CRITICISMS TO THE LITERATURE REVIEW REWARD (WAGES) MANAGEMENT

The fact that no body is a citadel of knowledge makes it possible for Maslow’s theory to still face some   criticisms. Some of the criticisms are expressed below:

v  Maslow’s hierarchy does not describe a universal human motivational process, it is culture bound, and the theory has also been criticized for its rigidity, different people may have different priorities, and it is difficult to accept that people’s needs progress steadily up the hierarchy. Hofstede (1980).

Mullins (2007) found the following to be the weaknesses of Maslow’s theory :-

v  There is doubt about the time lapses between the satisfaction of a lower-level need and emergence of a higher –level need.

v  Some rewards or outcomes at work satisfy more than one need. Higher salary or promotion, for example can be applied to all levels of the hierarchy.

v  Maslow views satisfaction as the main motivational outcome of behaviour. Yet job satisfaction does not necessarily lead to improved work performance

v  People do not necessarily satisfy their needs; especially higher-level needs, just through the work situation, they satisfy them through other area of their life as well. Therefore, the manager would need to have complete understanding of employee’s private and social lives, not just their behaviour at work

v  Even for people within the same level of the hierarchy, the motivating factors will not be the same. There are many different ways in which people may seek satisfaction, for example, their esteem needs.

However, despite the above flaws, the needs hierarchy model provides a useful basis for the evaluation of motivation at work in this research.