Source
doi:10.5465/amle.2017.0351 — original publication (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Context: thesis · No NI feeds (shallow ingest)
Summary
Bridgman, Cummings and Ballard trace the history of the Maslow “pyramid”, the triangular five-tier diagram that stands in most textbooks for the hierarchy of needs, and show it was not Maslow’s creation. The pyramid was assembled and popularised by later management writers, which matters for how the concept is taught and cited. The paper lets the thesis cite Maslow (LIT_124) critically: acknowledging the familiar image while noting it is a secondary simplification, not the 1943 argument. It supports the literature review’s scholarly handling of needs theory and sits subordinate to the project’s settled frameworks.
Key thesis insights
- Maslow did not create the pyramid. From the abstract (p.81): “Maslow’s theory remains popular, underpinned by its widely recognized pyramid form. However, Maslow never created a pyramid to represent the hierarchy of needs.” The recognisable symbol is a later addition to the theory, not part of it. LIT_125
- Who actually drew it first. The paper locates the earliest pyramid rendition in the management literature (p.87): “it appears his stepped diagram was the inspiration for what appears to be the first rendition of the pyramid. This appears in Charles McDermid’s article, ‘How Money Motivates Men,’ published in Business Horizons in 1960.” Citing this alongside Maslow 1943 is what turns a name-drop into a defensible scholarly reference. LIT_125
Notes
- Role. The critical lens on the needs-hierarchy anchor. Always cite with LIT_124.
- Provenance. Open post-print (CC BY-NC-ND) from the VUW figshare institutional repository (article 12735929). The publisher copy (Academy of Management Learning and Education) is paywalled; the repository post-print is the obtainable full text. Downloaded as the authoritative PDF, not AI-synthesised, so no retrieval-provenance block. The downloaded binary was verified (pdftotext, journal pagination confirmed).
- Scope. context thesis, feeds empty, shallow ingest. No research target opened.
Connections
Links to
Sources (1): LIT_124
Referenced by
Sources (1): LIT_124