The renowned psychologist Frederick Herzberg gained his fame thanks to his work in the field of occupational psychology. Specifically, he dedicated himself to the administrative management of companies, speaking from a psychological perspective.
Thanks to his two-factor theory, it was possible to better understand what made a worker satisfied and, conversely, what prevented him from being satisfied. As we will see in this article when explaining the theory, it is very useful in the psychology of work and organizations, and is still applied today in numerous companies. In this Psychology-Online article you will discover the Herzberg’s two-factor theory of work motivationwhich is also called motivation and hygiene theory.
Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory
In the two factor theory or theory of motivation and hygiene, Herzberg establishes that workers (in reality, all individuals) have a series of needs. These are the needs classified as basic by the author, specifically they are motivation and hygiene, hence the name of his theory. Although we will detail each of them later, the important thing is to understand what happens if these needs are not covered or satisfied.
An important fact is that, while the factors of hygiene They refer to the dissatisfactionthose of motivation they make it to satisfaction. These factors would be completely independent, that is, a motivating factor can only cause or not do so, but would never cause dissatisfaction, being unidirectional. They are not contrary either, if one goes up the other does not have to go up or down, that is, if satisfaction increases, this, by itself, does not affect dissatisfaction.
What are the two factors of Herzberg’s theory
The two factors of Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor theory are:
Motivation
The first factor in Herzberg’s theory is motivation. It refers to intrinsic, satisfying or content factors. Motivating factors are those that generate satisfaction. The continuum of feelings would range from satisfaction to dissatisfaction. Examples of motivation factors are:
- Recognition
- The degree of responsibility
- Labor independence
- The promotion
Here you will find more information about .
Hygiene
The second factor in Herzberg’s theory is hygiene: Factors called hygiene, extrinsic, unsatisfactory or contextual. These factors include the conditions of the individuals’ work environment, causing their dissatisfaction. In this case the continuum oscillates between dissatisfaction and non-dissatisfaction. Some examples would be:
- Salary
- Company policy
- The supervision
- Relationships with colleagues
How Frederick Herzberg’s dual factor theory can be applied
In his theory, Herzberg provides a series of tips that facilitate satisfaction and non-dissatisfaction of the workers, preventing the interests of the company and those of the worker from conflicting, something that happens quite frequently. These tips are:
- Responsibility: Herzberg recommends gradually increasing the responsibility that workers have, giving them increasingly more relevant and necessary jobs. This is more effective if the complexity of the tasks increases together.
- Personalization and growth: grant workers special, personalized or extraordinary tasks that are intended to improve their skills important for the performance of their position.
- Offer more freedom and flexibility to the worker.
- Remove controls and restrictive and excessive supervision, changing them for a much more effective support model.
- Give feedback workers about the repercussions of their work and the achievements achieved. Provide feedback on tasks and performance.
- Create a good environment of work, in which good relations are established between workers, promoting cooperation and never aggressive competition between them.
- Adequate salary: provide workers with a decent, fair salary adjusted to their position, while ensuring stability for the individual.
In the following article you will find.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Herzberg’s two-factor theory of work motivationwe recommend that you enter our category.
References
- Pérez, J., Méndez, S. and Jaca, M. (2010). Employee Motivation: Herzberg Theory. Seville, Flag of Spain Spain: University of Seville. Retrieved November 20, 2019 from http://ocwus.us.es/psicologia-social/psicologia-de-los-recursos-humanos/temas/tema3cg/page_04.htm
Bibliography
- Herzberg, F. (1969). Job enrichment pays off. Harvard Business Review, 47(2), 61-78.
- Herzberg, F. (2005). Motivation-hygiene theory. Organizational behavior one: Essential theories of motivation and leadership, eds JB Miner, ME Sharpe Inc, New York, 61-74.