Maslow on Management (Hardcover)

~ Abraham H. Maslow (Author) "We can learn from self-actualizing people what the ideal attitude toward work might be under the most favorable circumstances..." (more)
Key Phrases: enlightened management policy, superior chickens, good management policy, United States, Abraham Maslow, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anyone who has sat through a psychology course has seen Abraham H. Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a pyramid capped by the highest human need of all, the need for, what Maslow famously termed, self-actualization. Since his death in 1970, Maslow's voluminous writings have made him one of the most influential thinkers in counseling psychology. He is a revered father figure to the human potential movement. But few know him as a brilliantly insightful analyst of how to lead people and make organizations more productive. Maslow on Management should change that.

In 1962, Maslow spent the summer at an electronics factory that was one of the first to try giving workers a say in organizing production. He watched and kept a journal, later published under the intimidating title Eupsychian Management. The book, which had been long out of print, has been republished with extensive commentaries as Maslow on Management.

Some of Maslow on Management is, as Warren Bennis writes in the foreword, "hilariously innocent." Reflecting on the power of well-managed workplaces to unleash creativity, Maslow suggests that the U.S. economy would benefit "if we kept all the factories running at full blast and simply gave things away." Yet his deeper point--that good management leads to good psychological health--is startlingly advanced for 1962, when the business world was still widely thought of as nurturing nothing more than soulless conformity. He was surprisingly prescient, too, in warning that participatory management taken to excess becomes sloppy and weak. While encouraging open communication, an effective leader "should have the power and the ability to keep his mouth shut," Maslow writes. He advises that gentle, permissive management is fine if workers share democratic values, but if not, "break their backs immediately."

Full of rambling, half-finished thoughts and provocative speculations, Maslow on Management is no nine-step plan for building winning work teams. But anyone seriously interested in understanding management will find the book useful as a fascinating reflection of a brilliant mind thinking deeply about the nature and purpose of work. --Barry Mitzman

From Booklist

Coordinated by Maslow's daughter, Ann Kaplan, this book is an updated version of his Eupsychian Management, a series of his journal notes from the early 1960s. Originally considered to be a seminal work on human behavior in the workplace, it offers Maslow's theories on such issues as how to encourage people to express their creativity, the importance of psychological health, and leadership ideas that are commonly accepted notions in management circles at the end of the twentieth century. He led the way in demonstrating to corporate executives that the development of individual workers positively affects their bottom line. Although Maslow is most famous for his hierarchy of needs theory, his book for today's managers develops ideas on enlightened management that puts emphasis on the individual worker and posits that everyone prefers to be a prime mover rather than a helpless pawn in the workplace. By adding interviews with current executives and academics from Harvard and Stanford Business Schools, this reprint of Maslow's ideas still resonates with truth after 33 years. Mary Whaley

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471247804
• ISBN-13: 978-0471247807
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #227,682 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A timeless management/psychology classic!, April 28, 2000

By	Adam F. Jewell (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We've all heard of Maslow or the hierarchy of needs in some form or other, but often times simply as a side note in some management or psychology class. Here in one volume is the collection of Maslow's genius insights in to human motivation. The book is a collection of essays on motivation, learning, management, and self-actualization (essentially, to be at piece with oneself and become everything he/she is capable of becoming) Maslow examines our organizational structures and how they greatly influence our ability to achieve self-actualization. He lays out a framework and assumptions that must be made when dealing with people, managing people and motivating them, and recognizes that there are different types of personalities, beliefs, management styles, and management theories. Theory X (authoritarian, untrusting, management style) and Y (a belief that people are trustworthy, responsible, seek meaning in their work, and naturally want to learn) are explored in detail as are the effects of our belief in one or the other.

While both theories and the implications of each are discussed, it is clear that Maslow, as well as the contributors to the book focus on, and believe that in general, Y is the dominant (most beneficial, not necessarily the most practiced or popular) theory. Theory Y cultivates growth in personal meaning, satisfaction, and self-actualization, helps to propel an organization to be the most it can be, through the collective learning of the individuals that make it an organization. Applying this methodology in the right environment can contribute to the long term success of an organization as judged both by the self actualization of it's members, and the financial success of the organization.

Maslow scripted and published his journal, close to forty years ago, however, it is at least as applicable to the information based net economy of today, as it was to the economy at the time it was published. While organizations and economies change, people and psychology remain relatively constant.

Much of it has been re-packaged and re-published by various management gurus of today. If you take an interest in people and management theory, order a copy of this book. There isn't a management book out there that contains a magic formula for success, or applies to all organizations or even all people in one organization. This gem is a great start and will provide insight in to people, management practices, and developing a mind set for making a difference in the lives of the people in your organization, if you want it to.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRUE CLASSIC, AS RELEVANT AS EVER, October 2, 1999

By A Customer

One of the world's most renowned experts on human behaviour and motivation, Abraham Maslow is most famous for his perspectives on the "hierarchy of human needs" and self-actualization. This book updates the original edition published in 1963, entitled Eupsychian Management. It demonstrates how even today Maslow's seminal concepts of human behaviour are still playing out in the business world. This book offers new generations of managers insights into Maslow's influential theories which have emerged in modern business, approaches such as continuous improvement, enlightened management, Theory X, and empowerment. Maslow's work has powerfully affected managerial theory, organizational development, education, health care, and science as well as psychology.

A true classic, Maslow on Management is still as important as when it first appeared and thus essential reading for all managers.

The late Abraham Maslow is the most widely known expert on human behaviour and motivation. He is often referred to as the father of humanistic psychology, a body of knowledge and theories separate from the behaviorist and Freudian movements. His books are acknowledged as standards in psychology literature worldwide.

Deborah C. Stephens and Gary Heil are co-founders of The Center of Innovative Leadership. Deborah Stephens is an author, educator, and management consultant in the areas of customer service, leadership, and organizational development. She is co-author of One Size Fits One: Building Relationships One Customer and One Employee at a Time with Gary Heil.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently Managing Partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRUE CLASSIC, AS RELEVANT AS EVER..., January 12, 2000

By A Customer

One of the world's most renowned experts on human behaviour and motivation, Abraham Maslow is most famous for his perspectives on the "hierarchy of human needs" and self-actualization. This book updates the original edition published in 1963, entitled Eupsychian Management.

It demonstrates how even today Maslow's seminal concepts of human behaviour are still playing out in the business world. This book offers new generations of managers insights into Maslow's influential theories which have emerged in modern business, approaches such as continuous improvement, enlightened management, Theory X, and empowerment.

Throughout much of his life, Maslow argued for a new philosophy of humanity to help recognize and develop the human capacity for compassion, creativity, ethics, love, spirituality, and other uniquely human traits. Yet, Maslow considered himself first and foremost a scientist. He did not spew forth this new approach in psychology without much thought, rigorous testing, hypothesizing, and debate. Thus, his work has powerfully affected managerial theory, organizational development, education, health care, and science as well as psychology.

A true classic, Maslow on Management is still as important as when it first appeared and thus essential reading for all managers.

The late Abraham Maslow is the most widely known expert on human behaviour and motivation. He is often referred to as the father of humanistic psychology, a body of knowledge and theories separate from the behaviorist and Freudian movements. His books are acknowledged as standards in psychology literature worldwide.

Deborah C. Stephens and Gary Heil are co-founders of The Center of Innovative Leadership. Deborah Stephens is an author, educator, and management consultant in the areas of customer service, leadership, and organizational development. She is co-author of One Size Fits One: Building Relationships One Customer and One Employee at a Time with Gary Heil.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently Managing Partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from the Westminster Business School.