Theories in HBO: PMEDL Class April 10, 2021

Theories in HBO
PMEDL class
April 10, 2021
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• Human motivation can be defined as the

fulfillment of various needs. These needs
can encompass a range of human desires,
from basic, tangible needs of survival to
complex, emotional needs surrounding an
individual’s psychological well-being.
Abraham Maslow
• was a social psychologist who was
interested in a broad spectrum of human
psychological needs rather than on
individual psychological problems. He is
best known for his hierarchy-of-needs
theory. Depicted in a pyramid (shown in
Figure 1), the theory organizes the
different levels of human psychological
and physical needs in order of importance.
• The needs in Maslow’s hierarchy include

physiological needs (food and clothing),
safety needs (job security), social needs
(friendship), self-esteem, and self-
actualization. This hierarchy can be used
by managers to better understand
employees’ needs and motivation and
address them in ways that lead to high
productivity and job satisfaction.
• At the bottom of the pyramid are the

physiological (or basic) human needs that
are required for survival: food, shelter,
water, sleep, etc. If these requirements are
not met, the body cannot continue to
function. Faced with a lack of food, love,
and safety, most people would probably
consider food to be their most
urgent need.
• Once physical needs are satisfied, security

(sometimes referred to as individual
safety) takes precedence. Security and
safety needs include personal security,
financial security, and health and well-
being. These first two levels are important
to the physical survival of the person.
Once individuals have basic nutrition,
shelter, and safety, they seek to fulfill
higher-level needs.
• The third level of need is social, which includes love and belonging;
when individuals have taken care of themselves physically, they can
address their need to share and connect with others. Deficiencies
at this level, on account of neglect, shunning, ostracism, etc., can
impact an individual’s ability to form and maintain emotionally
significant relationships. Humans need to feel a sense of belonging
and acceptance, whether it comes from a large social group or a
small network of family and friends. Other sources of social
connection may be professional organizations, clubs, religious
groups, social media sites, and so forth. Humans need to love and
be loved (sexually and non-sexually) by others. Without these
attachments, people can be vulnerable to psychological difficulties
such as loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. These conditions,
when severe, can impair a person’s ability to
address basic physiological needs such as eating and sleeping.
• The fourth level is esteem, which represents the normal

human desire to be valued and validated by others,
through, for example, the recognition of success or
status. This level also includes self-esteem, which refers
to the regard and acceptance one has for oneself.
Imbalances at this level can result in low self-esteem or
an inferiority complex. People suffering from low self-
esteem may find that external validation by others—
through fame, glory, accolades, etc.—only partially or
temporarily fulfills their needs at this level.
• At the top of the pyramid is self-actualization. At

this stage, people feel that they have reached
their full potential and are doing everything
they’re capable of. Self-actualization is rarely a
permanent feeling or state. Rather, it refers to
the ongoing need for personal growth and
discovery that people have throughout their
lives. Self-actualization may occur after
reaching an important goal or overcoming a
particular challenge, and it may be marked by a
new sense of self-confidence or contentment.
McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
• The idea that a manager’s attitude has an impact on employee

motivation was originally proposed by Douglas McGregor, a
management professor at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology during the 1950s and 1960s. In his 1960 book, The
Human Side of Enterprise, McGregor proposed two theories by
which managers perceive and address employee motivation.
He referred to these opposing motivational methods as
Theory X and Theory Y management. Each assumes that the
manager’s role is to organize resources, including people, to
best benefit the company. However, beyond this commonality,
the attitudes and assumptions they embody are quite
different.
Theory X
• According to McGregor, Theory X management assumes the

following:
• Work is inherently distasteful to most people, and they will attempt
to avoid work whenever possible.
• Most people are not ambitious, have little desire for responsibility,
and prefer to be directed.
• Most people have little aptitude for creativity in solving
organizational problems.
• Motivation occurs only at the physiological and security levels of
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
• Most people are self-centered. As a result, they must be closely
controlled and often coerced to achieve organizational objectives.
• Most people resist change.
• Most people are gullible and unintelligent.
• Essentially, Theory X assumes that the
primary source of employee motivation is
monetary, with security as a strong
second. Under Theory X, one can take a
hard or soft approach to getting results.
Theory X
• The hard approach to motivation relies on

