Question

Ganesh Jain is the Marketing Manager at ’KL Foods Ltd.’ He has a team of four employees working under him- Kavya, Ritesh, Pooja, and Madhav. Kavya and Ritesh are temporary employees while Pooja and Madhav’s job is permanent. All four of them have been working hard and consistently met all targets. Ganesh Jain wanted to reward them for their good performance. He understood that in all human beings, there exists a hierarchy of needs. So, he identified the need level of each of the employees to provide motivation to them. Kavya and Ritesh were made permanent in the job with a good pension plan while Pooja and Madhav were given an autonomy status.
(i) Identify and state the need of employees recognized by Ganesh Jain in the above case.
(ii) State any two assumptions on which Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory is based.

Hint:

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy includes five levels: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.- Understanding employees’ needs helps managers tailor their motivational strategies effectively.- Security needs are typically met through job stability, while self-actualization involves opportunities for growth and autonomy.

Answer 1

(i) The Need of Employees Recognized by Ganesh Jain: Ganesh Jain recognized the self-actualization and security needs of his employees:- Kavya and Ritesh: Their need for security (job permanence and a good pension plan) was fulfilled, addressing their safety needs in Maslow’s hierarchy.- Pooja and Madhav: They were given autonomy, fulfilling their need for self-actualization, which corresponds to the higher-level needs in Maslow’s hierarchy, such as personal growth and fulfillment. Thus, Ganesh Jain is addressing both safety needs and self-actualization needs of his employees.

(ii) Two Assumptions of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory: 1. Lower-Level Needs Must Be Satisfied Before Higher-Level Needs: According to Maslow, an individual must satisfy basic needs (such as physiological and safety needs) before they can focus on higher-level needs (such as self-esteem and self-actualization). 2. Needs Are Universally Recognized: Maslow assumed that the hierarchy of needs applies to all individuals across different cultures, making it a universal model for understanding human motivation.