Maslow on Management

Maslow on Management

by Abraham H. Maslow
Released September 1998
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780471247807

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Book description

A seminal work onhuman behavior in the workplace-now completely updated

"At last! We have all been quoting Maslow for years and to now have such an excellent compilation of his seminal thoughts on management and organization comes like a timely gift from heaven. The values and principles he taught decades ago are even more relevant today." -Stephen Covey, author, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.

"Maslow's book is a readable, impressionistic masterpiece that extolled the virtues of collaborative, synergistic management decades ahead of its time. This edition reveals just how much the management thinkers of our day, including Peter Drucker, W. Edwards Deming, and Peter Senge, owe to Maslow, and how much, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, management can still learn from his insights." -Andrea Gabor, author, The Man Who Discovered Quality.

"Maslow's brilliant and humane perspectives are made easily accessible in this exceptional book. It's also quite humbling-why haven't we yet actualized the truths about human nature and the nature of work?" -Margaret J. Wheatley, author, Leadership and the New Science and A Simpler Way.

"Maslow's profound concept of self-actualization could generate a Copernican Revolution of work and society, catapulting us out of what future generations will look back on as the dark ages of management." -Jim Collins, coauthor, Built to Last.

The pioneer behind the hierarchy of needs and the concept of self-actualization, Dr. Abraham Maslow was-and is-one of the world's most esteemed experts on human behavior and motivation. However, while perhaps most famous for his work in the area of humanistic psychology, his legacy of work encompasses much more, extending into the realms of business and management. Having explored and studied the relationship between human behavior and the work situation, Maslow translated the science of the mind into the art of management=an important interpretation first published in the far-sighted treatise, Eupsychian Management, and whose impact continues to be felt today. Now, this seminal work has been updated, primed to introduce new readers to-and reacquaint old admirers with-what some have called the renowned psychologist's best book.

Bringing into perspective the lasting impact of Maslow's groundbreaking principles, Maslow on Management illustrates how they have withstood the test of time to become integral components of current management practices, such as continuous improvement, Theory X, and empowerment. Offering insight into using these and other tools to effectively tackle present-day business situations, from heightened competitiveness to globalization to emerging technologies, Maslow on Management covers a wealth of timeless topics, including:

  • Self-actualization-the freedom to effectuate one's own ideas, try things out, make decisions, and make mistakes

  • Synergy-what is beneficial for the individual is beneficial for everyone; individual success should not occur at the expense of others; align organizational goals with personal goals

  • Enlightened management policy-assume that all your people have the impulse to achieve; everyone prefers to be a prime mover rather than a passive helper; everyone wants to feel important, needed, useful, successful, and proud; there is no dominance-subordination hierarchy.

To complement Dr. Maslow's original writings and to demonstrate how his forward-thinking ideas are being played out in today's business world, Maslow on Management features interviews with Perot Systems Chairman Mort Meyerson, Non-Linear Systems founder Andrew Kay, Esalen Institute founder Michael Murphy, and other prominent figures who provide incisive commentary on subjects ranging from creativity in business to leadership lessons for the digital age.

Epitomizing the genius of its author and embodying his elegant ruminations, Maslow on Management is still as important as it was when it first appeared. A true classic, this is essential reading for all managers.

Table of contents

  1. Coverpage
  2. Titlepage
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword to the New Edition
  7. Introduction
  8. Abraham Maslow: The Man and His Work
  9. Preface to the First Edition
  10. The Attitude of Self-Actualizing People to Duty, Work, Mission
  11. Additional Notes on Self-Actualization, Work, Duty, Mission
    1. AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNE ROBINSONAnne Robinson co-founded Windham Hill Records in her garage with little capital investment, but a compelling vision of what could be. She blended her love of music with her love for design and graphics to produce records which turned the music industry upside down. In a business where success is measured in weeks, many of Windham Hill’s first records are still selling today, 23 years after their introduction.
  12. Self-Actualized Duty
  13. Different Management Principles at Different Levels in the Hierarchy
  14. Enlightened Economics and Management
    1. INTERVIEW WITH MORT MEYERSONMort Meyerson, former chairman and chief executive officer of Perot Systems and former vice chairman of EDS, has an enviable track record. Under his leadership, EDS was taken public and became a leading company in its industry. The same scenario seems to be playing itself out at Perot Systems. Meyerson and his team have increased revenues nearly 40 percent each year since his tenure. Transformed by what he has learned about the current world of work, Meyerson has implemented many enlightened management techniques at Perot Systems.
  15. The Neglect of Individual Differences in Management Policy
  16. The Balance of the Forces toward Growth and Regression
  17. Memorandum on the Goals and Directives of Enlightened Management and of Organizational Theory
  18. Regressive Forces
  19. Notes on Self-Esteem in the Work Situation
  20. Management as a Psychological Experiment
  21. Enlightened Management as a Form of Patriotism
  22. Relationship between Psychological Health and the Characteristics of Superior Managers, Supervisors, Foremen, etc. (Notes from Likert)
  23. Further Notes on the Relationship between Psychological Health and the Characteristics of Superior Managers (Notes from Likert)
  24. Memorandum on Enlightened Management
  25. By-Products of Enlightened Management
  26. Notes on Synergy
  27. The Synergic Doctrine of Unlimited Amount of Good versus the Antisynergic Doctrine of Unlimited Amount of Good
  28. Addition to the Notes on Synergy
  29. Memorandum on Syndrome Dynamics and Holistic, Organismic Thinking
  30. Notes on the B-Values (the Far Goals; the Ultimate Goals)
  31. Notes on Leadership
  32. The Superior Person-The “Aggridant” (Biologically Superior and Dominant) Person
  33. The Very Superior Boss
  34. Notes on Unstructured Groups at Lake Arrowhead
    1. INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL MURPHYMost know him as the cofounder of The Esalen Institute or through his best selling books, Golf in the Kingdom, The Kingdom of Shivas, The Future of the Body, and The Life We Are Given, Michael Murphy has spent his life in much of the same way Maslow did: exploring the self and examining how people can develop their capabilities. Studying meditation before it was fashionable, examining the connection between mind-body health practices, much of Murphy’s work has become mainstream. Yet, our interview with this American icon were on issues very close to his heart. Maslow described Michael Murphy as “the son I never had . . . ”
  35. Notes on Creativeness
  36. Addition to the Notes on the Creative Person
  37. Notes on the Entrepreneur
  38. Memorandum on the Redefinition of Profit, Taxes, Costs, Money, Economics, etc.
  39. Additions to the Notes on Profits
  40. Additions to the Notes on Redefinition of Profits, Costs, etc.
  41. The Good Enlightened Salesman and Customer
  42. Further Notes on Salesmen and Customers . . .
  43. Memorandum on Salesmen and Salesmanship
  44. On Low Grumbles, High Grumbles, and Metagrumbles
  45. The Theory of Social Improvement; The Theory of the Slow Revolution
  46. The Necessity for Enlightened Management Policies
  47. Bibliography
  48. Index

Product information

  • Title: Maslow on Management
  • Author(s): Abraham H. Maslow
  • Release date: September 1998
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780471247807