Herzberg's Theory Of Motivation Analysis

Embracing Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, the company has embarked on offering its employees incentives that contribute to job satisfaction. The

Chapman, Alan (n.d.). Frederick Herzberg motivational theory, motivators and hygiene factors. Businessballs.com Retrieved 7/21/10 from http://www.businessballs.com/herzberg.htm

1. The hygiene factors is an aspect of Herzberg's theory that focuses on the work setting, include adequate wages, comfortable and safe working conditions, fair company policies, and job security (Ferrell, Hirt, Ferrell, 2009, p. 271).

Hygiene factors which do not give positive satisfaction, although dissatisfaction results from their absence. These are extrinsic to the work itself, such as Company policy, Supervision, Relationship with boss, Work conditions, Salary, Relationship with peers, Security.

The other consists of dissatisfiers, which mainly describe the environment and serve primarily prevent job dissatisfaction, while having little effect on positive job attitudes. These are called hygiene factors, implying that they are preventative and environmental (Armstrong,

Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory- a theory that explores factors associated with satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the workplace (Bell et al., 2014).

Employee equality, job security, and fair wages are considered some of the hygiene factors that exist in a workplace environment (O. Ferrell, Hirt, & L. Ferrell, 2009). Frederick Herzberg used these elements along with motivational factors to create a theory of motivation, known as Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory.

Safety needs - Where the basic needs are reasonably satisfied we turn to thinking about protection from danger, security and order so that we feel safe. These safety needs can be a concern for physical safety but also covers psychological safety needs such as job security etc.

(1959). According to Herzberg, individuals are not content with the satisfaction of lower-order needs at work; for example, those needs associated with minimum salary levels or safe and pleasant working conditions. Rather, individuals look for the gratification of higher-level psychological needs having to do with achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and the nature of the work itself. (Figure 1) This theory suggests that to improve job attitudes and productivity, administrators must recognize and attend to both sets of characteristics and not assume that an increase in satisfaction leads to decrease in unpleasurable dissatisfaction. Herzberg concluded that these factors not only cause job satisfaction, but to have a positive and lasting influence on motivation, if they are present. Therefore these factors became known as “motivators”. Dissatisfaction on the other hand was caused by factors in the job environment that did not directly contribute to the work itself, Herzberg, Mausner, Boch Snyderman (1959). The positive handling of these factors, according to Herzberg, could have only a short-term effect on motivation, while these factors caused severe dissatisfaction with the job, if they were handled badly. Herzberg referred to these factors as “hygiene”.

Hygiene factors (dissatisfiers): these are the things to do with work that people usually grumble about. They are needs that, if they are not satisfied.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory states that both hygiene factors and motivators are factors that help motivate employees to work. According to Frederick Herzberg, a behavioral scientist who proposed this two-factory theory, there are job factors that are repercussions of satisfaction while there are other job factors that prevent dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors are those, which employees need for motivation to exist at their workplace. In other words, without hygiene factors, there is no employee satisfaction. As hygiene factors are not motivators themselves, workspace, break times, and the availability of parking need to be improved to prevent a decline in overall productivity.

The subject of motivation has been an important component in both theoretical and applied literature. There are many reasons why the motivational theories have generated so much discussion. In an organization motivation has been considered an important factor because employee motivation is considered essential for an organization 's status within the business environment and the community. The two motivation theories selected for this paper is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg hygiene factors.

Herzberg’s model (1956) is the most used in business. It splits hygiene factors from motivation factors. Hygiene factors are related to salary, working conditions, policies and administration are not managed well lead to dissatisfaction in the employees when they are not satisfied. (Saiyadain, 2009)

According to Herzberg, the factors leading to job satisfaction are distinctly different from those that lead to job-dissatisfaction. Therefore, the managers who seek to eliminate factors that create job-dissatisfaction can bring about peace at the workplace but cannot motivate the employees. These factors are termed as hygiene factors comprising administration, supervision, working conditions, salary and wages etc. While absence of hygiene factors will lead to dissatisfaction, mere presence of these factors will not satisfy (i.e. motivate) the employees. In order to motivate the employees, managers must resort to ‘motivators’ (those factors that motivate the employees towards better performance) such as recognition, challenging assignment, responsibility, opportunities for growth and self-fulfillment etc.

Herzberg’s two-factor theory Psychologist Frederick Herzberg developed a ‘two-factor’ theory for motivation based on ‘motivators’ and ‘hygience factors’. Hygience factors are basic human needs at work. It do not motivate but failure to meet them causes dissatisfaction. The hygience factors