Knowledge of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs could help managers by allowing them to understand what they need to provide for their workers.

Maslow’s hierarchy holds that people have different types of needs and that the more basic needs must be fulfilled before they will try to fulfill the more advanced needs.  Managers would often like workers to be trying to fulfill their esteem needs, for example.  They want people to be trying to feel worthwhile and competent because this will make the employees do their jobs better.  But before employees can do that, they need to have more basic needs, like the need for safety, fulfilled.

Maslow’s hierarchy, then, can help managers understand what kind of workplace they need to create if they want their employees to succeed.