Can Maslow's Theory Help With Hiring?

The Maslow Hierarchy of Needs focuses on the business community more than any other facet of life. Conflicts are often prevalent in the business world because the people involved are typically in varying stages of life. The dichotomy between the lives of the entry-level employee (just starting out in life) and the middle manager (who may be more settled) can effect these conflicts.

The prior case study depicts the difference between people at different levels of Maslow's pyramid. Someone who is consistently having trouble providing their basic survival and physiological needs is going to be under great stress. Unfortunately, employees under such stress will begin to show it through their poor work performance.

If a person has their basic needs met such as a place to live, a rewarding family experience, and financial stability, they are more likely to excel in the workplace. It is hard to focus on the job at hand, especially if you don't have the ability to focus. When you are able to focus you are more efficient and effective at work.

This is why a wise business owner puts prospective employees through a thorough interviewing process. Through interviews it's easy to identify those with stable environments. In Maslow's terms, smart supervisors want to recruit employees in the self-actualization and esteem stages. Both of these stages usually take other people into account when working.

People at the esteem stage make the best employees, since their largest goal is to gain recognition and praise. At work they have a perfect outlet for this, generating superior work and trying to get along well with others in the workplace. Their competitive spirit also kicks in at full steam at work, and healthy competition increases the bottom line and team spirit.

Employees that have reached the self-actualization stage are generally very useful employees as well. They tend to stay focused on the job in front of them, and they also have a greater sense of their self-worth, and thus tend to be of a more calm demeanor. They also tend to have overcome the majority of the minor struggles in life, making them more stable. Another aspect of what makes these employees more valuable is that they are at the peak of the pyramid, so even if they had a backslide, they would still remain higher than those who haven't reached these levels, and they would remain a confident and efficient worker.

The Maslow theory has proven useful in many facets of life, but perhaps the business world most importantly. A thorough review of business will find that the more competent, focused, efficient employees on staff, the better the ultimate success of the business. And what better way to secure this success than to hire members of the workforce who embody traits enabled by the top tier of Maslow's pyramid.

Daiv Russell is a marketing and management consultant with Envision Web Promotion. Read more Articles about Small Business Management, learn about Abraham Harold Maslow and Maslows hierarchy of needs.

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