The Marvelous Mr. Maslow & His Pyramid

This season of Green Flags tracks along with the psychologist Abraham Maslow’s famous (yet tragically misunderstood) Hierarchy of Needs. But how did this pyramid wind up in PowerPoint decks throughout corporate America – especially when Maslow’s ideas were rejected by his peers? And how can companies use it as a guide to investing in the people central to business success, rather than a tool for leveraging our basic needs to boost productivity?

In our first mini-episode of Green Flags, Adam and Maude dive into the history around America’s most-cited psychologist of the 20th century and his mythical pyramid, from Maslow’s dream of using psychology to help humans transcend war, to the beatnik culture and his defense of Timothy Leary in federal court, to the walls of HR offices and business schools everywhere.