Q08 Pmc Exam Question

08) The lasting contributing of Human Relations theory to management has been the discovery of “social man”. How far do you agree with this statement? What is Social Man? He searches for connections and supportive relationships in the workplace, and thus effort was significantly influenced by the collective work rate. Human Relations Theory Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow assumes that all individuals possess the same set of needs. He suggests a hierarchy of needs and he argues that once we are satisfied a need at one level in the hierarchy, its impact on our behavior diminishes. And what then exerts a more powerful influence on our behavior is the need at the next level up the hierarchy. In a favourable environment, where deficiency needs (e.g. physiological needs such as needs for food, clothing and shelter + security needs such as need for safety and freedom from fear) are fulfilled, we can progress to higher-order needs. These include social needs like giving and receiving connections, belongings and love. Esteem needs include satisfying needs for achievement, independence and freedom. It also includes recognition, admiration and prestige. Herzberg’s Motivation Theory Unlike Maslow, Herzberg’s interest was focused on how need satisfaction occurs in the workplace, and the practical impact of motivation on workplace attitudes and behaviour. His theory was based on interviews with 200 accountants and engineers using what is known as critical incidents technique. This involves asking the interviewees to talk about occasions when they felt extremely satisfied or extremely dissatisfied with their jobs. Two sets of incidents emerge from these interviews. One involved achievement, advancement, recognition. These are called motivators. The second set, termed as hygiene factors, were working conditions, salary job security etc. The presence of motivators in the workplace caused motivation in employees. Their absence, however, did not lead to job dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors, on the other hand, produced an acceptable work environment though not increased satisfaction; their absence (e.g. low pay) however, caused job dissatisfaction. Herzberg’s theory describes what motivates employees and how jobs can be changed to achieve a well-motivated workforce.

To conclude, we can relate Maslow’s social needs and Herzberg;s motivators to the concept of “Social Man”. Their notions of self actualization, growth needs and motivators have had certain influence on management theory and to an extend on management practice. In short, i do agree with the statement the lasting contributing of Human Relations theory to management has been the discovery of “social man”.