Job attitudes in management: II. Perceived importance of needs as a function of job level

Abstract

By means of a questionnaire, 1916 managers indicated the degree of importance they attached to 13 items representing 5 areas of psychological needs. Respondents represented all levels of management and many different types of companies. The 5 need areas were Security, Social, Esteem, Autonomy, and Self-Actualization. Results showed that there was some relationship between vertical level of position within management and degree of perceived importance of needs. Higher-level managers placed relatively more emphasis on Self-Actualization and Autonomy needs than did lower-level managers. For each of the other 3 types of needs, however, there were no differences between responses from higher-level vs. lower-level managers. The findings from this study were compared with those from recent related studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)