The lowest level in Maslow’s hierarchy is physiological needs. These are the most basic human requirements, encompassing necessities like food, water, and shelter. Although it isn’t the organization’s responsibility to directly provide for these needs, it is crucial to ensure they are met indirectly. This involves paying a living wage so that these basic needs are met and offering a sense of certainty to employees about their job security and expectations regarding their roles.

Establishing effective lines of communication between employees and their superiors is a great way to create certainty. When integrating new hires, make sure they have clarity on their role and their responsibilities. Encourage them to ask questions. For existing employees, having occasional check-ins ensures they are aligned with their jobs and not struggling to fulfill their physiological needs or produce at work.

Individuals need to feel secure both psychologically and physically in the workplace. This means that constant yelling or outbursts from superiors or colleagues cannot be tolerated. There cannot be fear of physical or psychological harm. Having rules and guidelines that discourage and have consequences for this type of behavior is often necessary. Optimizing the hiring process and having the right people in the organization are also a big part of promoting feelings of safety. If someone is incredibly capable but ruins the productivity of others by spreading fear and/or anger, they are a net negative to the organization. It is impossible for people to be productive or creative in a state of fear.

Boundaries need to also be respected. Treating people how they want to be treated goes a long way toward making them feel safe in their environment. An organization that provides safety for its employees earns trust, thus possessing a foundational element of a healthy, high-performance culture.

Love is a fundamental emotional need for people. While this is commonly thought of as something that relates to relationships with friends, family, and significant others, there are also ways to fulfill this emotional requirement in the workplace. An organization that has an environment of kindness, respect, and inclusivity is able to satisfy this basic human desire.

Everyone has a need to belong and be accepted for who they are. Understanding the motives of new hires for joining the organization and what they believe they will gain from their work can aid in fostering a sense of belonging.

Organizations can further support this need by asking existing employees various questions and attempting to better understand each individual. Some questions to ask include:

• Are they happy in their role and doing their work? Is it aligned with what’s important?
• How do they feel they are contributing through their work?
• What matters to them? What causes do they care about?
• What do they want to be doing with their life?
• How can their job help them experience belonging?

Asking about their job satisfaction, contributions, and personal aspirations emphasizes the importance of each individual’s role in the organization’s success, cementing a feeling of belonging and increasing engagement and satisfaction.

“I feel significant,” “I feel respected,” and “I feel like I’m contributing,” are all feelings that are necessary to meet the level of esteem. When people feel recognized and valued, they are motivated to continue being effective and valuable. Making sure every person in your organization feels they play an important role in the organization’s success, no matter their job, is paramount.

However, it is crucial to distinguish between significance (feeling important and making a difference) and contribution (being a part of something bigger than you or your ego and making a difference, even without recognition or significance). The latter is the pinnacle of Maslow’s Hierarchy and the highest level of effectiveness, known as self-actualization.

Self-actualization involves realizing one’s potential, fully developing one’s abilities, and having a true appreciation for life. It encompasses fulfilling the spiritual needs of growth and contribution, preventing employees from feeling like mere automatons solely focused on financial gain and only going through the motions. Self-actualized people are at their most capable, productive, and fulfilled selves and regularly tap into their highest level of thinking and creativity.

According to Maslow, individuals must fulfill lower needs before pursuing higher ones. To reach self-actualization, every need in Maslow’s hierarchy must be addressed first. Because of this, Maslow asserts that less than 1 percent of the adult population ever achieves this level. Keep in mind that this was published over 50 years ago. In today’s world, psychologists think it is closer to 5 percent, solely because there is a deep desire in humans to contribute and feel a sense of fulfillment—the more people evolve, the more they want to experience these higher feelings of satisfaction in their work.

Meeting people’s needs is essential for creating an emergent culture. Consider the three fundamental elements of an emergent culture: cause, framework, and energy. Cause revolves around making a difference and defining the organization’s noble cause. Framework pertains to the structures in place for optimizing employees’ creative potential and ability to produce, including hiring processes, delegation, team assignments, and utilizing individuals’ strengths. Energy is how people treat each other, the moods they bring to work, and how the work that gets done within and between departments creates or mitigates the sense of belonging and unity. It is about bringing the values of the organization to life.

The fundamentals of an emergent culture are closely intertwined with the needs of individuals within the organization. Prioritizing the well-being and fulfillment of employees is key to catalyzing to Maslow’s top 1 percent, nurturing an emergent company culture that contributes to personal and organizational success and growth.