The Self-Actualized Organization: Culture as a Strategic Weapon

Aug 4

The way businesses are run has changed significantly over the last few decades. We live in a world that focuses on a digital-first approach now, and company culture is more important than ever before. All of this has created a trend for the self-actualized organization, taking from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It has become a strategic weapon that’s helping companies push the limits of what they are capable of, but it only works when implemented efficiently. This article takes a closer look at the characteristics of a self-actualized organization and explores the steps that need to be taken to achieve this.

Table of Contents

Understanding Self-Actualization in an Organization
Benefits of Culture and Self-Actualization in the Corporate Environment
Building Self-Actualization in an Organization
Conclusion
References

Understanding Self-Actualization in an Organization

The first step to becoming a self-actualized organization is to truly understand what this means. Self-actualized is a term that comes from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. While people generally use this system to identify their own potential and achievements in life, many businesses and organizations are also finding potential in it.

The original Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs continues to play a role when using this system in an organization, but the elements that are part of this pyramid change a bit. When it comes to using this system to create a self-actualized culture in the corporate environment, we should focus on the needs of employees and the business itself at the same time.

This means we can adjust the hierarchy to look like this:

Psychological needs
Safety
Love and belonging
Esteem
Self-actualization

It remains very similar, especially since the self-actualization process will apply to the workforce. We turn to factors like motivation and job satisfaction, and when all the actual needs of the employees and workplace are met, then we can strive toward a state of self-actualization.

Benefits of Culture and Self-Actualization in the Corporate Environment

There are several benefits that organizations and enterprises can expect when they decide to focus on a self-actualized culture for both employees and the company itself. In this section, we will explore some of the most crucial advantages that companies can benefit from.

● Alignment: Having a self-actualized culture in the corporate environment helps to create alignment between staff and the company’s strategic goals. When there is alignment here, then everyone works in better harmony with each other. This helps to ensure the company can experience a significant increase in productivity, which can help to improve sales, customer service, and boost profits in the long run.
● Adaptability: Another benefit that companies can experience from a self-actualized culture is increased adaptability. The world around us is changing consistently. This means businesses need to be able to adapt to new technologies, trends, and management styles. When a company is able to reach a state of self-actualization, it gives it the ability to easily adapt to any new changes. This is because of the alignment, which we previously discussed, and the fact that things are more streamlined internally.
● Growth: A self-actualized culture within a corporate environment focuses on creating a growth mindset among everyone. People have a better idea of what they are expected to do within the company. This helps to create more streamlined processes within the business and reduces the delays that can happen when employees are not completely sure of their own abilities or what the company expects of them.
● Trust: The process of creating a self-actualized culture within a business helps to showcase the care that the management and upper-level staff provide to the employees. This helps to create trust within the workforce, which can also lead to a sense of empowerment.

Building Self-Actualization in an Organization

Creating a self-actualized culture within an organization starts with understanding how things are at the moment. This means management and directors need to do a comprehensive analysis of the company’s current culture and take a look at the hierarchy of corporate needs. With this type of analysis, it creates an opportunity for the organization to know what needs to be done. It ensures resources won’t be wasted and saves time, while also catering to trust, empowerment, and purpose within the workforce.

The main steps that need to be taken in order to create self-actualization and a greater culture in the organization include:

● Leadership: It all starts with the leadership. There needs to be commitment at the leadership level in order to nurture employees and create an environment that will foster growth and self-actualization in the workplace.
● Employee well-being: When building a self-actualized culture in a corporate environment, employee well-being needs to be a priority. When leadership takes proper care of employees, focusing on both their job satisfaction and their health, it goes a long way in helping to empower them. This also means the workplace needs to take care of employee mental health, promote a healthy work-life balance, and focus on career development.
● Recognition: Employees want to be recognized for the accomplishments they are able to achieve. This helps to make them feel more appreciated and gives them a sense that they are able to move up and develop in the position they have filled within the workplace. Recognition can also come with rewards, which can be a great way to motivate employees. This may include elements like certificates when employees reach certain milestones or when they get a promotion for a higher position within the workplace.
● Improvement: While self-actualization is generally said to be a state of achieving one’s full potential, it is important for the corporate environment to continue making improvements over time. This is where factors like adaptability come into play. When adapting to new trends, implementing the latest technology, and giving employees the ability to advance in their careers, it is going to ensure there is continued self-actualization.

Conclusion

Self-actualization is often associated with the individual, but as culture and the way we run businesses change, we are seeing this system implemented in a corporate structure as well. Culture becomes the foundation, which helps with strategy alignment and ultimately builds a self-actualized work environment that drives greater performance and productivity.