McGregors Theories and Maslows Hierarchy of Needs in Relation to Modern Marine Management Practice - Coursework Example

MCGREGOR’S THEORIES AND MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS McGregor’s Theories and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs In Relation To Modern Marine Management Practice Introduction It is undisputable fact that marine services play a very crucial role in the economic, social and political spheres in the world. Marine services especially in facilitating transportation of commodities and people have not only enhanced people’s lives across the world, but also fostered good relationship and interaction among the world’s states and population. It is against this background of nearly indispensable importance of marine services that marine management practice has gained prominence over the years (American Bureau of Shipping, 2010). A rising number of resource managers and scientists acknowledge that there is increasing need for highly-developed and successful approaches to marine management practice. According to Day (2008, p. 823), these approaches should focus on all aspects of marine management and practices such as marine safety, environment, quality, and health among others. Also, they have emphasized on the need for effective adaptation, evaluation, and monitoring of marine management approaches. They argue that this is critical in ensuring that marine management measures or marine planning are efficient and effective. More importantly, it is agreeable among marine services players, resource managers, and scientists that challenges that are facing marine management should be sufficiently identified with the aim of addressing them through practical measures (Day, 2008, p. 825-6). Over the years, theories and approaches have been developed in a bid to help guide the general management practice across the world. McGregor’s theories and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory are two of the main theories developed in this respect. This discussion will distinguish between these two theories in relation to modern marine management practice. It will do this by describing the two theories and thereafter contrast them. McGregor’s Theories Since the time they were created, McGregor’s theories have been widely used in management especially in human resource management, organizational development, and organizational behavior management. It should be noted that Douglas McGregor developed these theories based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. He developed these theories by grouping Maslow’s hierarchy into Theory X (lower order needs) and Theory Y (higher order needs). Basically, these theories describe two workforce motivation models that are contrasting (Hunger, and Wheelen, 1998, p. 65). McGregor suggested that management of organizations should use either set of the needs in motivating their employees. These theories are informed by the view that the role of the management is to assemble production factors including its employees, for the economic good of the firm. This is the only premise that they converge, beyond which they diverge. Theory X in management practice assumes that employees are intrinsically lazy and if they are able they will avoid to work. As such, organizations should develop comprehensive control systems and closer supervision of these employees, if at all it has to achieve they are to achieve their objectives. The theory requires that organization should have a hierarchical structure so as to narrow the scope of control at particular levels. The theory further asserts that, in the absence of enticing incentive program, employees will demonstrate little ambition (Porter, 1998, p. 22). Marine management that subscribes to Theory X will tend to believe that things that are going wrong in the marine company is caused by these individuals. To them, money is the only interest of employees in the job, rather than being motivated by the desire to help the company to attain its objectives. These managers view employees as the main cause of the organization’s problems; they do not consider that there might be other reasons such as policy, inadequate training, or the system. Moreover, marine management that subscribe to Theory X communicate constantly to their employees just because they do not trust their employees. Such actions can be a great impediment to the productivity and morale of employees. Besides, these managers’ view of their employees is pessimistic as they believe that their employees do not really want to work and have to be “forced” to do so. This view tends to make them to adopt authoritarian leadership style (Coltof, 2000, p. 108). Theory Y is the contrasting model employees’ motivation of Theory X. Theory Y is based on Maslow’s higher- order needs that asserts that self- actualization and esteem needs are continued needs that are insatiable; that is, they cannot be satisfied completely. Theory Y is founded on this assertion; it assumes that these higher- order needs are critical for employees’ motivation. Management that subscribes to Theory Y assume that employees may be self- motivated, have ability to exercise self-control, eager to embrace enhanced responsibility, have autonomy and self- direction, and are empowered (Myers, and Myers, 2002, p. 76). Under this theory, it is thought that employees enjoy both their physical and mental work responsibilities and duties. Also, it is believed that, when given a chance, employees have the eagerness to be visionary and creative within a working environment. Along with that, it is believed that there is a possibility for improved productivity when employees have been given freedom to do their best without the organizational rules bogging them down. Theory Y managers believe that when employees are provided with favorable working conditions and environments, they will want to perform at their best. Contrary to managers who subscribe to Theory X, Theory Y marine managers believe that there is a great pool of creativity which is either under- utilized or not used at all within the workforce (Erichsen, S, 2003, p. 41-42). As opposed to the views held by Theory X managers, Theory Y managers believe employees’ interest in a job is not money, but strong motivation to work and interest in the job itself. That notwithstanding, Theory Y managers acknowledge that there may be barriers that may prevent employees from actualizing their potential fully; hence they make efforts to remove these barriers. