Introduction To HRM And Organization Practice Test

Understanding how Maslow’s five-need framework compares to Alderfer’s ERG theory helps explain workplace motivation. Maslow proposes five distinct needs: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Alderfer’s ERG theory condenses these into three categories: Existence (covering material and safety needs), Relatedness (social and interpersonal needs), and Growth (personal development). A key idea of ERG is that multiple needs can be active at the same time and movement between categories isn’t strictly linear, which broadens how we think about motivating people. This is why the statement is the best fit: Maslow is five-ranked, and ERG compresses them into three groups named Existence, Relatedness, and Growth. The other descriptions don’t align with how the theories are structured—one reverses the number of needs, another splits Growth/self-actualization differently, and the last suggests addressing only a single need at a time, which neither theory supports.