TWO FACTOR THEORIES

INTRODUCTION

Frederick Herzberg was a psychologist interested in the correlation between employee attitude and workplace motivation. He wanted to find out what made people feel satisfied and unsatisfied when it came to the workplace. After spending countless hours interviewing employees about what made them feel both good and bad about their jobs, Herzberg developed a theory of workplace motivation called the two-factor theory. The two-factor theory is based on the assumption that there are two sets of factors that influence motivation in the workplace by either enhancing employee satisfaction or hindering it.

The first of the two are called hygiene factors and no, I am not talking about the personal hygiene of your co-workers, though that can certainly be questionable at times. Rather, Herzberg used the term ‘hygiene’ to describe factors that cause dissatisfaction in the workplace, are extrinsic (or independent of the work itself), and are linked to things such as compensation, job security, organizational politics, working conditions, quality of leadership, and relationships between supervisors, subordinates, and peers.

ccording to Herzberg, these factors do not motivate employees. However, when they are missing or inadequate, hygiene factors can cause serious dissatisfaction. Just think about how unhappy you would be in a job where you were underpaid, were in fear of losing your job, dealt constantly with gossip, lacked effective leadership, and were surrounded by coworkers whom you despised. Hygiene factors are all about making an employee feel comfortable, secure, and happy. When hygiene factors are not fulfilled, it feels like something is missing or not quite right, kind of how you would feel if you couldn’t shower, brush your teeth, or wash your hands after using the bathroom.

The second factor is motivators or satisfiers. These are linked to employee motivation and arise from intrinsic, or dependent, conditions of the job itself. Factors for satisfaction include responsibility, job satisfaction, recognition, achievement, opportunities for growth, and advancement. The two-factor theory (also known as Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory and dual-factor theory) states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction. It was developed by psychologist Frederick Herzberg, who theorized that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction act independently of each other.

This theory, also called the Motivation-Hygiene Theory or the dual-factor theory, was penned by Frederick Herzberg in 1959. This American psychologist, who was very interested in people’s motivation and job satisfaction, came up with the theory. He conducted his research by asking a group of people about their good and bad experiences at work. He was surprised that the group answered questions about their good experiences very differently from the ones about their bad experiences.

Based on this, he developed the theory that people’s job satisfaction depends on two kinds of factors. Factors for satisfaction (motivators/satisfiers) and factors for dissatisfaction (hygiene factors/ dissatisfiers).

Performance, recognition, job status, responsibility and opportunities for growth all fall under motivators/ satisfiers. Hygiene factors/dissatisfiers are about salary, secondary working conditions, the relationship with colleagues, physical work place and the relationship between supervisor and employee.

In his theory, Herzberg claims these factors function on the same plane. In other words, satisfaction and dissatisfaction aren’t polar opposites. Taking away an employee’s dissatisfaction – for example by offering a higher salary – doesn’t necessarily mean the employee will then be satisfied. The employee is just no longer dissatisfied.

The two factors identified by Herzberg are motivators and hygiene factors.

1. Motivating Factors

The presence of motivators causes employees to work harder. They are found within the actual job itself. According to Herzberg, the hygiene factors cannot be regarded as motivators. The motivational factors yield positive satisfaction. These factors are inherent to work. These factors motivate the employees for a superior performance. These factors are called satisfiers. These are factors involved in performing the job. Employees find these factors intrinsically rewarding. The motivators symbolized the psychological needs that were perceived as an additional benefit. Motivational factors include:Recognition – The employees should be praised and recognized for their accomplishments by the managers.

• Sense of achievement – The employees must have a sense of achievement. This depends on the job. There must be a fruit of some sort in the job.
• Growth and promotional opportunities – There must be growth and advancement opportunities in an organization to motivate the employees to perform well.
• Responsibility – The employees must hold themselves responsible for the work. The managers should give them ownership of the work. They should minimize control but retain accountability.
• Meaningfulness of the work – The work itself should be meaningful, interesting and challenging for the employee to perform and to get motivated.

2. Hygiene Factors

The absence of hygiene factors will cause employees to work less hard. Hygiene factors are not present in the actual job itself but surround the job.

1. Hygiene factors-Hygiene factors are those job factors which are essential for existence of motivation at workplace. These do not lead to positive satisfaction for long-term. But if these factors are absent / if these factors are non-existant at workplace, then they lead to dissatisfaction. In other words, hygiene factors are those factors which when adequate/reasonable in a job, pacify the employees and do not make them dissatisfied. These factors are extrinsic to work. Hygiene factors are also called as dissatisfiers or maintenance factors as they are required to avoid dissatisfaction. These factors describe the job environment/scenario. The hygiene factors symbolized the physiological needs which the individuals wanted and expected to be fulfilled. Hygiene factors include:

Motivating factors include:

• Achievement: A job must give an employee a sense of achievement. This will provide a proud feeling of having done something difficult but worthwhile.
• Recognition: A job must provide an employee with praise and recognition of their successes. This recognition should come from both their superiors and their peers.
• The work itself: The job itself must be interesting, varied, and provide enough of a challenge to keep employees motivated.
• Responsibility: Employees should “own” their work. They should hold themselves responsible for this completion and not feel as though they are being micromanaged.
• Advancement: Promotion opportunities should exist for the employee.
• Growth: The job should give employees the opportunity to learn new skills. This can happen either on the job or through more formal training.

Hygiene factors include:

• Company policies: These should be fair and clear to every employee. They must also be equivalent to those of competitors.
• Supervision: Supervision must be fair and appropriate. The employee should be given as much autonomy as is reasonable.
• Relationships: There should be no tolerance for bullying or cliques. A healthy, amiable, and appropriate relationship should exist between peers, superiors, and subordinates.
• Work conditions: Equipment and the working environment should be safe, fit for purpose, and hygienic.
• Salary: The pay structure should be fair and reasonable. It should also be competitive with other organizations in the same industry.
• Status: The organization should maintain the status of all employees within the organization. Performing meaningful work can provide a sense of status.
• Security: It is important that employees feel that their job is secure and they are not under the constant threat of being laid-off.

4 different combinations can exist at work:

1. High hygiene and high motivation: This is the ideal situation. Employees are very motivated and barely have any complaints.
2. High hygiene and low motivation: Employees have few complaints, but they’re not really motivated, they see their work simply as a pay check.

iii. Low hygiene and high motivation: Employees are motivated, their job is challenging, but they have complaints about salary or work conditions.

1. Low hygiene and low motivation: This is the worst possible situation, employees are not motivated and have a lot of complaints.