Frederick Herzberg’s Two factor theory

• Herzberg used questionnaires and interviews to ask professionals about factors that influence employee performance in the workplace
• His conclusion was that employee performance is affected how well workers performed their jobs:
• hygiene factors and
• motivators
• Hygiene factors:
  • These are things that are likely to lead to job dissatisfaction
  • Job satisfaction is a measure of how content an employee is with his/her job
  • Job dissatisfaction is when an employee has negative feelings/view/is not content with their job
  • Herzberg identified 5 main hygiene factors:
    1. Working conditions
    2. salary
    3. relationship with others (including the relationship between supervisors and subordinates
    4. company policy and administration
    5. supervision
  • He recommended that management find an acceptable level for these hygiene factors and stick to it
  • In other words management should benchmark these factors
  • If they are not properly met hygiene factors lead to job dissatisfaction
  • However even if they are met they will not lead to job satisfaction (motivation)
• Motivators:
  • These are things that are likely to lead to job satisfaction
  • Job satisfaction is a measure of how well content an employee is with their job
  • When an employee has positive feelings and attitudes towards their job this is called job satisfaction
  • The opposite of this is known as job dissatisfaction
  • If a person’s motivators are met it is likely to lead to motivation
  • Herzberg identified 5 factors which lead to motivation:
    1. Achievement
    2. Recognition
    3. Personal growth/development
    4. The work itself
    5. Promotion/Opportunity
  • Herzberg recommended that managers should find ways to improve motivators
  • So as to lead to motivation
• To motivate workers managers need to benchmark (standardise) hygiene works and maximise motivators

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