Review Maslow's Needs Hierarchy and Alderfer's ERG Theory here:

You can address all four POLC functions as a manager, but if you cannot motivate people, you will probably not be successful. Understanding the motivations of employees helps management better plan and execute those plans through motivated workers. Empowered workers, are those that are given the power to make decisions, usually within certain parameters to resolve problems and satisfy customer needs and wants.

Maslow stated that people needed to satisfy one level of need at a time beginning at the base with physical needs (here we use a tree, Maslow used a pyramid). After these are satisfied, people will go on to the next level of needs and so forth. Eventually when all other needs are satisfied, people will look for self-actualization (at the top of the tree as seen here) to fulfill themselves.

Checklist:

At which level are you? Explain your response. You can refer to either Maslow's hierarchy or Alderfer's ERG theory.

At what stage of Maslow's hierarchy would an empowered employee be? Explain.