Frederick Herzberg - Definition and Overview

Frederick Herzberg (1923 - 2000) proposed the Two Factor theory of human motivation. According to his theory people were influenced by two factors. Satisfaction and psychological growth was a factor of motivation factors. Dissatisfaction was a result of hygiene factors. Essentially, hygiene factors were needed to ensure an employee was not dissatisfied. In order to motivate an employee into higher performance motivation factors were needed. Some of his fellow psychologist don't agree with his work, arguing that Herzberg used faulty methodology.

Hygiene Factors include

• Working conditions
• Salary
• Status
• Security
• interpersonal relations

Motivation Factors Include

• Achievement
• Achievement Recognition
• Responsibility
• Advancement
• Growth

The combination of hygiene and motivation factors can result in four conditions.

• High Hygiene / High Motivation: The ideal situation where employees are highly motivated and have few complaints

• High Hygiene / Low Motivation: Employees have few complaints but are not highly motivated. "The job is a paycheck" situation

• Low Hygiene / High Motivation: Employees are motivated but have a lot of complaints. A situation where the job is exciting and challenging but salaries and work conditions are not up to par.

• Low Hygiene / Low Motivation: The worst situation. Unmotivated employees with lots of complaints.

See also

• Hawthorne effect - which throws light on the diffulties of measuring motivation

External links

• Herzberg's Theory of Motivation and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-1/needs.html)