coercion, implicit threats, micromanagement,
and tight controls— essentially an environment
of command and control. The soft approach,
however, is to be permissive and seek harmony
in the hopes that, in return, employees will
cooperate when asked. However, neither of
these extremes is optimal. The hard approach
results in hostility, purposely low output, and
extreme union demands. The soft approach
results in a growing desire for greater reward in
exchange for diminished work output.
Theory X
• Drawing on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, McGregor argues that a
need, once satisfied, no longer motivates. The company
uses monetary rewards and benefits to satisfy employees’ lower-
level needs. Once those needs have been satisfied, the motivation
disappears. Theory X management hinders the satisfaction of
higher-level needs because it doesn’t acknowledge that those needs
are relevant in the workplace. As a result, the only way that
employees can attempt to meet higher-level needs at work is to seek
more compensation, so, predictably, they focus on monetary
rewards. While money may not be the most effective way to self-
fulfillment, it may be the only way available. People will use work to
satisfy their lower needs and seek to satisfy their higher needs
during their leisure time. However, employees can be most
productive when their work goals align with their higher-level needs.
Theory X
• McGregor makes the point that a command-and-control

environment is not effective because it relies on lower
needs for motivation, but in modern society those needs
are mostly satisfied and thus are no longer motivating. In
this situation, one would expect employees to dislike
their work, avoid responsibility, have no interest in
organizational goals, resist change, etc.—creating, in
effect, a self-fulfilling prophecy. To McGregor, a steady
supply of motivation seemed more likely to occur
under Theory Y management.
Theory Y
• The higher-level needs of esteem and

self-actualization are ongoing needs
that, for most people, are never
completely satisfied. As such, it is
these higher-level needs through
which employees can best be
motivated.
In strong contrast to Theory X, Theory Y
management makes the following
assumptions:
• Work can be as natural as play if the conditions are favorable.
• People will be self-directed and creative to meet their work
and organizational objectives if they are committed to them.
• People will be committed to their quality and productivity
objectives if rewards are in place that address higher needs
such as self-fulfillment.
• The capacity for creativity spreads throughout organizations.
• Most people can handle responsibility because creativity and
ingenuity are common in the population.
• Under these conditions, people will seek responsibility.
• Under these assumptions, there is an
opportunity to align personal goals with
organizational goals by using the employee’s
own need for fulfillment as the motivator.
McGregor stressed that Theory Y management
does not imply a soft approach.
• McGregor recognized that some people may not
have reached the level of maturity assumed by
Theory Y and may initially need tighter
controls that can be relaxed as the employee
develops.
If Theory Y holds true, an organization can apply the
following principles of scientific management to
improve employee motivation:
• If Theory Y holds true, an organization can apply the

following principles of scientific management to
improve employee motivation:
• Decentralization and delegation: If firms decentralize
control and reduce the number of levels of
management, managers will have more subordinates
and consequently need to delegate some
responsibility and decision making to them.
• Job enlargement: Broadening the scope of an
employee’s job adds variety and opportunities to satisfy
ego needs.
• Participative management: Consulting employees in the
decision-making process taps their creative capacity and
provides them with some control over their work
environment.
• Performance appraisals: Having the employee set
objectives and participate in the process of self-
evaluation increases engagement and dedication.
• If properly implemented, such an environment
can increase and continually fuel motivation as
employees work to satisfy their higher-level personal
needs through their jobs.
SOURCES:
• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavi
or/chapter/mcgregors-theory-x-and-theory-y/
• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavi
or/chapter/need-based-theories/
• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-organizationalbe
havior/
CASE ANALYSIS
• PERSPECTIVE (POINT OF VIEW)
• TIME CONSIDERATION
1. PROBLEM
1. MAIN
2. SPECIFIC
2. OBJECTIVE
3. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION
4. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION
5. CONCLUSIONS7RECOMMENDATION
6. ACTION PLAN
1. WHAT
2. WHO
3. WHEN

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Theories in HBO

• Human motivation can be defined as the

• The needs in Maslow’s hierarchy include

• At the bottom of the pyramid are the

• Once physical needs are satisfied, security

• The fourth level is esteem, which represents the normal

• At the top of the pyramid is self-actualization. At

• The idea that a manager’s attitude has an impact on employee

• According to McGregor, Theory X management assumes the

• The hard approach to motivation relies on

• McGregor makes the point that a command-and-control

• The higher-level needs of esteem and

• If Theory Y holds true, an organization can apply the

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