People in Business 2: Herzberg - Hygiene Factors and Motivation Factors

Herzberg - Hygiene Factors and Motivation Factors

Frederick Herzberg (1923 - 2000) was a clinical psychologist. (Hopefully you are getting some idea now that much of the research into motivation was inspired by psychologists who were investigating human behaviour rather than business people!). You have probably heard about 'job enrichment'. Well, Herzberg was the man who advanced that idea.

Herzberg's basic idea stemmed from the fact that not all factors could be classed as motivational factors. He was interested in what caused satisfaction in the workplace and what the causes of dissatisfaction were. If employers could minimise the factors that cause dissatisfaction and maximise those that lead to satisfaction then he believed that an organisation could get the best out of its workers.

Herzberg classified these two aspects as hygiene factors and motivation factors.

Hygiene Factors:

How the business is organised - is it hierarchical, formal, informal, relaxed, a fearsome intimidating place to work etc?
The way leaders and managers treat the workforce and react with them
Working conditions - is the working environment too hot, too cold, too noisy, are the chairs uncomfortable, is it cramped, too dark, too light, etc.
Work relationships - how do people get on with each other?
Pay - is pay appropriate to the job of work being carried out? Do workers see their pay as being fair?
Status - how do people see themselves in the organisation? Do they feel they have some respect - whatever job it is they do?
Job security - do people feel secure as far as their job is concerned or are they constantly worried about losing their job or being made redundant?

Herzberg suggested that these factors could all be looked at and changed by the organisation. These are factors that contribute to dissatisfaction at work. As such putting in policies to remedy them is not likely to motivate staff but attending to them will act to remove some of the dissatisfaction that employees might feel.

How does your working environment make you feel? Are you relaxed and comfortable or is the workplace causing you headaches and frustration? That might be down to hygiene factors! Copyright: Constantin Kammerer and Bob Smith, both from stock.xchng.

Herzberg felt that solving some of these problems might lead to a temporary feeling of well being in staff and there might be some improvement in performance. Crucially though, the effects of this soon wear off. As a result, the employer would not see any long term improvement in performance. These are not, therefore, motivating factors.

Herzberg believed the following were really motivational factors:

Motivation Factors:

The work itself - many people believe in their work and feel they are making a difference - that is enough to motivate them
Recognition - being recognised for the contribution that you are making is something that many of us want and need
Achievement - seeing the results of what we do and knowing that we had a part in that result
Responsibility - being given responsibility is something that people enjoy, they respond to being given responsibility
Advancement and personal growth - part of recognition is the opportunity to be able to advance yourself - to be given more challenging tasks and be seen as being capable of doing such tasks. As an individual advances they develop greater confidence and skill and in doing so feel good about themselves and grow as a person

Task:

Given the information above, and from what you have covered about Maslow and McGregor, do you think that money is the most important factor in motivating people at work? Explain your answer.

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