A Critical Review of 'Maslow Hierarchy of needs'

Abraham Harold Maslow, An American Psychologist and Philosopher proposed that human beings are driven by different factors at different times. These driving factors are hierarchical, in the sense that we generally start at the bottom layer and work are way up. Maslow wanted to understand what motivated people. He believed that people possess a set of motivation systems unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires (Maslow, 1943). This belief was the birth of ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs’ theory in 1943.

This theory was well recognized as it was very easily grasped, adopted and applied in a simple manner. Also this theory helped people to be motivated while identifying similarities and deference’s among the theory. The usage was so that the theory was used to understand human needs useful for businesses such as in product planning, positioning and pricing. In addition the relevance was so that the modern business word started using this theory to motivate employees and interpret human behaviors.     

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 Nevertheless many criticisms have irrupted since this theory was brought forward as to the practical as well as to the limitation on the methodology. It is noted that Maslow considered only a very narrow segment of human population for this study and because of this the hierarchy fails to take individual and cultural differences into account. He assumed that the same needs will apply equally to all human societies (King-Hill, 2015).

 In addition ‘it has been criticized for its apparent rigidity (different people may have different priorities and it is difficult to accept that needs progress steadily up the hierarchy) and for the misleading simplicity of Maslow’s conceptual language’ (Armstrong, 2009).

The other factor is the availability (less) on Empirical evidence. There is no way to measure specifically how satisfied one level of need must be before moving to the next level. Also there are no facts indicating that all humans experienced the theory in the order Maslow specified.  ‘In fact Maslow himself expressed doubts about the validity of a strictly ordered hierarchy’ (Armstrong, 2009).

Nonetheless and regardless the intense criticism levied towards this theory we need to understand that this is one revolution which is still taken into consideration. Maybe the cluster of sample and the way it was conducted had some defaults; but still it remains as one of the best employee motivation theories available globally.

Referencing

Armstrong, M (2009). ‘Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice’. 11^th Edi. Kogan page, UK, pp. 351.

King-Hill, S. (2015). ‘Critical analyses of Maslow’s Hierarchy of need’, ‘Student teacher perspective’, The STeP journal, 2(4), pp.54-57.

Maslow, A (1943). ‘A theory of human motivation’. Psychological review, 50(4); PP. 370-396.

Mentoring! A solution characteristic in Talent Management

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Talent management is a key area of concern for most HR Mangers globally as it’s very much linked with the company’s business goals and strategies. The challenge is to find the right talent that is needed while developing the present employees talents to keep up with market and industrial trends.  It is said that ‘talent management is the process of ensuring that the organization has the talented people it needs to attain its business goals’ (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). Most of all - Attaining, formally know as reaching or achieving will fulfill the company’s goals where profitability is made.

Furthermore, it has been highlighted that ‘Talent management contains strategies and protocols for the systematic attraction, identification, development, retention and deployment of individuals with high potential who are of particular value to an organization’.(Tansley and Tietze, 2013)  This speaks about identifying a single person or a set of people with the correct potential and who are value builders. But similarly we must understand that everyone is equally talented and everyone is contributing to achieve company’s set goals. As HR managers it is advisable to look at individual talents before planning any development, because if the purpose is retention of current employee talent then decisions must be made with transparency.

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When making such changing decisions Mentoring plays a mega role. Mentoring is a formal or informal relationship established between an experienced, knowledgeable employee and an inexperienced or new employee. The purpose of a mentor is to help the new employee quickly absorb the organization's Cultural and social norms. ‘A mentoring relationship is a win-win for all parties: the employee who seeks a mentor, the mentor, and organizations that employ the mentoring pair. Mentoring is also a powerful form of job training and can contribute experience, skills, and wisdom to a mentored employee to increase and expand employee development.’ (Heathfield, 2017)

As employees if you have been mentored by a knowledgeable current employee, where an automated processes of respect and trust is developed within you towards him or her. The more you believe the more you learn!. The mentoring person must support, coach, advice, motivate,explain goals and direct you. But it’s wise to remember to absorb what is only good for you! There are some incidences that the mentor will try to take advantage of your unknowings where you will be leaded to unpleasant situations. As said by heathfield ‘it a win-win situation’.

