Alderfer ERG Theory

 Alderfer –ERG Theory

 

According to Clayton Alderfer’s theory, suggested that needs could be classified into three categories. These three types of needs are existence, relatedness, and growth.

 

Existence Needs: These needs are similar to Maslow’s physiological needs and safety needs category. Safety needs mainly refer to prevention from fear, threat, danger, and tension when physiological needs refer to sleep and exercise. (Hwang, 2011)

 

Relatedness Needs: It has a comparable aspect of Maslow’s Belongingness and esteem needs. This need comprises security, belonging, and respect. The security pertaining to a mutual trust of humanity. The belonging pertaining to all forms of suffering such as loneliness, isolation, and distance. This relates to interpersonal relationships. Respect simply means feeling respect from others.   (Hwang, 2011)

 

Growth Needs: This need involves self-esteem and self-actualization.

This is related to the attainment of one’s personal and is associated with Maslow’s esteem and self-actualization need. Self-esteem refers to seeking knowledge, achieving control, and building confidence. (Hwang, 2011)

 Firgure 1.2 Alderfer ERG Theory


Source: (Alderfer1969).

 

According to Hwang, (2011) comparison and the contrast Alderfer’s ERG theory with Maslow’s hierarchy Model

Similarities

·         Both are content theories.

·         The basic needs emphasized in both are the same.

·         The overall structure of the need category is also the same.

 

Dissimilarities

·         Maslow’s main contention is a hierarchy

·         Alderfer focused more on a continuation of needs.

·         ERG needs do not maintain sharp lines.

 

The managers should recognize their employee's multiple needs while at work. ERG theory is a cycle and not focusing one need at a time moving from a focus on one need then another, then back again. ERG theory is more flexible realistic. Alderfer also added frustration-regression principle impact the workplace that assumes individuals would move in and out of various level (Robbins and Judge, 2008; Schneider and Alderfer, 1973).

 

I work for a leading garment manufacturing plant, and it is highly work-oriented to meet customer deadlines. But the organization's perspective view, always employee motivation is a challenge because satisfaction will not retain the employee. In consideration of the motivational factors, Mangers and the HR professional in the factory should focus on meeting employees' needs of existence, relatedness, and Growth.

If an organization cannot meet the employee's existing needs such as salary, incentive, Good working environment, and emergency care, the employee is unhappy. There is a high probability that the employee or team would regress about the lower level existence need.

An organization context includes interacting with the team modules and interpersonal relationships between peers. If relatedness remains unfulfilled, the postulate team spirit will not come out. To the fulfillment of the relatedness need an organization can reward employee and can give recognition for the work and bonus who have achieved the task.

View of a team module.


 

Simultaneously if an organization fails to fulfill the growing need of the employee, they believe that they are considered tools or resources to meet the organization's goals. Managers and HR professionals ensure that they give opportunities to grow and identify their talent and move forward with the work and provisions of chances to develop in existing to a higher position.

 

List of References.

Robbins SP, Judge TA (2008). Organizational behavior. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Schneider B, Alderfer CP (1973). Three studies of measures of need satisfaction in organizations. Adm. Sci. Q., 18(4): 489-505.

Hwang, (2011). An empirical study of the existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) theory in consumers’ selection of mobile value-added services. African Journal of Business Management Vol. 5(19), pp. 7885-7898

Comments

  1. Dineth PereraDecember 18, 2021 at 9:24 PM

    hi thiloka, agree with you, adding to your point, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, ERG theory is less sophisticated and more convincing (Armstrong, 2009). Also ERG can be used to clarify or forecast organizational challenges, paradigms in partnerships, also decisions for personal development. (Ivancevich, Matteson, 2008).

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    Replies
    1. ThilokaJanuary 4, 2022 at 2:46 AM

      Thank you for your Comments Nirmika, I agree with your view. Alderfer expanded Maslow’s basic theory and refined them into relatedness needs, growth needs, and existence needs. This theory expresses the relationship between the satisfaction of needs and human desires (Robbins and Judge, 2008).

      Delete
  2. Nirmika FernandoDecember 19, 2021 at 9:43 PM

    Hi Thiloka, Great introduction to the topic. According to Caulton (2012), ERG theory proposes to group Maslow’s Hierarchy into core concepts of Existence Needs, Relatedness Needs, and Growth Needs. However, each level of ERG Needs does not need to be completed before working to meet the needs of the other levels. Familiar with the criticism levelled against Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory, Crooks (as cited by Elock, 2020) emphasises that the ERG theory fails to address several issues, of which the following two are the major ones. Firstly, human motivation is subjective. What one person perceives as a moving need may not be a satisfying need for another person. Secondly, needs vary, but human behaviours as a result of an unsatisfied or satisfied need may also vary. Therefore, it can be argued that employee behaviours such as turnover and transfer from one location to another might be a result of either satisfied or unsatisfied needs in the workplace.

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    Replies
    1. ThilokaJanuary 4, 2022 at 8:02 AM

      Thank you for your comments, Nirmika. I agree with your view. Alderfer's theory is considered a more valid version of the hierarchy and has received more support from contemporary researchers about motivation in the workplace because it is more focused on job-related circumstances (Luthans, 1998).

      Delete
  3. Ravi Dissanayake, PhDDecember 25, 2021 at 4:08 AM

    The ERG motivation theory is an extension of Maslow's hierarchy of needs by categorizing the hierarchy. What is interesting is that these needs can have different priorities for different people (top managers and frontline workers), and their relative importance to one person can vary over time (Arnolds 2002).
    Arnolds, C.A. and Boshoff, C., 2002. Compensation, esteem valence and job performance: an empirical assessment of Alderfer's ERG theory. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 13(4), pp.697-719.

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    Replies
    1. ThilokaJanuary 4, 2022 at 8:10 AM

      Thank you for your comments, Ravi. I agree with your view. Alderfer’s theory has also been criticized for not having extensive research that supports its suggested re-arrangements to Maslow’s hierarchy (Ivancevich and Matteson, 1999).

      Delete

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