Why Managers Must Address Subordinates' Psychological Needs

Introduction: Challenging the Quotation

The claim that managers who prioritize the psychological needs of their subordinates over the objective requirements of a task destroy both managerial integrity and their own authority deserves serious scrutiny — and serious challenge. Managers who acknowledge the existence of their subordinates' psychological needs yet choose to ignore those needs are making a grave managerial error. Managers who do not value their subordinates are not fit to be leaders.

Effective managers understand that one of their greatest assets in any work-related task is the staff they manage. People are the most valuable resources within any company or organization. When those appointed to lead are not aware of this, their actions will reflect that ignorance — and disaster is a likely consequence. The subordinates a manager supervises and leads have needs. They have physical needs such as hunger, thirst, the need to move around after long periods of work, and so on. But their needs are also psychological. Subordinates function best under certain conditions, and when those conditions are met — physically, psychologically, and otherwise — many positive outcomes in the workplace become possible.

Meeting Subordinates' Needs Drives Better Performance

When the needs of subordinates are sincerely met to the best of management's ability, those subordinates feel secure and supported. In that kind of environment, workers perform at their best — or at the very least at a significantly higher level than they would if their needs had gone unacknowledged. It is both impossible and unrealistic for managers to expect to satisfy every need of every subordinate at all times. However, meeting some needs demonstrates sincere effort on behalf of management. Subordinates will work with the promise of rewards or support only so long before they require hard, tangible evidence of follow-through.

Management should attempt to meet as many of its subordinates' needs as is reasonably possible. When workers are happy, they work well; they work smart; and they work hard. The relationship between worker satisfaction and productivity is not incidental — it is foundational to effective management.

Psychological Support and Workplace Morale

When workers have few concerns in the workplace, they are less likely to be distracted by the problems that arise when their needs go unmet — especially their psychological ones. Workers need to feel supported: to know that if a problem arises, there is at least one person to whom they can turn for insight and guidance rather than punishment and criticism. Workers perform best when they feel appreciated and respected by their peers, subordinates, and superiors alike.

Employees work well when they receive occasional public acknowledgment for their efforts, or rewards proportional to the value they have brought to the company. At the very least, people want their superiors to know they exist — and to acknowledge that existence in a positive or at least neutral way. These practices foster self-esteem and self-confidence within the individual worker and, in turn, build confidence throughout the entire organization. Managers who cannot understand why attending to the psychological needs of subordinates matters will eventually learn that lesson the hard way.