Law of the Laborious Mind - (II) (Comic Reader)

Author: Xiao Xiaoqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: There is a saying in Buddhist scriptures called "Without desires, one is firm," which means that if a person has no desires, he fears nothing and needs nothing. But for ordinary people, achieving "without desires" is an unreachable goal. Living in the world, people are constantly surrounded by various desires. Although desires are infinite, they are also categorized by urgency and importance. American psychologist Abraham Maslow summarized the different forms of human needs at various levels and stages in his proposed hierarchy of needs theory. In his book "Motivation and Personality," completed in 1954, he elaborated on this theory in full. Due to this book, which is widely recognized as one of the most important works in psychology in the 1950s, Maslow quickly became famous worldwide. More importantly, his persuasive ideas began to permeate other fields, including business management, marketing, education, counseling, and psychological therapy.
In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the first level is the basic physiological needs, including the need for basic survival conditions such as clothing, food, shelter, and transportation. The second level is the need for security, primarily the need for safety in the present and future. The third level is the need for belonging and love, which arises from human social nature, the desire to have a place in one's group, to build friendships, and to receive understanding and love. The fourth level is the need for respect, which includes maintaining one's dignity and receiving respect from others. The fifth level is the need for self-actualization, which is the need to develop and fulfill one's potential, the highest level of human desire.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory explains that human behavior is determined by needs, and these five levels of needs rise from low to high. Only unmet needs can serve as motivation.
After the establishment of McCormick Company in the United States, its business model gradually fell behind the times, leading the company to decline and even face layoffs and salary cuts. It was on the verge of bankruptcy when C. McCormick took over. Upon assuming office, he announced a surprising and completely different measure to all employees: starting from the current month, every employee would receive a 10% salary increase, and working hours would be appropriately shortened. As a result, morale soared, and within a year, the company turned its losses into profits. Today, the company has become an internationally renowned large enterprise.
The miracle happened because the manager satisfied the employees' first four levels of needs. The salary increase ensured that employees no longer had survival issues, providing them with a sense of security. The voluntary reduction in working hours gave employees a sense of belonging and respect. Naturally, the employees worked harder to achieve self-fulfillment.
Of course, Maslow's theory holds that the motivation process is dynamic, gradual, and causal. In this process, changing needs control people's behavior, and different individuals may prioritize different levels of needs. Therefore, when satisfying these needs, it is essential to tailor approaches to each person. In short, human desires are endless. To better inspire subordinates' enthusiasm, one must continuously identify and meet their lower-level needs while also fostering new desires. Only in this way can an organization maintain a continuous driving force for development.