2018/04/27 by Todd Bridgman, Stephen Cummings, John Ballard · 1 citation
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Mathematics · #Management Theory and Practice #Management and Organizational Studies #Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology #Maslow's hierarchy of needs #Symbol (formal) #Pyramid (geometry) #Sociology #Management #Aesthetics #Psychology #Art #Social psychology #Philosophy #Linguistics #Economics #Mathematics
paper · doi:10.5465/amle.2017.0351
openalex publication_date 2018/04/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation, the idea that human needs exist in a hierarchy that people strive to satisfy progressively, is regarded as a fundamental approach to understanding and motivating people at work. It is one of the first and most remembered models encountered by students of management. Despite gaining little support in empirical studies and being criticized for promoting an elitist, individualistic view of management, Maslow’s theory remains popular, underpinned by its widely recognized pyramid form. However, Maslow never created a pyramid to represent the hierarchy of needs. We investigated how it came to be and draw on this analysis to call for a rethink of how Maslow is represented in management studies. We also challenge management educators to reflect critically on what are taken to be the historical foundations of management studies and the forms in which those foundations are taught to students.