This article concerns Frederick Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory, which was formulated in the book "The Motivation to Work". (1967) This theory is divided into two different categories of factors affecting the motivation to work. The first category is labelled as motivation factors, and the second category is marked as hygiene factors. The underlying assumption theorised by Frederick Herzberg is that the presence of hygiene factors prevent employees from feeling unhappy (dissatisfied) with their job. Hygiene factors include extrinsic factors like technical supervision, interpersonal relations, physical working conditions, salary, company policies and administrative practices, benefits and job security.
List of hygiene factors:
- Pay and Benefits
- Company Policy and Administration
- Relationships with co-workers
- Physical Environment
- Supervision
- Status
- Job Security
- Salary
- Working Conditions
- Personal life
Therefore, maintaining hygiene factors only ensures that the employees do not feel unhappy or frustrated with their jobs.
In comparison, motivation factors include intrinsic factors such as achievement, recognition and status, responsibility, challenging work, and advancement in the organization, which can potentially make employees happy with their jobs and motivated to excel at work.
List of motivator factors:
- Achievement
- Recognition
- Work Itself
- Responsibility
- Promotion
- Growth
This distinction between the different effects of motivation factors and hygiene factors seems static and inflexible, and later research has pinpointed flaws in the original terminology of Frederick Herzberg. For example, Ebrahim Maidani (1991) conducted research based on Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory, which showed new exciting insights into the validity of Herzberg's Theory and its somewhat normative approach. In short, the research conducted by Ebrahim Maidani concluded that both intrinsic motivation factors and extrinsic hygiene factors can influence overall job motivation. This stands in contrast to the original terminology of Frederick Herzberg, where only motivation factors were theorized as factors increasing job satisfaction and motivation.
Reference(s)
The Motivation to WorkHerzberg, Frederick; (1959); New York: John Wiley and Sons
A Comparative study of Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of job satisfaction among public and private sectors.
Maidani, Ebrahim; (1991); Public Personnel Management; Vol. 20 Issue 4; p441
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