Maslow's hierachy of needs
Name all the stages from bottom to top of the hierarchy
Physiological needs, safety and security, social needs, self esteem, self actualisation
What term did John Stacey Adams use to describe an employee's time, effort, loyalty, hard work, and skills in the equity equation?
inputs
According to his theory, what three types of needs must be satisfied to boost motivation
Need for achievement, need for power, need for affiliation
What situation occurs according to Adams when an employee feels they are receiving significantly more rewards than their peers for the exact same amount of effort?
Positive inequity (or feeling over-rewarded)
McClelland identifies three primary needs: Achievement, Power, and Affiliation. Which specific need is characterized by a strong desire to influence, lead, and direct others in an organization?
Need for Power
Offering employees health insurance, job security, and safe working conditions targets which level of Maslow's hierarchy?
Safety needs
Who do employees compare their own input-to-output ratio against to determine if they are being treated fairly?
referent others (peers/collegues)
How does the origin of needs in McClelland’s theory differ fundamentally from Maslow’s theory?
Maslow’s needs are innate and universal; McClelland’s needs are learned and acquired through life experiences and culture.
If an employee cannot alter their actual workload or salary, what psychological adjustment strategy might they use to artificially change how they view their own inputs or outputs?
Cognitive distortion (or rationalization / changing their perception)
According to McClelland, individuals with a high Need for Achievement (nAch) prefer a specific type of feedback on their work. What type of feedback do they require to stay motivated?
Regular, concrete, and immediate performance feedback (or objective tracking of results).
What term did Maslow use for the bottom four levels of the pyramid, which motivate people only when they are lacking or unmet?
Deficiency Needs (or D-Needs).
What term describes the financial and non-financial rewards (like salary, fringe benefits, and praise) that make up the other half of Adams' equity ratio?
Outputs
Why do high Achievement individuals avoid both low-risk and high-risk tasks?
Low-risk tasks lack challenge, while high-risk tasks depend on luck rather than personal skill. They prefer moderate, calculated risks.
In IB Business terms, what major HR problem directly increases recruitment and training costs when widespread perceived inequity goes unresolved by management?
High labor turnover (or high staff turnover)
In an IB Business context, why might an organization dominated by senior managers with a high Need for Power struggle to implement effective delegation and empowerment strategies?
Managers with a high Need for Power prefer personal control over decision-making and resources, making them reluctant to surrender authority or trust employees with autonomy.
What highest level did Maslow later add to the top of his hierarchy to describe the motivation to help others achieve fulfillment beyond oneself?
Self-Transcendence.
According to Adams, if an employee experiences negative inequity (feeling under-rewarded), what action might they take regarding their own work effort to restore balance?
Reduce their inputs (or work less hard)
What is the primary operational risk of a manager who has a dominant Need for Affiliation?
They prioritize personal acceptance over accountability, leading to avoided conflict, unaddressed poor performance, and inefficiency.
Besides altering their own inputs or outputs, what strategy can an employee use regarding their choice of comparison to restore perceived fairness without quitting?
Changing their referent other (comparing themselves to a different person or group)
McClelland distinguishes between two types of power needs: personal power and institutional (or socialized) power. How do managers driven by institutional power differ from those driven by personal power in terms of organizational impact?
Managers with a need for institutional power focus on achieving collective organizational goals, building culture, and organizing work effectively, whereas those with a need for personal power seek personal status, control, and individual dominance over others.
What is a major limitation of Maslow’s theory in a modern workplace?
It assumes a strict order of needs, but real employees often value social or esteem needs before safety or physiological needs are fully met.
because Adams' Equity Theory focuses on the internal psychological thought processes of how workers perceive fairness, it is classified as what specific type of motivation theory?
A process theory (or cognitive theory)
How must non-financial motivators differ for high achievement versus high power employees in a matrix structure?
High achievement employees require autonomous, complex problem-solving tasks with direct feedback; high power employees require formal decision-making authority and status-driven roles.
What is a key limitation of Adams' Equity Theory that makes it difficult for HR managers to apply uniformly across a multi-cultural or diverse workforce?
Perception of equity is highly subjective (or individual perceptions of fairness cannot easily be measured or standardized)
Evaluate a potential risk for a business that relies primarily on financial incentives (such as performance-related pay) to motivate a workforce consisting predominantly of individuals with a high Need for Affiliation (nAff).
Financial incentives foster internal competition and individual rivalry, which undermines the collaborative, harmonious, and team-based work environment that high-nAff employees require to feel motivated, potentially leading to increased workplace stress, lowered morale, and higher staff turnover.