Tool 20/30 - Maslow's pyramid

 

The objectives of this short ten minute exercise -

1. To learn a management tool that will be helpful in work life 
2. To apply the learning
3. To start a great day using this morning ritual 

Step 1 - the warm up

Keep your journal and pen at hand

Sit in a relaxed position with an intent to go into a ‘flow state’ to learn something new

Take three deep, powerful breaths to lock in your focus and start the next step

Step 2 - the learning

About Maslow’s pyramid

Maslow's hierarchy of needs was introduced by psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943. It is used to understand human motivation by categorizing needs into five levels: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. In business, it's applied to enhance employee motivation, satisfaction, and performance by addressing these needs progressively.

Situations (examples) where this tool can be best used

• Strengthen organizational culture
• Enhance customer experience by addressing their needs holistically
• Motivate diverse teams

The top three mental muscles (competencies) developed by practicing this tool

• Emotional Intelligence
• Motivation and empowerment
• Conflict resolution

A corporate story to understand the usage of this tool

The Amancio Ortega (Zara) story

Amancio Ortega revolutionized the fashion industry by building Zara into a global leader in fast fashion. His approach aligns with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, addressing both customer and employee satisfaction to achieve success.

Physiological Needs: Ortega ensured affordable pricing without compromising quality, making fashion accessible. Employees benefited from competitive wages and comfortable working conditions.

Safety Needs: Zara built trust through consistent quality and efficient supply chains. For employees, Ortega emphasized job security and compliance with labor laws, ensuring a stable work environment.

Social Needs: Zara responded quickly to trends, creating a sense of belonging for customers who felt part of a stylish community. Internally, Ortega fostered teamwork in the agile supply chain and collaborative product development.

Esteem Needs: By offering high-quality, trendy products, Zara enhanced customers’ confidence. For employees, Ortega implemented recognition programs and promoted internal talent, boosting morale.

Self-Actualization: Zara empowered customers to express individuality with diverse collections. Employees contributed to innovation through dynamic design and production cycles.

By addressing Maslow’s pyramid, Ortega created a customer-centric and employee-driven organization, enabling Zara to disrupt the fashion industry and achieve unparalleled success.

A story from the World Wars

My personal story

Context

As part of product transitioning, I had to select some people from the UK to work in Bangalore.

One of the persons we selected was Jake who was a developer in the UK team. We identified Jake’s thirst to grow (self-esteem needs). We made him a Project Manager and brought him to India. Did I use the Maslow pyramid properly?

Physiological Needs: Salary and living accommodations in Bangalore - Met

Safety Needs: Job security, stable employment as a PM - Met

Social Needs: Integration into a new team, social connections with colleagues - Met

Esteem Needs: Promotion to PM, This recognition gained respect from others - Met

Self-Actualization Needs: Opportunities for personal and professional growth - Met. Jake got to see the whole product transition workflow from close quarters. This experience opened up a new opportunity to specialise in product transitioning. Today he is CIO of a UK company.

Step 3 - the reflection

Sit back, go down memory lane, think of various events in your work life where you could have used this learning.

If nothing comes to mind, think of a situation that would help you answer any one of these interview questions.

1. “How do you create a supportive work environment?” - Explain how you fulfil basic needs (workplace design, hygiene..), how you create respectful, and transparent workplace (safety and esteem needs), how you foster team bonding (social needs) and how you empower people to grow (self actualisation needs)
2. “Can you give an example of a time you helped a struggling employee?” - Share how you identified the person’s needs and how you addressed them
3. “How do you align organizational goals with employee satisfaction?” - Share your company policies that address the five needs of the pyramid e.g. Basic needs through fair compensation and stable jobs, Safety needs through ethical policies and safety measures, Social needs through collaborative culture, Esteem needs through recognition and reward systems and Self actualisation through career advancement support

Step 4 - the practice

Apply your learning to the situation you selected above.

• Physical needs
• Safety needs
• Social needs
• Esteem needs
• Self actualisation needs

Step 5 - the victory lap

Celebrate your achievement for a minute. Maybe a quick victory lap doing some energizing exercise?

**

To those who felt, “My organization values agility and rapid changes; these structured tools are a poor fit here.” - Do you feel that the last ten minutes were worth the effort?

I must tell you that many inspirational companies have institutionalised this tool. Some examples - Zappos, Google, Salesforce, The Walt Disney Company, Ikea, Unilever

This exercise is not only about management tools. It’s about building a neural pathway. And it’s about my mantra for creating small daily acts of feeling successful and happy. 

Don’t forget to carry this image 👇 in your mind. There could be a great situation where you may want to use the tool. Keep a log of all such situations. This practice will help you when you want to train someone.

My congratulations for your first dose of the day of success and happiness. Have a great day ahead.