References:

Armstrong, M and Taylor, S (2014) ‘A hand book of human resource management practice’, Kogan page, 13^th ed, UK, pp 264-265.

Heathfield,S.M, ( 2017) the balance: The best employee development opportunities available in your workplace; Feb 15^th, available at https://www.thebalance.com/susan-m-heathfield-1916605 (accessed at 23rd November 2017 at 6.55 pm)

Tansley, C and Tietze, S (2013) Rites of passage through talent management stages: an identity work perspective, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24 (9), pp 1799–1815

Industrial Actions

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Industrial action are taken by workers when they do something as a protest against their employer or company. It can be done as stopping work for time period or by only doing certain types of work. A dispute between the workers and employer that is not been resolved lead into such industrial actions.  The oxford dictionary explains industrial action as ‘Action taken by employees of a company as a protest, especially striking or working to rule.’ (Oxford, 2017)

In most of the cases first there will be some kind of discussions between the employees and the employer; if such discussions fail and still the dispute is prevailing with no decision then the employees are pushed to take industrial action. These actions are known as strikes, where employees stop work for a specific time frame or refuse to work for the employer. Sometimes it’s seen that employers stop employees from all job factions. This is called a lock – out situation. Some of the other common strike methods are working to rule, overtime ban, working slowly.

The National labor relations board, which is an independent federal agency that protects the rights of privet employees, situated in Washington DC, USA states that ‘Employees who strike for lawful objects fall into two classes “economic strikers” and “Unfair labor practice strikers.’ Further the NLRB explains that ‘If the object of a strike is to obtain from the employer some economic concession such as higher wages, shorter hours, or better working conditions, the striking employees are called economic strikers, and employees who strike to protest an unfair labor practice committed by their employer are called unfair labor practice strikers.(Nlrb, 2017 ). Furthermore it is important for the trade union to support this industrial action so that it becomes official.

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“Protection is provided under the Trade Union and Labor Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (which is here referred to as ‘the Act’). The Act gives immunity to trade unions from being sued if the union takes industrial action ‘in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute’.” (Unison, 2009)

In conclusion, as HR managers you will have to act wisely as the issue irrupts between organizations and its employees.  It is said that ‘you are dealing with people, and every person may have a different perspective or opinion on what is happening within the organization, were communication with all employees must be as clear and honest as possible to avoid any confusion or worsening of the situation so that if you have prior knowledge of a situation that could occur, consult with employees to try find the best possible solution for everyone involved. Planning for the future can take the pressure off if when a conflict occurs.’ (Processworx, 2017)

References:

National labor relations board, (2017), Washington US, available at https://www.nlrb.gov/strikes                  (accessed 11th November 2017 at 7.56 pm)

Processworx, (2017), ‘The role of HR and industrial action’, 12th May,

http://www.processworx.com.au/the-role-of-hr-and-industrial-action/ (Accessed 11^th November 2017 at 10.42 pm)

Oxford, English oxford living dictionaries 2017,

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/industrial_action (accessed 11th November 2017 at 5.19 pm)

Unison,(2009) 'Unison industrial action handbook', London UK, Unison press.

Learning and Development a Coherent approach to E-Learning

Learning and Development is a key aspect in HRM. There are many ways that employees can be developed and trained. Some of these methods include on the job training, on the job development, off the job training, Induction programs, Internal as well as external workshops.

Organizations offer such programs to keep their employees skills updated and maintained, so that organizations are able to achieve their strategic goals. It’s a primary objective that HR Managers selects the right employees for such L&D while it’s extremely vital that employees participate and apply it to their day- to- day job functions.

