What Is Herzberg's Two Factor Theory of Motivation?
Frederick Herzberg (who lived from 1923 to 2000) was a psychologist whose name has become synonymous with workplace satisfaction. He is known for his theory about job satisfaction. His theory is known as the Motivator-Hygiene theory and was published under the title "One More Time, How Do You Motivate Employees?" This book sold more than 1 million copies and is used extensively in the top business schools in America.
Herzberg knew that job satisfaction is important for both the employee and the employer. To get the most of an employee an employer should make sure they use a two pronged approach to employee satisfaction.
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Significance
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The employer should provide opportunity for psychological growth and job satisfaction. Herzberg gives these two areas the labels of "hygiene" and "motivation" (see link in Resources). The hygiene factors include working conditions and supervisor quality, as well as salary, status and safety issue. The motivation factors include growth opportunity, achievement and recognition, among other factors.
High Hygiene and High Motivation
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Achieve both high hygiene and high motivation to make the best case scenario for any employee. In this situation, employees have few complaints and are highly motivated.
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High Hygiene and Low Motivation
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In this scenario, employees view the job as a paycheck. Employees have few complaints but not much motivation.
Low Hygiene and High Motivation
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When a job is interesting and challenging but the working conditions are poor, the result is low hygiene and high motivation. The employee enjoys the work but the work conditions leave something to be desired.
Low Hygiene and Low Motivation
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The worst case scenario is low hygiene and low motivation. Employees typically do not find satisfaction in their jobs and the working conditions are not great either. This situation results in the lowest job satisfaction for employees.
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Resources
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