Herzberg's Motivator-Hygiene (Two-factor) Theory

According to the two-factor motivation theory, there are two sets of mutually exclusive elements that create job satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the workplace (Herzberg, 1966; 1982; 1991; Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 1959). Herzberg's Two-factor theory, also known as Motivator-Hygiene, arose from a study of accountants and engineers to understand what makes people happy or unhappy at work (Saif et al., 2012).

According to Golshan et al. (2011), It fails to distinguish between physical and psychological components, to explicitly explain what motivators are and how they differ from hygienic considerations, and to convey the degrees of satisfaction and discontent as a metric rather than using numbers.

Frederick Herzberg (1966) provided a further insight into motivation. His original research involves interviewing some 203 accountants and engineers; who were asked to identify those issues in their job that made them feel exceptionally or extremely good or bad. Herzberg was interested in knowing what people want from their jobs. When interpreted, these responses revealed that two different sets of factors affect motivation and work.

Motivators and Hygiene Factors are two sets of factors mentioned by Herzberg in determining an employee's working attitude and level of performance (Robbins, 2009)

                

Herzberg's motivation factors (Ruthankoon 2003).

 1.    Achievement 

If an employee completes a work or project ahead of schedule and     receives excellent feedback, this is an example of positive achievement (Ruthankoon 2003).

2.            Recognition 

Employee satisfaction will rise when they receive the recognition, they deserve for a job well done. It will have the reverse effect if the employee's work is neglected or condemned (Ruthankoon 2003).

 3.             Work Itself 

The content of job tasks in itself can have positive or negative effects on employees. The job’s difficulty and level of engagement can dramatically impact satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the workplace (Alshmemri et al., 2017).

 4.            Responsibility 

The term "responsibility" refers to the individual's responsibilities as well as the authority given to them in their role. When people are given the responsibility and authority to make decisions, they feel fulfilled. A mismatch between responsibility and authority, on the other hand, has a detrimental impact on job satisfaction (Alshmemri et al., 2017, 2017).

 5.            Advancement 

This relates to the prospect of promotion, which may be expected or unexpected. If an employee is not promoted or demoted as planned, this is an example of negative advancement. (Ruthankoon 2003).

 6.            Possibility of Growth 

Possibilities for growth are similar to Maslow's concept of self-actualization in that they are opportunities for a person to achieve personal growth and advancement at work. Professional development, increasing opportunity to develop new skills and procedures, and gaining professional knowledge can all result from personal growth (Alshmemri et al., 2017, 2017).

 

Herzberg's Hygiene factors

Hygiene factors that do not increase motivation but lead to dissatisfaction if they are not prearranged in an organization (Herzberg et al. 1959).

1.    Company policy

The level of dissatisfaction that an employee feels depends on whether or not the policies in place are good or bad, or whether or not they are fair (Ruthankoon 2003).

2.    Supervision 

This refers to the interactions one has with their bosses, coworkers, and subordinates. Dissatisfaction can also be influenced by how someone thinks about the interactions and debates that take place in the workplace (Ruthankoon 2003).

3.    Salary 

This component is quite straightforward; an increase or decrease in wage or income has a significant impact on employee unhappiness (Ruthankoon 2003).

4.    Relationship with peers 

Even though people try to keep job and personal life distinct, it is unavoidable that one will have an impact on the other (Ruthankoon 2003).

5.    Status and security 

This is a very important factor. Dissatisfaction is linked to a sense of job security within a position or an organization as a whole (Ruthankoon 2003).                              

Example

A research study of attempted to determine the relevance of motivator-hygiene theory of job satisfaction in a sample of industrial salespeople of 82 British firms. The results of the investigation reflected that applicability of Herzberg’s model of job satisfaction is not perfectly applicable to industrial salespersons in Britain. Many study variables like “improve quality of life”, “meet family responsibilities”, both being money related “acknowledgement”, “promotion opportunities” and “job security” were found to be determinants of both motivation and dissatisfaction This led the researchers to express their concern on the existence of the dichotomous nature of the aforementioned job facets Herzberg treated “work itself” as a motivator, but study respondents rated “tasks performed in the job itself” and “job responsibilities” as dissatisfiers. However few study variables including “job status'' and “company policy'' were in line with Herzberg's findings. Many other empirical investigations, presented underneath, revealed mixed findings suggesting Herzberg’s theoretical predictions as highly controversial (World Applied Sciences Journal 24 (8): 1031-1036, 2013)

 

Reference

Alshmemri, M., Shahwan-Akl, L., & Maude, P. (2017). Herzberg’s two-factor theory. Life Science Journal, 14(5), 12-16.

Golshan, N. M., Kaswuri, A.H., Agashahi, B, Amin, M, & Ismail, W.K.W. (2011). Effects of Motivational Factors on Job Satisfaction

Herzberg, Frederick; Mausner, Bernard; Snyderman, Barbara B. (1959): The motivation to work. 2. ed. New York, London: Wiley; Chapman & Hall.

Herzberg, F. I. (1966). Work and the Nature of Man.

Herzberg, F. I. (1982). The managerial choice: To be efficient and to be human (2nd ed., Rev.). Salt Lake City, UT: Olympus.

Herzberg, F. I. (1991). Happiness and unhappiness: A brief autobiography of Frederick I. Herzberg. Unpublished manuscript, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

Herzberg, F. I., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. (1959). The motivation to work (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley.

Robbins, P. S (2009) Organizational Behavior, Dorling Kindersly (India) Pvt. Ltd

Ruthankoon, R., & Ogunlana, S.O. (2003). Testing Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory in the Thai Construction Industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management. 10(5), 333-342.

Saif, K.F., Nawaz, A., Jan, A. & Khan, M.I. Synthesizing the theories of job-satisfaction across the cultural/attitudinal dimensions. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 2012,3 (9): 1382-1396

World Applied Sciences Journal 24 (8): 1031-1036, 2013 ISSN 1818-4952 © IDOSI Publications, 2013 Towards Understanding Controversy on Herzberg Theory of Motivation, Dean, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences. Director, 1 Institute of Business Administration (IBA)/Director General, Gujranwala Campus, University of the Punjab, Lahore (Pakistan) COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) Lahore Campus, Pakist