Introduction

Management and social sciences focus mainly on the study of human behavior by defining terms and concepts such as desires, needs, instincts, impulses, etcetera, to refer to an internal force of the individual that leads him or her to have a positive or negative behavior and to be able to achieve a goal or objective previously set, as several authors do in their research in order to highlight the relevance that people have in the various fields in which they participate. ^{Montoro, Pinazo and Tortosa (2007)}; ^{Hernández (2011)}; ^{Madero and Rodríguez (2018)}; ^{Mejía, De la Rosa-Salazar and Huertas-Moreno (2021)}.

^{Araya-Castillo and Pedreros-Gajardo (2013)} and ^{Sekhar, Patwardhan, and Singh (2013)} review the theories of motivation, highlighting the relevance and importance of studying these issues. ^{Griffin, Phillips, and Gully (2020)} define motivation as the set of forces that make people behave in a certain way and mention several theories linked to behavioral motivation, such as those of Frederick Herzberg, Abraham Maslow, David Mc Clelland, Douglas Mc Gregor, and Victor Vroom, which have mainly been developed trying to explain what drives human beings to live their day to day lives fulfilling the various activities they perform. These theories have focused on explaining behaviors based on human needs, from economic and work-related to basic survival (^{Koncar et al., 2022}; ^{Shannon, 2017}; ^{Kopelman, Prottas & Davis, 2008}; ^{Carson, 2005}).

Although scientific administration improved organizational processes and productivity in companies, it also increased monotony at work, affecting people’s initiative and preferences and causing discomfort and annoyance among them since a series of changes in working hours appeared, affecting schedules, working conditions, and salaries that were not enough to cover the basic needs of the families of that time. Social deterioration was inevitable mainly due to automation processes, which led to the emergence of the school of human relations with the idea of studying the behavior of people and being able to humanize companies, focusing on the activities conducted in people’s aspirations and motivations (^{Cardiel, 2015}; ^{Ahuja and Ranga, 2022}; ^{Ali and Anwar, 2021}; ^{Dourado and Zambroni-de-Souza, 2020}; ^{Foncubierta-Rodríguez and Sánchez-Montero, 2019}).

^{Griffin, Phillips, and Gully (2020)} state that the human relations movement, also known as the human relations school, emphasizes that workers’ orientations, values, and feelings are important to organizational dynamics and performance. The human relations theory is based mainly on: a) the need to humanize and democratize management, freeing it from the rigid and mechanistic concepts of classical theory; b) the development of the so-called human sciences, especially psychology and sociology; c) the ideas of Elton Mayo, who is considered the founder of the school, as well as some of his followers such as John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, Fritz Roethlisberger, and William Dickson, and finally d) the conclusions of the Hawthorne experiment, carried out between 1927 and 1932 under the supervision of Elton Mayo, which questioned the main postulates of the classical theory of management.

Currently, there is a similar problem in organizational processes as well as in human behavior, caused by a variety of factors, among which stand out the implementation and use of technology, digitalization schemes in the various production and business management processes, and the emergence of social networks, resulting in an increase in staff turnover, dissatisfaction among collaborators, physical and mental exhaustion, lack of motivation and interest in performing the assigned tasks caused by not having the required skills to do such activity, which somehow affect the processes of attraction and retention of talent in organizations.

After analyzing these aspects, the following questions have been generated and will be important to ask in order to carry out this research: Will motivation theories continue to be valid, or is it necessary to adjust due to the current dynamics of human processes, such as the evolution of work and the use of technology? Is it necessary to know which aspects people prioritize in their daily lives and professional development? Which element of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs do people find more relevant nowadays? Furthermore, finally, which are the aspects of human resources processes that most influence Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

Continuing the work carried out by ^{Madero, Rojas, and Borbolla (2021)} and taking into account one of the conclusions of the work of ^{Araya-Castillo and Pedreros-Gajardo (2013)}, ^{Latham and Pinder (2005)}, and ^{Rasskazova, Ivanova, and Sheldon (2016)}, where they mention that it is necessary to update and substantiate with new models or new measurements the aspects of human behavior, based on the classifications of motivation provided by Abraham Maslow, the present research has as objectives to analyze the hierarchy of needs that people have according to the current era considering the Mexican work environment, as well as to design, adapt and validate a measurement scale for the motivational factors of Maslow’s pyramid of needs, in addition to identifying which are the most influential factors in attracting and retaining talent from the perspective of Maslow’s theory.

