Basic needs which are needed for survival and to allow people to perform their daily tasks. The second tier of the hierarchy looks at Safety needs, people who reach this level of the hierarchy look need to have financial security and personal security they need to know that they will be earning enough money to be able to live comfortably; they also need to know that they are safe within their work place and that they can go to work each day and not worry about health and safety or work in poor conditions. The third level of the pyramid is Social; people at this level will have a working relationship with their work colleagues and have friends, making people feel a part of the business and valued. The forth layer is Esteem, at this level of the hierarchy people will expect to have respect within their work place resulting in that person feeling as if they are accepted and needed within the business and not just a pencil pusher. The last layer of the pyramid is Self-actualisation to reach this end goal people must work their way up the hierarchy, to become fully motivated. The last layer is the final need before the person reaches their goal and it is at this point when they are the most motivated to succeed, and once they have the cycle starts again.
I was motivated to do a degree in Business Management for three reasons, the first reason I wanted to do this course was because I received good GCSG and A level results, and really enjoyed learning about business in my high school, as it was something new and exciting and I enjoyed looking into different parts of businesses and how they work together as well as this it was a subject that I go to chose to do unlike English or Maths which I had been made to study from the beginning of my education and had no choice but to take the lessons, this can relate back to Maslow’s hierarchy as I was motivated to do Business studies I wanted to achieve good grades and have a good understanding of the subject so I got to the top of the hierarchy unlike in English I was not motivated so I was stuck on the third tier of the hierarchy as I was in a safe environment, I had basic amenities, friends, and I felt I was a part of the class but I did not strive to get to the next level.
The second reason I chose to do Business Management was top get a high paid job that I enjoy doing, so I will be able to live a comfortable and happy lifestyle. Lastly the third reason why I was motivated to do this degree was the state of the market, as there is a recession i would have found it hard to get the job I wanted in business, as well as this when the recession is over businesses will be looking to employ new staff to replace employees that may have been made redundant during the recession so I want to make sure that I am as prepared as possible and get a good job because of my degree.
The most recent time when I felt de-motivated was when I had to complete a large piece for coursework in school, I worked on the course work for 3 weeks, made sure I put in all the information that the teachers stated had to be there and extra information I thought would be good to include, I got the piece of course work back 2weeks later and had received a low mark this made me feel very de-motivated as I had spent a lot of time and effort on the course work, as well as this as I had got it back 2 weeks later I had forgotten most of the information I had put in the coursework so when it came round to editing it so I could get a higher mark I did not know where to start as I had started another piece of course work it was hard to get back into the frame of mind to re-do parts of it.
This relates more to Herzberg’s two factor theory of Hygiene factors and Motivators. Hygiene factors include relationships with friends or work colleagues, being in a safe environment, having nice working conditions, a personal life and security and Motivators are having a sense of achievement, responsibility, being able to learn more and have a better understanding of something. I did not feel motivated to re-do the course work as I had no sense of achievement from the work, it also meant that I lost out on my personal life for a while as I had to worry about completing it so I wasn’t able to go out with my friends, resulting in me feeling even more de-motivated about the piece of work. If I was to do the work differently I would have made sure that I got the work checked more regularly so I would have known that things needed to be changed in small sections not everything at once so i would not have felt so overwhelmed.
In conclusion I believe that one person cannot be solely affected by one motivation theory as one time you may feel motivated by Maslow but then when trying to achieve something else’s you may find that Herzberg’s theory suits you better. As well as this it can be seen that when trying to motivated people using one type of theory will not work as some people may become motivated but a large amount of people will also become de-motivated so the theory’s cannot be solely used on their own but can help an individual reach their goals.
Refrences
Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited
