It should be noted that most of Maslow's writing did not deal with work motivation. Only later in his career did he become interested in applications of his theory to organizations. Nevertheless, Maslow's theory has been popular with practitioners. The idea is that if managers can discover which needs are unmet in their employees, they can then orient their motivational strategy to meet those needs.
For example, adequate wages and salaries, lunch/coffee breaks, exercise/fitness equipment, and company cafeterias are ways that organizations can help meet physiological needs. It makes intuitive sense that employees who are hungry or sick will not be able to contribute maximally to the organization. Job security (no-layoff agreements), retirement and health care plans, and safety equipment (e.g., hard hats and goggles), as well as security procedures to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the premises are ways for a company to satisfy security needs.
If managers discover that an employee has just moved into town and knows very few people, they may assist in meeting social needs by putting that employee on a project team, inviting them to the company picnic, or asking them to participate on the departmental softball team. Esteem needs could be met through feedback and recognition of good performance (e.g., employee-of-the-month awards, monetary bonuses, employee names on plaques), promotions, or the assignment of perk projects. An organization can help to meet self-actualization needs through increased responsibility and personal control on the job, designing special assignments for employees that capitalize on their unique skills, or assisting employees in gaining advanced degrees or training (e.g., paying for MBA classes, time off to attend special seminars).
Despite the fact that Maslow's Hierarchy has been popular with managers and practitioners, scientists have not been as favorably disposed toward this motivational approach. One of the problems is that the theory has been regarded as much more philosophical than empirical. That is, concepts like needs and self-actualization are vague and not easily defined (Locke & Henne, 1986). Maslow did not provide operational definitions of these terms, and therefore, it is "almost a nontestable theory" (Wahba & Bridwell, 1976, p. 234). It was based on logical insights and clinical observations instead of research findings.
What little research that has been done to test the theory has not found consistent support (Wahba & Bridwell, 1976). For example, the number of needs (5) as well as the idea of fulfillment progression is questionable (Hall & Nougaim, 1968). That is, the exact needs that exist and the order in which they are activated has not received a great deal of support. More support has been found for the importance of basic needs, and less support has been found for higher-level needs (Wahba & Bridwell, 1976). Even though a positive relationship between need fulfillment and life satisfaction has been found, there is little evidence that need deprivation leads to domination of that need (Betz, 1984). For example, some people seek higher-order needs even when their lower order needs have not been met (e.g., people who go on hunger strikes to make a political point, "starving artists" who are still motivated to reach artistic potential and contribute beauty through art). This would fall in line with Maslow's more complex idea that a single behavior can address multiple needs and certain needs can be put off temporarily as the higher order need may actually help satisfy the lower level need (think about our artist example above), although that point has been ignored by many researchers (Feist & Feist, 2009).
Rather than progress through the needs systematically, it may well be that we try to satisfy all of our needs simultaneously because we eat, drink, and breathe every day (physiological), as well as seek out opportunities for social interaction and desire the approval of others (Muchinsky, 2008).Maslow's theory has also been criticized from a cross-cultural perspective. Although human needs are universal in some aspects, their importance and how they manifest themselves is different across cultures. For example, Nevis (1983) found that the hierarchy of needs in China differs significantly from Maslow's version in that security needs are stronger motivators than self-actualization in China. In fact, self-actualization does not even mean the same thing in China because their culture emphasizes collectivism, fitting in, and non-individualistic tendencies.
Research has not been kind to Maslow, and his theory has received little clear or consistent support. Nevertheless, the contributions of the needs hierarchy to psychology should not be ignored. Maslow's hierarchy is still studied because of its historical value and because it helped to set the stage for more complex theories of work motivation. In terms of strengths, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is intuitively appealing. It makes sense that people are not motivated in the same way or by the same things. In addition, Maslow's Hierarchy has been popular with managers and has been used successfully in organizations. It continues to be taught to managers because it helps to focus attention on the importance of meeting employees' needs at work