The rest of the study is structured as follows. First, a review of the literature on the subject is carried out. The method used in the research is established, explaining the aspects that were considered to undertake the work, followed by the analysis of the results of validity and reliability, as well as the statistical results with their corresponding analysis, and ending with the conclusions, limitations, and some reflective lessons from the business point of view.

Review of the literature

After the First World War, the study of organizational processes was oriented toward understanding the role of the various human and psychological factors, which is why in the 1920s and 1930s a team of researchers from Harvard University led by Elton Mayo, Fritz Roethlisberger, and William Dickson were asked to study the activities of the various work groups in the Hawthorne plant of Western Electric, located in Cicero, Illinois, USA, in order to evaluate various factors and the effects they had on productivity, such as prizes, bonuses, incentives, rest times, etcetera.

The researchers found that individual behaviors were modified in work groups and by themselves, noting that people improve some aspect of their behavior or performance simply because they are being observed or evaluated. In essence, employees are more motivated when they believe that their organization cares about them and is willing to listen to them. Many of these reasons have inspired additional research into the effects of social relationships, motivation, communication, and job satisfaction, among other topics (^{Griffin, 2022}; ^{Griffin et al., 2020}; ^{Cardiel, 2015}).

According to ^{Robbins and Judge (2017:209)}, motivation is “the process that determines the intensity, direction, and persistence of an individual’s effort toward the achievement of a goal.” In addition, they mention that intensity refers to the amount of effort that someone makes. Nonetheless, motivation must have direction, that is, the effort should be oriented toward something; finally, motivation must have persistence, which refers to how long the person can maintain that effort.

^{Mejía, De la Rosa-Salazar, and Huertas-Moreno (2021)}, ^{Touré-Tillery and Fishbach (2011)}, and ^{Fishbach and Ferguson (2007)}, among others, mention that motivation arises from the conscious creation of a goal since this is a mental representation of a desired state. Thus, it can be assumed that motivation is associated with satisfaction, intensity, provocation, and inspiration to accomplish a goal, as mentioned by ^{Taylor (2007)}, ^{Alonso (2008)}, and ^{Naranjo (2009)} in their research related to the topic.

One of the best-known theories on motivation is that of Abraham Maslow, named the theory of the hierarchy of needs. Appearing in 1943, it aims to explain what drives human behavior in satisfying various needs. The theory is conceptualized as a pyramid that prioritizes the needs of an individual. Maslow highlights five main levels that motivate the human being: physiological needs, security, social, self-esteem/recognition, and self-fulfillment. His pyramid shows that in order to satisfy a high-level need, it is necessary to satisfy lower-level needs (^{Maslow, 1943}; ^{Dye, Mills, & Weatherbee, 2005}; ^{Stum, 2001}).

According to Maslow’s theory, between 1940 and 1950, seeking survival was most people’s main motivation due to the environment before, during, and after the Second World War, because of the first level proposed by Maslow, physiological needs. Among these are the need for relief from thirst and hunger, pain relief, fatigue, and sleep. Therefore, by fulfilling these needs, they could aspire to more. For example, individuals studied to have a profession that would give them an income to eat, live, have a house with adequate heating in their areas of interaction, etcetera (^{Arango & Ramirez, 2007}).

The second level refers to security needs, which include care and protection against physical and emotional damage. People are concerned about saving and buying goods and insurance to have an orderly life without worries in the future. These needs appear once the previous ones are relatively satisfied. Next, at the third level, are the needs of belonging, that is, those seeking to enable the individual to relate to other members of society or people around them, seeking their affection, interaction, or association with each of them. They represent the will to recognize and be recognized by others, which includes affection, a sense of belonging, acceptance, identification with a group, and friendship.

