Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unfinished Business of Culture,” Accounting, Organisations but also a plea to refer more systematically to a con-
and Society (v.30/1, 2005); G. Hofstede, Culture’s Conse- cept of meaning in science:
quences: International Differences in Work-Related Values
(SAGE, 1984); G. Hofstede, Cultures and Organisations: A psychological interpretation of science begins
Software of the Mind (HarperCollins, 1994); G. Hofstede with the acute realization that science is a human
et al., Masculinity and Femininity: The Taboo Dimension creation, rather than an autonomous, nonhuman,
of National Cultures (SAGE, 1998), B. McSweeney, “Hof- or per se “thing” with intrinsic rules of its own. Its
stede’s Model of National Cultural Differences and Con- origins are in human motives, its goals are human
sequences: A Triumph of Faith—A Failure of Analysis,” goals, and it is created, renewed, and maintained by
Human Relations (v.55/1, 2002). human beings. Its laws, organization, and articula-
tion rests not only on the nature of the reality that
Jenny K. Rodriguez it discovers, but also on the nature of the human
University of Strathclyde nature that does the discovering.
protection, and security. Maslow’s idea is that a firm well with Maslow’s thought. As more differentiated
order, laws, and limits belong to this area of safeness. and wealthy societies and organizations prove to be,
The third stage of Maslow’s introduced needs repre- intrinsic motivation is increasingly becoming a major
sents love needs and belongingness needs that aim source of organization and restructuring. Even cur-
at affected and emotional inclusion of human beings rent voices in leading international economics are
into categories such as family, work groups, partner- going to refer explicitly for a better understanding
ships, or further social relationships. of motivation and are matching with some pieces of
Esteem needs represent the fourth stage of Maslow’s principle thought provided by Maslow.
hierarchy. Here, self-esteem, mastery, or independence Motivation and Personality is not only a book by a
are listed as well as status dominance, prestige, or man- psychologist for psychologists but it is of interest for
agerial responsibility. With the third and fourth stages, all social scientists. The argumentation is based upon
Maslow proves to include clearly more sociopsycho- broad knowledge of the division of science. Maslow
logical dimensions into his framework of thought that reads as presenting his hierarchy of needs primarily
regards human beings as being part of a social context as a heuristic scheme knowing that this scheme has to
and belonging to a social matrix of relations. The fifth be modified according concrete societies. Even in the
stage, finally, is in line with those stages before: it is the beginning of his study, Maslow expresses that sociol-
level of self-actualization needs. By those needs, moti- ogy matters:
vation for self-fulfillment is addressed. Realizing one’s
individual personal potential, seeking personal growth The study of the sociology of science and of scien-
and personal aims, and collecting one’s own experi- tists deserves more attention than it is now getting.
ences are moments that belong to this type of needs at If scientists are determined in part by cultural vari-
the top of the hierarchy pyramid. ables, then so also are the products of these scien-
The principle of hierarchy organization is that the tists ... these are questions of the type that must be
higher the need, the less imperative it is for sheer sur- asked and answered for fuller understanding of the
vival, and the longer gratification can be postponed. “contaminating” effect of culture upon perception
Maslow argues in line with psychometric and psycho- of nature.
motoric findings that meeting with higher need levels
means greater biological efficiency, greater longev- During the last 50 years, Maslow has emerged as a
ity, less disease, better sleep and appetite and he says classic for different academic disciplines.
that psychosomatic researchers proved to find out
that anxiety, fear, lack of love, or domination tend to See Also: Consumer Needs and Wants; Empowerment;
encourage physical as well as undesirable psychologi- Motivation.
cal results, whereas higher need gratifications have
survival value and growth value as well. Higher need Bibliography. Steven J. Hanley and Steven C. Abell,
gratifications result in better subjective results, e.g., “Maslow and Relatedness: Creating an Interpersonal Model
more profound happiness. of Self-Actualization,” Journal of Humanistic Psychology
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is led by a conceptu- (v.42/4, 2002); Abraham H. Maslow, Motivation and Per-
alization of human beings that is not unidimensional. sonality (Harper & Row, 1954).
Later Maslow added further dimensions as cognition,
aesthetic, and transcendence. Although Maslow’s Dieter Bögenhold
hierarchy of needs is primarily developed by concep- Free University of Bolzano
tual reflection, the attempt is far from being abstract.
Maslow sheds light on human motivation and differ-
ent sources of needs as they are very often neglected
in economic models where human incentives are Maternity Leave
reduced to principles of homo oeconomicus. All that
has been learned by human relations theory in man- Maternity leave is a job-protected leave from employ-
agement research and organization theory is fitting ment provided to mothers around the time of child-