Maslow’s theory states that it is
an unsatisfied need that motivates behaviour. A useful starting point of the
need theory is the work of Maslow and his theory of individual development and
motivation, Maslow’s basic proposition is that people have a plethora of needs.
He suggested that human needs are arranged in layers in order of importance,
and that once a need is satisfied, it ceases to be a motivator, and then
replaced with another higher order need. He classified human needs into five as
follows:
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Physiological Needs: These include homeostasis
(the body’s automatic efforts to retain normal functioning), such as
satisfaction of hunger and thirst, the need for oxygen, and to maintain
temperature regulation. These also include sleep, sensory pleasure, and mental
behaviour etc.
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Safety Needs: These include safety and security,
freedom from pain or threat of physical attack, protection from danger or
deprivation, the need for predictability and orderliness.
§
Affiliation Needs (also referred to as love
needs): These include affection, sense of belonging, social activities,
friendships, and both the giving and the receiving of love.
§
Esteem Needs
(also referred to as ego needs): These have to do with both self-respect
and the esteem of others. Self-respect is the desire for confidence, strength;
independence, freedom and achievement. Esteem of others involve the reputation
or prestige, status, recognition, attention and appreciation.
§
Self Actualization Needs: This is the development and realization of one’s full potential.
It is self –fulfillment, it is the desire to be the best one can be.
Maslow’s theory ignited more
researches on needs satisfaction such as those of Herzberg, Victor Vroom and others.
Hertzberg found job satisfaction
to be associated primarily with factors in the work context and administration,
technical supervision, salary, interpersonal relations with one’s supervisors
and working conditions were most frequently mentioned by employees expressing
job dissatisfaction. These Herzberg called “Hygiene factors”. He declared that
these are not motivational, according to him; an individual will experience no
job dissatisfaction when he or she had no grievance about hygiene factors.
According to Herzberg, job
satisfaction was more frequently associated with achievement, recognition,
characteristics of work, responsibility; and advancement. These factors were
all related to outcomes associated with the content of the task being
performed.
Herzberg concludes that “the
opposite of job satisfaction is not job dissatisfaction, but rather no job
satisfaction (Herzberg, 1968). Herzberg thus asserted that the dissatisfaction
– satisfaction continuum contains a zero midpoint at which dissatisfaction and
satisfaction are absent. Conceivably, an organization member who has good
supervision, high pay and conducive working conditions but a tedious and
unchallenging task with little chance of advancement would be at the zero
midpoint That person would have no dissatisfaction (because of good hygiene
factors) and no satisfaction ( because of lack of motivators).
However, for the purpose of this
research work, the researcher is proposing hereunder a model to be known as
Organizational Reward and Performance Model (ORPM)