The fourth group of needs in Maslow’s hierarchy consists of self-esteem/recognition, i.e., the desire for fulfillment, mastery of one’s activities, acquired skills, independence, autonomy, and freedom; it can also be a desire for reputation, prestige, status, and recognition. Some authors mention that it is the need to feel useful and necessary. Finally, the need for self-fulfillment occurs when there is a complete manifestation or realization of the activities performed, whether in physical, psychological, or social aspects. Nevertheless, the motivations and order of these needs in one person are currently very different than in another (^{Montoro, Pinazo, & Tortosa, 2007}; ^{Barnes & Pressey, 2012}).

Recent evidence on the study, analysis and contributions of Maslow’s theory is shown below in Table 1.

Regarding talent attraction and retention factors, ^{Araya, Rojas, and Varas (2021)}, ^{Dourado and Zambroni-de-Souza (2020)}, and ^{Madero (2019)} mention the relevance of designing strategies, processes, and management tools in the areas of human resources in order to ensure that people are motivated when they join a company and adapt to the current work environment. Likewise, organizations have to satisfy the preferences of the new generations in the various workplaces in order to generate an attractive value proposition so that people can continue to fulfill their functions, helping them to stay in the workplace, highlighting growth opportunities, the development of people’s skills, and activities that favor work-life balance, among other activities, as a set of elements to be considered in the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational aspects of employees.

Similarly, although considering the preferences of job seekers, ^{Ng, Schweitzer, and Lyons (2010)} also mention the opportunities to advance and grow in the company, having good leaders at the head of the work areas, as well as good co-workers and attractive benefits plans. Nevertheless, it is also important to mention the relevance of monetary and non-monetary compensation as decisive motivational factors for analyzing a job alternative.

^{Jerome et al. (2014)} mention the importance of flexible business policies related to the workforce. The new generations prefer activities with flexible schedules that favor work performance in a hybrid format and, therefore, maintain productivity levels, the achievement of results, and permanence. These aspects are highly relevant in the processes of human behavior, especially in terms of motivation.

Methodology

The following is the methodology on which this non-experimental, transectional, descriptive, and correlational quantitative research is based in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.

Analysis of the participants

The characteristics of the research participants are shown below, providing information on the people involved, highlighting that 44.7% are male, 55.3% are female, and 71.6% are under 40 years of age (see Table 2).

In order to find out what plans the people participating in the research have, two points of view were considered, one related to the short term (in the next two years) and the other to the medium term, emphasizing that it refers to plans over 3 years. Among the results obtained, it is important to mention that in the short term, the most important aspects are the establishment of their own business (29.8%), occupying a management position (25.2%), and continuing to work (21.2%), identifying that these are aspects of motivation and attraction and retention of talent, while the results obtained for the medium term plans show an increase in the motivation to start and create their own business (50.5%) (see Table 3).

Initial descriptive analysis

In order to respond to one of the research objectives, the following table shows the descriptive results of the various items of each of Maslow’s needs, identifying that the needs for self-esteem and affiliation are those that show the highest average on the measurement scale (see Table 4). Nowadays, according to the results obtained, the motivations and order of these needs seem to be different from the hierarchy and order originally known.

It can be seen that the aspects of talent attraction and retention that somehow influence professional development are mainly focused on aspects of non-monetary remuneration. Some authors, such as ^{Espinoza and Toscano (2020)}, analyze the emotional salary, highlighting that it facilitates the work environment and helps the company be a good workplace. Some of these aspects are recognition, effective feedback, attractive and challenging activities design, and a pleasant work environment (see Table 5).

Validity and reliability analysis

The questionnaire is one of the most widely used tools in the field of research. It is defined as an instrument that helps to collect data and information. As ^{Arribas (2004)} states, it is specifically designed to universalize and quantify all the information more simply so that it can be compared.

After creating a measurement scale, it must be ensured that the instrument is valid and reliable. Validity means that the measurement instrument created measures what it is intended to measure or for what it was created. There are multiple methods to validate an instrument since it constitutes the proper interpretations or inferences to be made from the scores obtained through the application of the test (^{Luján-Tangarife & Cardona-Arias, 2015}). One of the validity methods used was the validity of experts, who reviewed the questionnaire on different occasions and made the corresponding modifications in the text, as well as the follow-up in the translation of the original scale in English.

