Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory: Significance in Education Management

Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory:

Significance in Education Management

Theory:

                      One of the earliest and best-known content theories is needs hierarchy theory. Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1954) focused on motivating forces in individuals and established a "hierarchy of needs." According to Maslow, individuals would move to satisfy their needs in a hierarchical manner. Once a need is satisfied, it no longer has have the ability to motivate.

A.    Maslow’s  Hierarchy Needs:

(a)Physiological Needs: Gratification of bodily needs, basic physiological and sex needs, hunger, thirst and rest.

v  Air

v  Water

v  Nourishment

v  Sleep/rest

v  Sex

 (b) Safety Needs: Insurance against pain, danger of life, jeopardy of bodily integrity or threat.

v  Need for living in a safe area

v  Medical insurance

v  Job security

v  Financial reserves

 (c) Love & belongingness Needs: Sense of trust, Affection, warm acceptance, a place in the group.

v  Need for friends

v  Need for belonging

v  Need for affection

v  Need a give & receive love

(d) Self Esteem Needs: Reputation, independence and freedom, Self respect, self confidence, feeling of strength and adequacy.

v  Self respect

v  Achievement

v  Prestige

v  Recognition

v  Reputation

v  Status

(e) Self Actualisation:  Self fulfillment, self expression, fulfillment of potentialities, use of capacities to be the most one.

v  Truth

v  Justice

v  Wisdom

v  Self-fulfillment

v  Becoming all that one can be

v  Seeking personal growth

A.    Implications for Educational Management:

                                i.            Physiological Needs: Educational Management should provide to the employees-

Ø  Lunch break

Ø  Rest breaks

Ø  Salaries that are sufficient to purchase the essentials of life

                              ii.            Safety Needs: Educational Management should provide to the employees-

Ø  A safe working environment

Ø  Retirement benefits

Ø  Job security

                            iii.            Love & Belongingness/Social Needs:Educational Management should create a sense of-

Ø  Community via team-based projects and

Ø  Social events

                             iv.            Self-Esteem Needs:Educational Management should recognize-

Ø  Achievements to make employees feel appropriated and valued

Ø  Offer job titles that convey the importance of the positiom

                               v.            Self-Actualization:Educational Management should offer-

Ø  Challenging and meaningful work assignments which enable innovation,creativity and progress according to team goals.

                                    It should provide employees a challenge and the opportunity to reach                                their full career potentials.

B.     Relevance of Maslow’s Theory for Educational management:

v  Beyond physiological and safety needs ,which higher order need will emerge can be predicted

v  .Fulfilled needs do’t motivate.

v  Effective managers anticipate individual’s needs & provide opportunities for fullfillment.

v  Satisfying esteem needs provide management with greatest opportunity to motivate performance.

C.    To Sum Up:

v  All people are not driven by same needs.

v  Educational Management must be able to recognise the needs level of which employee is operating and can use those needs as levers of motivation.