In the eighties, it was fashionable for management teams to go away for retreats to learn the latest managment theory and how to apply it in the workplace to better lead their teams. I’m sure you can guess that after the retreat managers made some efforts to apply the new skills, but life and work got in the way. The latest theory joined the rest of the management flavours of the day, ignored and put on the shelf. I think that’s a big loss, these theories were valuable and, with a chance to become ingrained, could have helped more companies become more successful.
This blog posting will touch on the theory of hierarchical needs, from Abraham Maslow. There are links below to a few other theories for thought. In short Abraham Maslow theorized that people have certain basic needs that must be met before they can move on. Here’s what it looks like.
A graphic representation of the priority of needs
Looking at this from the top down – just to be different. One day you are sitting there, enjoying the day, thinking big generous trusting thoughts. The world is everyone’s oyster, peace on earth, etc. Suddenly you need to pee; no problem, you go to the bathroom. Problem, the door is jammed shut. Your priority drops to the next layer, what will people think if you have to go to a neighbor asking to use their bathroom? You shake the door handle again, no luck, drop another level as you start the pee dance. Where are your family, why is the door locked. Drop down again, what the heck are you going to do, why are you living in such a crappy house, isn’t there some kind of standard for bathroom doors? Drop down another level, to heck with the rules, you kick in the door and solve your basic problem.
So, think about how this relates to your project teams. Are you making sure their basic needs are met? Do they have to work overtime to meet deadlines? If so, where do you think their minds are as stomachs start to growl, and they enter work hour thirteen? Once the basic needs are taken care of, you need to ask about the work environment. Is it conducive to work; are your team members confined in stuffy rooms? Do they have a place where they can go to think? Is there enough trust to allow people to take a risk?
At belongingness and love – you don’t have to hug everyone – you need to make sure there’s social interaction; chatting around the coffee station, a football pool, these make for a feeling of camaraderie. Satisfying the need for esteem comes from recognition activities, interesting assignments, and leadership opportunities.
Getting to the top is a bit different, I believe people take themselves to the top, that’s why it’s called self-actualization; you can’t take them. What you can do as the leader is help take care of the rest of the pyramid and create the possibility for people to get there.
So how does this impact your project? When people are in the lower levels of the pyramid, you tend to get crisis management. People are unsure of the safety and security of their basic needs to do the job – maybe it’s as simple as they don’t understand what the project is trying to accomplish – they take actions to create stability and security. In the belongingness and esteem areas, you have team members helping each other to succeed, and making sure there’s spotlight to share.
It’s well worth reviewing some of the fundamentals of people management theory – I think you’ll recognize so of the aspects of current people management trends there.
Tip, check some of these links out.
Herzberg – an interesting idea that explains why money doesn’t always motivate people
McGregor – theory X and theory Y management, different styles work in different environments
Hawthorn – sometimes just paying attention helps