The reliability of the measurement scale is the degree to which the instrument accurately measures each of the variables involved. According to ^{Arribas (2004)}, reliability indicates the instrument’s ability to be used multiple times and to obtain constant and truthful results.

To continue with the analysis of the data and to be able to obtain the degree of reliability of each of the constructs, various multivariate analysis statistical tests were performed, observing a KMO of 0.931, sig=0.000, which shows a high relation between the variables and that the factorial analysis test can be performed. Regarding the first validity test, the coefficients from the anti-image correlation matrix showed indicators greater than 0.5. Therefore, all the data present validity.

In order to fulfill the previously mentioned research objectives, exploratory factor analysis was carried out to determine the factor loadings of each of the items of Maslow’s needs measurement scale, showing factor loadings greater than 0.5 in the rotated component matrix, confirming the convergence of each of the items of the five dimensions used in the design of the measurement instrument (see Table 6). On the other hand, there was an adjustment in the items of the needs measurement scale for security since two of the concepts included in the need for belonging were included (items 3 and 6). This decision was considered convenient since the family, from the cultural perspective in Mexico, has an important role in professional development, as mentioned by ^{Madero (2010)}.

Results analysis

As seen in Table 6, each dimension has convergence and consistency in its items, although all items that did not have convergence and consistency or showed factor loadings lower than 0.5 had to be eliminated. The reliability indexes were subsequently obtained with Cronbach’s alpha statistic, which was statistically reliable (see Table 7). Looking for a possible relation between the different needs used in Maslow’s hierarchy, a correlation analysis was conducted, obtaining the following results:

It can be observed that all the relations show positive correlation factors, highlighting that self-fulfillment needs show the highest percentage of correlation with self-esteem needs (R=0.73, sign<=0. 01). In other words, when people know that they do things well, that they are recognized for what they do, it makes them feel satisfied, using their capabilities to the maximum, in any role they perform. Although this research can be analyzed from a business or labor point of view, the importance of recognition, whether monetary or non-monetary, is extremely important to achieve the objectives planned in managing human resources.

Following the analysis of the results and meeting the previously mentioned objectives, regression models were developed to identify the impact of the various attraction and retention factors on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Taking each of Maslow’s five needs as dependent variables and the various factors of talent attraction and retention as independent variables, the following results were obtained: For physiological needs, the most influential factors are challenging and interesting activities and in-kind remunerations such as benefits packages. Regarding security needs, it is observed that the treatment of colleagues and the aspects of variable remuneration are the most influential, emphasizing that, in these first two needs, it can be observed that two elements of monetary compensation do have a statistical effect and confirm the relevance that this type of practice currently has in the human resources function in companies (see Table 8).

Regarding the need for Affiliation, there is statistical evidence of three aspects of attraction and retention that are most influential: (1) autonomy in the performed activities, (2) balance between personal and professional activities, and (3) being able to use technological tools in the workplace

In the case of self-esteem needs, the evidence shows mixed results, i.e., the variables work-life balance, challenging and interesting activities, and the contact networks that exist or are established in the workplace have a positive effect and help people to do their work well and achieve their objectives. In contrast, the work environment has a negative effect, which makes people feel uncomfortable and, not having a good place that makes them feel good, they prefer to look for work elsewhere and decide to leave. Finally, for self-fulfillment needs, the balance between personal and work activities and the use of technological tools in the workplace stand out again.

According to the above, Table 9 shows how the factors of talent attraction and retention are related to the hierarchy of needs, highlighting the monetary and non-monetary aspects, complying with the aspects of Maslow’s theory. Nevertheless, it is important to note that non-monetary aspects related to social interaction in digital environments are observed, such as contact networks and the use of various existing technological tools.