Definition to L&D:

‘The primary purpose of Learning and development as an organizational process is to aid collective progress through the collaborative, expert and ethical stimulation and facilitation of learning and knowledge that support business goals, develop individual potential, and respect and build on diversity.’ Harrison, R (2009:08)

Armstrong (2014:21) speaks about the main components of learning and development,

• Learning - the process by which a person acquires and develops knowledge, skills, capabilities, behaviors and attitudes. It involves the modification of behavior through experiences   as well as more formal methods of helping people to learn within or outside the work place.
• Development – the growth or realization of a person’s ability and potential through the provision of learning and educational experiences.
• Training – the systematic application o formal processes to impart knowledge and help people to acquire the skills necessary for them to perform their jobs satisfactorily.
• Education –the development of the knowledge, values and understanding required in all aspects of life rather than the knowledge and skills relating to particular areas of activity.

 Recently published article by Steve Olanski. Who is a frequent writer, contributor to Forbes magazine about the “8 key factors for developing employees”.

He states that “Unless you continually reinvest in developing your employees with successful on-boarding and ongoing training- helping them reach their full potential- they may leave and you will find yourself back at square one trying to procure more talent.” (Forbes, 2015 July)

Taking into consideration, we should look at more ongoing, newer trends for L&D. This is where E-Learning plays a mega roll as a common L&D method.

E-Learning

This method is one of the current trends of L&D. Individuals can use the web for his or her learning and development.  It also can be called as Web based L&D.

Definition:

‘E-learning involves the use of computer, net worked and web-based technology to provide learning materiel and guidance to individual employees. It can be delivered through a firm’s internet system.’ (Armstrong, 2014)

This emerging trend is successfully used by top companies worldwide for learning and development. Its seen that, The Royal Mail Group which is one of  UK’s top postal service provider, where they develop staff at all levels are using an Interactive video experience focused on positive conversation with a combination of E-Learning technology for mangers which have been very successful. (Royal Mail, 2017), (Sponge, 2017)

Walmart who is an American multinational retail corporation, introduced ‘Axonify’. This is a hand set employee knowledge platform; it helps to build employee knowledge and challenging behavior. For example, the Walmart case study  states   “ if the company determines employees are not meeting ladder safety standards, they can look at if the learning content itself is insufficient or if there is another reason why employees are not following ladder safety procedures” (Walmart case study, 2016)

This is a clear shift from class room L&D to hand set L&D. Writing to Training Magazine about the “5 trends for the future of learning and development” by Wentworth, D who is a senior learning analyst, speaks about how mobile phones have transformed into a learning device. Furthermore the writer explains that only 10% of company’s still use it as a mobile web based learning solution. (Training Magazine, 2014 Aug)

In conclusion we must understand that HRM in a global context, where learning and development is shifting into new paradigms, E-Learning is becoming one of the major contributors to this shift. It’s a more economical approach. HR Mangers must provide innovative ideas so that employees will be motivated to contribute more towards achieving organizational growth. 

Referencing:

Dessler, G (2013) Human Resource Management, Pearson, 13^th ed., USA

Harrison, R (2009) Learning and Development, 5^th ed., London, CIPD

Armstrong, M and Taylor, S (2014) A Hand Book of Human resource Management Practice, Kogan Page, 13^th ed., UK

Forbes Magazine (2015 July) (https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2015/07/20/8-key-tactics-for-developing-employees/#79d535d06373) accessed on 10^th Nov 2017 at 8.17 pm

Training Magazine (2014 Aug) (https://trainingmag.com/5-trends-future-learning-and-development) accessed on 10^th Nov 2017 at 8.46 pm

Walmart Case Study (2016) (http://axonify-jp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/CaseStudy_Walmart.pdf) accessed on 10^th Nov 2017 at 9.20 pm

Royal Mail Group, (2017) UK Post office (https://www.royalmailgroup.com/our-people/our-culture/training) accessed on 10^th Nov 2017 at 9.33 pm

Sponge, (2017) UK (https://spongeuk.com/results/developing-leaders-at-royal-mail) accessed on 10^th Nov 2017 at 9.13 pm