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow developed this model in 1940s with the view of trying to formulate how employees’ needs framework can be used to explain human motivation within a work environment. His model is based on assumption that human beings are motivated by insatiable needs, and that particular lower factors have to be satisfied before the higher needs are fulfilled. This model is very relevant in the modern work environment as it is used to understand personal development, management training, and motivation of human beings in general (Volberda and Elfring, 2001, p. 35). This model also demonstrates the need for employers to provide a work environment that empowers and encourages workers to attain their utmost potential. This model asserts that since human motivation is driven by insatiable needs, then it is crucial that managers understand all of the employees’ needs. Maslow’s model stipulate the following needs from the lowest level to the highest, they include: the physiological needs; the need for safety and security; need for love and belonging; esteem needs; and self- actualization (Trow, 1994, P. 113). Physiological needs are those that are necessary in sustaining life, like sleep, water, and air. Maslow’s theory asserts that if these needs are not satisfied then a person’s motivation will come from his desire to satisfy them. Higher- order needs cannot be satisfied without meeting these lower ones (Kotter, 1990, p. 48). Marine managers acknowledge the importance of ensuring that the physiological needs of employees are satisfied that is why they pay them at least a specified amount of money, or in some cases, provide them with water, food and even facilities to sleep. The second need in Maslow’s hierarchy is safety and security needs which imply those needs that ensure that human beings are free from any potential threat of emotional and physical harm. Safety and security needs may be achieved by marine managers providing job security to their employees, medical insurance, safe working environment, and where possible financial reserves (Council for Excellence in Management & Leadership, 2002, p. 9). The hierarchy requires that safety and security needs be fulfilled because if a person is feeling threatened he cannot move to higher needs. It is worth pointing out that unlike McGregor’s theories, managers who have subscribed to Maslow’s hierarchy tend to focus on ensuring that their employees are able to meet their needs from the basic level moving up through various ways such as remuneration and providing safe working environment (Pascale, 1990, p. 85). Once the physiological and safety and security have been met, attention shifts to social needs. This is the first level of higher- order needs. Social needs refer to the types of needs that relate to interaction of a person with the others. They include: love, group- membership, and friendship. Marine management have a responsibility to ensure that the social needs are met by providing a friendly working environment and allowing members to get involved in work and non- work related groups (Hamel and Prahalad, 1994, p. 70). After a sense of love and belonging has been attained, a person is motivated to achieve some level of importance within the society and working environment in particular. In basic terms, esteem needs means internal motivating factors such as self- respect and accomplishment, and external motivators such as recognition, social status, attention, and reputation (Kay, 1993, p. 133). The best marine management practice recommends that managers should at most if not all times seek to satisfy the esteem needs of their employees if they are to achieve their objectives and enhance employee retention. Marine firms are urged to motivate their employees constantly by recognizing their efforts in various ways such as awards and promotion. Once all the needs in the Maslow’s hierarchy have been satisfied, the urge to attain self- actualization, which is at the peak of Maslow’s hierarchy, emerges. Compared to other needs within the hierarchy, this need cannot be fully satisfied because as a person progress psychologically, new opportunities arise. Motivators of self- actualization include: wisdom, justice, and truth. Maslow acknowledges that a near negligible percentage of population attain self- actualization. It is against this background that most marine managers do not make significant efforts towards enabling their employees attain it (Hammer and Champy, 1993, p. 157-8). Critical Contrasting In the light of the above discussion, there are evident contrasting features between McGregor’s theories and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. First, McGregor’s theories fails to recognize that the lower- order needs have to be achieved first before people aspire to achieve higher- order needs. Secondly, McGregor’s theories seem to present two- distinctive categories of employees’ motivation. Theory X and Theory Y describes two categories of employees distinctively. Each category possesses different capabilities, behaviours, and attitudes. It goes ahead and describes how the management should treat them based on those variables. conversely, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs describes each need progressively without giving two-fold distinction; on Maslow’s hierarchy a satisfied need provides motivation, hence the urge to move to higher- order needs. Thirdly, whereas McGregor’s theories provides management with a two-fold way of handling employees to attain organizational objectives, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs insist on the need to ensure that employees’ needs are attained progressively, with the basic or lower-order needs given the utmost priority. Conclusion Both theories aim at providing framework within which marine firms can motivate their employees towards attaining of the firms’ objectives. although on face there seem to be little in common between them, they are related in the sense that McGregor’s theories are based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; and, they both describe characteristics of people’s needs. 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