---
title: "Maslow's hierarchy vs Alderfer's ERG"
subject: "Organization and Management"
chapter: 8
key: "semester_7/organization_and_management:maslow-alderfer-erg"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/organization_and_management/maslow-alderfer-erg
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Maslow's hierarchy vs Alderfer's ERG

Organization and Management · Chapter 8: Motivation, Leadership and Entrepreneurship

- Asked in: 2071 Shrawan, 3+5 marks
- Video: [Motivation - Maslow Theory & ERG Theory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzenXo4p93w) — Dr Amit Lal
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/organization_and_management/maslow-alderfer-erg
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/organization_and_management/chapter-8

## Question

What is motivation? Explain the difference between Maslow's hierarchical need theory and Alderfer's ERG theory.

## Short answer

Motivation is the inner force that drives people to satisfy needs. Maslow has five needs in a strict upward order, with satisfied needs stopping motivation. Alderfer has three needs: Existence, Relatedness and Growth, allows several needs at once, and includes frustration-regression where a blocked higher need strengthens lower needs.

## Answer

#### Motivation
Motivation is the inner force that makes people act to satisfy their needs and achieve goals. Managers motivate employees by offering rewards that satisfy their needs.

#### Maslow's need hierarchy
Abraham Maslow proposed five needs in order: physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. A lower need must be satisfied before a higher need is activated; a satisfied need no longer motivates.

#### Alderfer's ERG theory
Clayton Alderfer (1969) reduced the needs to three:
- **Existence (E):** physiological and safety needs (pay, working conditions).
- **Relatedness (R):** social needs and esteem from others.
- **Growth (G):** esteem (self) and self-actualization.

#### Differences
| Basis | Maslow | Alderfer ERG |
|---|---|---|
| Number of needs | Five | Three |
| Order | Strict, step by step upward | Flexible, more than one need can operate at once |
| Movement | Only upward (satisfaction-progression) | Upward and downward (frustration-regression) |
| Satisfied need | Stops motivating | May continue to motivate, especially growth |
| Frustration | Not explained | If a higher need is frustrated, the lower need becomes stronger |
| Individual and cultural differences | Little room | Recognises that order varies |
| Testing | Little research support | More support |

Example: if a Nepali employee cannot get a promotion (growth need frustrated), he may focus on more pay or friendly relations (existence or relatedness), which is explained by ERG but not by Maslow.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. How many need categories does Alderfer's ERG theory have?
   A. Two
   B. Five
   C. Four
   D. Three
   Answer: D. ERG has three: Existence, Relatedness, Growth; Maslow has five. (Key point: Number of needs)

2. How does ERG differ from Maslow regarding order?
   A. ERG is strictly step by step
   B. ERG is flexible; more than one need can operate at once
   C. Maslow allows downward movement
   D. They are identical
   Answer: B. Maslow is strict step by step, ERG is flexible with several needs active together. (Key point: Order of needs)

3. What happens in ERG when a higher need is frustrated?
   A. The person stops working
   B. The higher need disappears
   C. The lower need becomes stronger
   D. Nothing changes
   Answer: C. Frustration-regression: a frustrated higher need strengthens a lower need. (Key point: Frustration-regression)

4. Which Maslow needs form Alderfer's Existence need?
   A. Esteem and self-actualization
   B. Social and esteem
   C. Self-actualization only
   D. Physiological and safety
   Answer: D. Existence combines physiological and safety needs. (Key point: Existence needs)

## Related in Organization and Management

- [Motivation/needs and Maslow's hierarchy](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Forganization_and_management%3Amaslow-hierarchy) — Organization and Management, chapter 8, asked 2×
- [Maslow's theory and Laxmi Prasad Devkota](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Forganization_and_management%3Amaslow-devkota) — Organization and Management, chapter 8
- [Motivation and Herzberg's hygiene theory](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Forganization_and_management%3Aherzberg-hygiene) — Organization and Management, chapter 8
- [Human need and Herzberg's hygiene theory](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Forganization_and_management%3Aherzberg-human-need) — Organization and Management, chapter 8, asked 2×

## Related in other subjects

- [Motivation: Maslow's hierarchy and Herzberg's theory](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Amotivation-maslow-herzberg) — Construction Management, chapter 10
- [Short note: Maslow's theory of motivation](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Amaslow-theory-note) — Construction Management, chapter 10
- [Need of clustering; hierarchical vs partitioning; K-means](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fdata_mining%3Acluster-need-hier-vs-partition-kmeans) — Data Mining, chapter 5
- [Energy needs in Maslow's hierarchy](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fenergy_environment_and_society%3Amaslow-energy-needs) — Energy Environment and Society, chapter 1, asked 2×