Considering the results mentioned above and taking into account the current reality due to the aspects of communication and the use of electronic and technological equipment, according to ^{INEGI (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía) (2021)} in Mexico, 78.3% of the population are cell phone users, and 75. 6% of the Internet, so it is required to analyze the hierarchy of needs, including virtual processes, as ^{Barnes and Pressey (2012)} mentioned. On the other hand, ^{Vélez (2017)} indicates that the digital world has entered the lives of human beings and somehow has had an impact on the topics of the research that has been conducted. The use of technology is increasingly frequent in daily life, so it is proposed to analyze Maslow’s needs according to the needs of infrastructure, connectivity, applications, approval, and interrelation. (see Table 10).

Regarding the person’s basic needs, such as physiological needs, food, water, and clothing, today, having the necessary infrastructure can be considered a new need. Examples include having a cell phone, internet access, or a computer to perform various personal, professional, or academic activities. It can even be considered that to satisfy hunger, people can order at the restaurant of their choice by simply picking up their cell phones. In the case of clothing, it is possible to shop online and, in this way, satisfy some basic needs through various services offered using some technological tool as a support. In terms of security needs, which could be called connectivity, the skills to be able to use multiple existing applications such as Google, Amazon, Cornershop, Uber, Uber Eats, Rappi, Waze, Google Maps, and Airbnb, among others, could be considered, since they are useful for enabling users to locate immediate information, and are easy to use, developing skills and knowledge in people in terms of their functionality in their use.

For social or Affiliation needs, the applications and internet access to use various social networks known today, such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or some others that have recently appeared with similar applications, can be considered, as they keep people united and in communication through a network of contacts that can be increased 24 hours a day. Regarding self-esteem or recognition needs, these can relate to using photographs, editing, sending videos, and following influencers or YouTubers, or using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and Spotify. People receive positive and negative comments on the information they share, favoring feeling recognized by being accepted in that aspect and favoring acceptance or approval in social networks. Finally, self-realization needs can be related to those activities in which social networks are used to the maximum and in which people’s competencies or skills to conduct a certain activity are demonstrated, both personally and professionally, for example, Tik-Tok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, which favor the creation of new contact networks and maintain that connectivity and interrelation that is required in a globalized environment.

Conclusions

The empirical results of this study lead to a series of interesting conclusions. One of them is that the hierarchy of Maslow’s various needs is sensitive to each participant’s perception and may vary according to the context in which they operate. Nevertheless, a pyramidal behavior is not shown, but rather the needs for recognition and social needs are the most predominant. It should be noted that motivational theories require further research to analyze and identify changes and possible adjustments that must be conducted according to the current processes and situations.

In the case of the measurement instrument used to identify Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the process of designing and adapting the scale was very useful because, according to the statistical results obtained, it can be concluded that it is a valid and reliable instrument for the participant sample. This instrument enabled the development of a scale to measure the current needs considering the technology and social network environment.

According to Maslow’s scale of needs, talent attraction and retention are motivational aspects. Physiological and security needs maintain a positive relation with the monetary components of compensation, while social, recognition, and self-fulfillment needs have a relation with non-monetary aspects.

One of the limitations that can be considered for the present research is related to the analysis of the information from the perspective of demographic data and its inclusion in the measurement instrument. Nevertheless, the advances shown so far meet the objectives set and are considered relevant and interesting in the measurement of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as well as its relation with the factors of attraction and retention of talent since there is little evidence of these research works. In the future, it is intended to continue revising the structure of the instrument and the wording of the items to improve reliability, in addition to applying it in other work contexts, regions of Mexico, and, if possible, in other countries to make comparative studies with the information obtained, as well as to apply the proposed scale according to Maslow’s needs and the use of social networks.

This option provides a basis for new research in the future to analyze the various concepts proposed by Maslow that have continued to evolve in today’s society, as well as to consider whether a different need may have arisen in recent years due to the connectivity environments or the use of social networks that have increased considerably, as well as the design of workplaces, as mentioned by ^{Frankó and Dúll (2020)}.

It is also recommended to continue this project with the following research questions:

What are people’s new needs or motivators in their activities, regardless of the context in which they find themselves?

How do the various needs of Maslow’s hierarchy relate to the current work context?

How have aspects of motivation evolved in people before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic?

Can workplace design and a flexible work environment be a motivating element?