Maslow's ERG Theory

Employees are responsive to the extent that a supervisor can meet a subordinate’s needs for belonging, for acceptance and for a sense of identity.

These assumptions have several implications on management theory. These implications warrants managers to not limit their attention to the task, but also concern themselves with the needs of their subordinates. Likewise, managers should take a deeper concern for the psychological well-being of their employees and a lesser concern for directing and controlling subordinates. Group incentives should also be considered by managers. Lastly managers should represent the needs and feelings of subordinates to higher management. Under these assumptions, the source of motivation shifts from the manager to

Alderfer 's ERG theory is a simplified version of Maslow 's hierarchy of needs that suggests that all human needs can be accessed and satisfied simultaneously, rather than from the bottom up. Hence as needs are satisfied, employees are motivated to strive to satisfy a new need.ERG Theory posits that there are three groups of core needs: existence (E), relatedness (R), and growth (G)—hence the acronym "ERG." These needssupportMaslow 's levels of physiological needs, social needs, and self-actualization needs, respectively.

 The "existence" needs describe our basic necessity for living. These include what Maslow categorized as physiological needs such as air, food, water, shelter and safety-related needs such as healthcare, secure employment and property.

 The "relatedness" needs concern the maintaining of important interpersonal relationships. These needs are based in social interactions with others and align with Maslow 's levels of belonging related needs that include friendship, family, sexual intimacy and esteem-related needs such as respect by

The clear difference between Maslow’s need hierarchy and ERG theory is that ERG theory does not assume that a lower need must be satisfied before an individual develops the desire for a higher level need. ERG theory therefore allows the simultaneous satisfaction of various needs at different levels of the hierarchy. ERG theory also proposes that when a higher order need is unfulfilled, an individual will increase their level of desire for a lower level need. For example, if an individual 's self-esteem is suffering, they will invest more effort in the relatedness category of needs.

Maslow’shierarchy of needs also influenced Herzberg’s Motivational Hygiene Theory that stressed on the different needs of the individual. Herzberg concluded that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction were the products of two separate factors: motivating factors and hygiene factors.

Hygiene factors surround the doing of the job. They include supervision, interpersonal relations, physical working conditions, salary, company policy and administration, benefits, and job security and should be properly managed. Motivation factors lead to positive job attitudes because they satisfy the need for self-actualization. Motivation factors are achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, and advancement. Thus Hygiene factors are extrinsic while motivators are intrinsic. According to Herzberg the satisfaction of hygiene needs can prevent dissatisfaction and poor performance, but only the