Capacity Management Maturity, Maslow, and You - Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (4 of 7)

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory of psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1943.
Maslow broke different human needs into 5 levels and represented them graphically on a pyramid.

The most basic needs are the physiological - requirements for human survival.  These include air, water, food, clothing, and shelter.

Moving up the pyramid, we reach the safety needs.  These can include both physical and emotional security needs such as personal security, financial security, health and well-being, and a safety net against accidents and illnesses.

Once these needs are met, the third level of human needs is interpersonal and involves feelings of belongingness.  This can include friendship, intimacy, and family.

Esteem – all humans have a need to feel respected and this includes the need to have self-esteem and self-respect.

Self-actualization – the need to be “all one can be” in whatever area is important to the person.  Maslow argued that in order to understand this level of need, all other levels must be mastered.

While one could wonder how this relates to Capacity Management, we’ll see there’s an interesting parallel as we dive into how Maslow and CMMI relate on Wednesday.

Rich Fronheiser

Chief Marketing Officer