Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Hierarchy of needs theory: Describe the theory in your own words and how it relates to effective leadership
According to the hierarchy of needs theory, people are motivated by five categories of needs: physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs, and self actualization needs.
This theory starts with the physiological needs and builds up through the rest. I think that this theory can be utilized in an effective leadership approach, but one needs to take into account that people’s needs are constantly changing throughout their lives. Just because someone has built up to the esteem needs, doesn’t mean that safety, for instance, should be forgotten.
If a leader can make a correlation between a followers own personal needs and the well-being of the group as a whole or the common goal of the group, it is a win-win. If we as leaders can appeal to someone’s personal needs to accomplish our group goals, I think we can be not only more efficient, but have higher morale as well.
Provide a specific example of how the theory could affect behavior in the work place.
An example of how the hierarchy of needs could affect the workplace could be in the way a leader assigns a task. For this scenario let’s say my leader’s name is “Bill.” If Bill needs to have all the ladders in my department checked for OSHA compliance, he could just tell me to go and check all of the ladders. If I’m a self-motivated, good employee, this may work just fine, but what if I’m not? If Bill can explain to me why this must be done, and do it in a way that appeals to my needs, I would argue that I am more apt to do a better, more efficient job. I mat understand that this is an important job for my safety, and for that of my fellow employees. That they will appreciate being able to climb a ladder, knowing that it’s safe because I checked it for them. If I do a good job with this, I may be trusted with jobs that are a little more involved or viewed as a little more...

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