In working with different organisations I notice a strange phenomenon that kicks in when trading conditions are tough – managers forget how to manage. At these times it is worth remembering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how this applies to management.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a simple model that explains how
individuals operate and what their priorities are and how they change. It is important for managers to be
aware of these needs because if employees are not having lower level needs
fulfilled, they will not be able to reach full actualisation – in simple terms
your employees won’t be as effective as they could be.
Let’s look at the model and explain each distinct level.
The first level is Physiological, this is eating, drinking,
sleeping, sex, shelter. These are
our most fundamental needs; if these needs are not being met we are not focused
on any higher needs. In management
we may not be expected to provide these needs but we do need to be aware of
them for the well being of our employees.
If we have employees who are not eating and drinking in a healthy way it
will have a fundamental impact on their overall performance.
As a manager are your employees meeting these needs for
themselves? Are you providing an
environment where taking care of yourself is encouraged?
The second level in Safety, this is body, employment,
resources, family, health, and property.
As a manager you start to have a direct impact on these needs,
especially if the economy is declining.
Generally personal safety is not an issue but employment or job safety
can be. When the news is full of
reports about redundancies and businesses disappearing it is normal for
individuals to worry about their own job security. There is a paradox I see so many times that if an employee
is worried about their job security they will not be focusing on delivering the
highest performance which in turn could actually affect their job security.
As a manager you need to communicate frequently and effectively
with your team. If your
organisation is making redundancies you need to talk to your team regularly,
telling them what you know and what you don’t know. Talk in facts and be objective, avoid subjectivity.
The third level is Social; friendship, support &
communication, and family. Most
managers understand and work well at this level, providing support and a social
element to the team. The challenge
comes when managers ignore their own needs. Are you getting support from your manager or the wider organisation? If you are not, you will be unlikely to
provide the correct level of support to your employees.
As managers you first of all need to check your needs are being
met. If not, what is missing? Who can help you to fulfil this need? Only once you are getting the right
level of support and communication can you then focus on your employees and
understand what they need.
Remember, they are individuals and they will all need varying amounts of
support from you.
The fourth need is Esteem and this is self-esteem, confidence,
respect and recognition. We all
need to have a degree of self-esteem and this is directly impacted by the
amount of recognition we receive from those around us. Self-esteem and confidence go hand in
hand, if you have an employee with low self-esteem they will undoubtedly have
low confidence. Low confidence
does not aid high performance.
As a manager you need to recognise performance, contribution
and effort. Recognition is
personal and some crave public recognition while others require quiet and more
private recognition. Make sure you
understand each employee’s needs and look for opportunities to provide
recognition.
The fifth and final level is Self Actualisation – growth,
development and accomplishment. It
is easy to take your foot of the pedal if you are helping your employees
address their needs at the lower levels, but this final level is vital for self-actualisation
and sustained high performance.
We all need continual growth and development, even those who
are already high performers.
Development can come in many forms from formal training opportunities to
impromptu role based activities.
When budgets are cut development is often sacrificed. Yet without ongoing continual
development your employees and your team will not maintain that highest level
of performance.
