Ensure Success, Maslow’s Hierarchy, html and Click here!
If you are considering a purchase of goods and/or services, but need some assistance with your research please read this blog. A recent study by Maslow’s Hierarchy identified five key areas in which successful customers rate as very important. These constituents consist of self-actualization, esteem, security, social relationships and physical needs (food).
In the study it was found that when these factors were achieved they led to increased customer satisfaction. The study also found that when companies pursued these five factors they had higher profits on average over those who did not seek those same factors. When these factors are not addressed, the customer will demonstrate dissatisfaction.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs can be summed up by saying that humans have five core needs, including physiological, safety/security, social, ego and self-actualization. Once you meet a need for one level it becomes the starting point for the next level. If you fail to meet any of these needs in a given time frame your attention is focused on that failing need until its need is met or you move to the next level.
The five levels are: Physiological; Safety/Security; Social; Ego; Self-Actualization/Self-Fulfillment.
Each level is built on the level below it. Once a need is met, it no longer drives behavior.
The physiological needs are:
Air, Water, Food and Sleep are some examples of Physiological needs for human survival. In Maslow’s Hierarchy, these lower level needs must be met before higher level needs can be achieved. An example of this would be going to bed hungry or otherwise starving. Only when those lower-level needs are met can higher-level thinking occur. In Maslow’s Hierarchy, these needs are met at level four, the safety/security.
Safety/Security concerns include:
When lower-level needs are not met they drive behavior to seek satisfaction on the next level: Security which is formed at level three of the hierarchy - Social. If we don’t have enough food and shelter, then we look for other sources to get that need met. As a result we need more food and perhaps more secure living quarters. Once those needs for safety/security are met and our physiology is satisfied then we move to Ego or Self Actualization (levels five and six).
Once those needs are met, we move to level five - Ego or Self actualization. In Maslow’s Hierarchy, the self-actualizing need is satisfied at level six - Self-Fulfillment. The following describes each of these levels in Maslow’s Hierarchy:
Physiological Needs: These are our most primal human needs and crucial to survival. They consist of air, water, food and sleep. Meeting others’ concern regarding food on the table and a warm bed will lead to increased sales for your product or service.
Safety/Security Needs: These are the first higher level needs of Maslow’s Hierarchy and center around our need for safety and security in our world. In Maslow’s Hierarchy, security is achieved at level three - social. Security at all levels is considered meeting this need. When this group is not met people will seek social interaction to satisfy those needs. The perception of insecurity creates the desire for more safe, secure relationships in their life.
Social Needs: In Maslow’s Hierarchy, the social need is satisfied at level three - relationships, both personal and professional. In Maslow’s Hierarchy, it is very important for customers to have social relationships. When this level is not met, the customer will seek out that level at a higher rate. When a person is socially starved he/she will seek social relationships at every turn in order to have them satisfied.
Ego Needs: In Maslow’s Hierarchy, the third level in hierarchy is our need for esteem or pride. In this stage we desire acceptance form others and respect from others as well as their affection in order to feel good about ourselves. If Maslow’s Hierarchy theory is true, then we will seek to meet these needs in order to feel good about ourselves. As a result of our need for self-esteem we become more selfish - and more aware of the needs of others. When people do not feel good about themselves they seek esteem from others. If life is not going well for them and they do not have the esteem that they desire, then their actions will be contrary by getting out of bed in the morning in order to achieve it.
Self-Actualization or Self-Fulfillment: In Maslow’s Hierarchy, this level is directly tied to the psychological need for self-actualization, or feeling superior to others. In Maslow’s Hierarchy, this level is at level 6 - Self-Fulfillment. When this need is not met, people will be more focused on others - to achieve their own success by influencing others.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory
According to Maslow's hierarchy theory, the hierarchy consists of five stages. The lower the stage, the greater the need as well as the maladaptive behavior that takes place when it is not fulfilled. For example at level one we have physiological needs which are basic functions such as food and water. If we are not satisfied with these needs, we may seek out solutions to meet them. At level two, our safety/security needs are in place which include food and shelter. If these needs are not fulfilled we may become more susceptible to unsafe situations and environments where we might be victimized due to having no safe place or people in our lives.
At this stage we begin to explore the need for social relationships and friendships. Without meeting these needs, we may become more isolated and withdrawn, thus leading to the lack of social skills and or making friends. The higher needs in Maslow's Hierarchy are the self-fulfilling ones where one is constantly seeking to achieve their full potential and live a more fulfilling life.
According to Maslow's hierarchy theory, we generally begin with the first stage and progress towards the top. However, each stage does not have to be completed in order for us to progress towards the next. According to Maslow's hierarchy theory, each person has a different set of needs which include fulfilling lower level needs before progressing towards higher level needs.
Conclusion
Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory is a very well known motivational theory. This theory helps managers and leaders to better understand what their employees need in order to become more productive, fulfilled, and successful in their jobs. For example, managers can use this theory in order to better motivate their employees by providing them with the tools that they need such as time off for medical reasons, a more flexible work schedule for school or family related issues, etc. Managers can also use this theory to reduce conflict amongst employees by knowing what motivates each employee so that they are all on the same page.