16 CANADIAN I N S I l T U r í OF MANAGEMENT / INSTITUT CANADIEN Dt GESTION RESEARCH Maslow and Management: Universally Applicable or Idiosyncratic? Dr. Matthew Jelavic, F.CIM Dr. Kristie Ogilvie For scholars and practitioners of psychology, one of the most often-cited theories of human motivation is Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow's categorization of these human needs into physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization are not often referenced within the context of the management science, where a discrete hard science process of a formula is apparent for the answer in how a manager , motivates their workers. Rather, instances /• ^ cited are tied to context that varies from / Belongingness and Love needs each situation presented, which also can change over time and culture. / Yet recent disciplines, such as /" Organizational Behaviour and Z making processes, and styles of leadership within and across national borders. Analysed at the juncture of cultural studies, psychology and management sciences, the adaptation of management models to specific cultures is critical for effective implementation. If we cautiously dispense with the most basic physiological and safety needs as universal to all people, we can look to the higher needs within Esteem needs \ the cultural context of management. Love, \ belonging and esteem needs within collectivistic societies may be \ predetermined and not require achievement; individuals can be born Safety needs Bioiogical and Physiological needs \ into in-groups or be accepted into in-c Leadership, have begun to take from sociology and psychology the dynamics to understand the person, teams, and organizational effects of these theories. Originally developed and based on research conducted by an American psychologist, using American subjects as units of analysis, the applicability of these hierarchal needs to non-American cultural contexts deserves closer scrutiny. The development of any theory within a reasonably culturally homogenous group immediately calls into question the applicability of this theory outside this cultural group. The integration between motivational theories, such as Maslow and differences between cultures, such as Hofstede (1980a, 1980b), bears discussion necessary to be applicable in today's global environment. Many cultural dimensional models developed by various researchers and institutions distinguish comparative cultural values to a group of people determined by a geographical national or regional boundary. Cultural value systems play an important role in how we interpret the world around us and, as such, these value systems should be integrated, or at the very least acknowledged, in management models, decision- -groups by the nature of their position within the organization or personal connections within the organization. This in turn does not make the category invalid, but does make subjectivity of what is held within this category. These ties within individualistic societies may need to be actively developed and are based on trust that requires time to foster. Self-esteem and self- actualization needs are inherently important to the individual. How these needs relate to the group may be influenced by societal culture, Certain cultures place the importance of self-sacrifice ahead of self-actualization, which may personally rank higher on their own hierarchy of personal needs. It is indeed possible that self-sacrifice can be even personally interpreted as a form of self- actualization. This seeming conflict then turns the better depiction of a person's motivation to McClelland's Need Theory that states that one can be motivated by only higher level needs, and those needs are found within affiliation, power, and achievement. This achievement is fostered through the issues of excellence, competition, challenging goals, persistence, and overcoming difficulties. As seen, the defining term of excellence can be determined by the individual and varies among different people and different cultures. ger Winter 20 Í0