Herzbergs Two Factor Theory
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Motivation is an important driver in an organisation and is crucial to the management of intellectual capital. Motivation underlies what employees choose to do (quality and/or quantity), how much effort they will put into accomplishing the task, and how long they will work in order to accomplish it. Employees who are motivated will work more effectively and efficiently and shape an organisation’s behavior. A motivated workforce will have a strong effect on an organisation’s bottom line. Motivation is strongly tied to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is how individuals feel about the tasks they are supposed to accomplish and may also be influenced by the physical and social nature of the workplace. The more satisfied employees are with their jobs, the more motivated they will be to do their jobs well. There are several important studies relating to motivation. These include Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Frederick Herzberg’s study of hygiene and motivational factors, Douglas McGregor’s Theory
X and Theory Y, Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, and J. Stacy Adams’ Equity Theory. It is worth noting that the paper will give some highlights of the above mentioned theories so as to give a bigger picture on the subject of motivation, further the paper will give brief definitions of some key concepts such as motivation and job satisfaction. It is also important to state here that the paper will restrict itself to the two factor theory by giving a brief explanation on the theory and then zero in on each of the hygiene factors in detail after which the position of the author on the subject under discussion will be outlined and the conclusion shall follow with the bibliography.
1.1 DEFINITIONS OF KEY CONCEPTS
As posited by Vroom (1964), the word "motivation" is derived from the Latin word movere, which means "to move". Motivation is an internal force, dependent on the needs that drive a person to achieve. Schulze and Steyn (2003) affirmed
Motivation is an important driver in an organisation and is crucial to the management of intellectual capital. Motivation underlies what employees choose to do (quality and/or quantity), how much effort they will put into accomplishing the task, and how long they will work in order to accomplish it. Employees who are motivated will work more effectively and efficiently and shape an organisation’s behavior. A motivated workforce will have a strong effect on an organisation’s bottom line. Motivation is strongly tied to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is how individuals feel about the tasks they are supposed to accomplish and may also be influenced by the physical and social nature of the workplace. The more satisfied employees are with their jobs, the more motivated they will be to do their jobs well. There are several important studies relating to motivation. These include Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Frederick Herzberg’s study of hygiene and motivational factors, Douglas McGregor’s Theory
X and Theory Y, Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, and J. Stacy Adams’ Equity Theory. It is worth noting that the paper will give some highlights of the above mentioned theories so as to give a bigger picture on the subject of motivation, further the paper will give brief definitions of some key concepts such as motivation and job satisfaction. It is also important to state here that the paper will restrict itself to the two factor theory by giving a brief explanation on the theory and then zero in on each of the hygiene factors in detail after which the position of the author on the subject under discussion will be outlined and the conclusion shall follow with the bibliography.
1.1 DEFINITIONS OF KEY CONCEPTS
As posited by Vroom (1964), the word "motivation" is derived from the Latin word movere, which means "to move". Motivation is an internal force, dependent on the needs that drive a person to achieve. Schulze and Steyn (2003) affirmed
Bibliography: 3) Productivity (Wright & Cropanzano, 1997; Shikdar & Das, 2003). (Second Edition) New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1959 Robbins (2001), Air Force Logistics Command, 14 Apr 1975. New Yorks The Conference Board, Inc., 1969. -(Conference Board Report No Science. Vol. II, No. 4 (Oct-Nov-Dec 1975), 413-436. 8) Hyun, Sungmin, "Re-examination of Herzberg 's Two-Factor Theory of Motivation in the Korean Army Foodservice Operation"(2009). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. Paper 10510. 9) Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction: Handbook in industrial and organizational psychology 10) Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and Motivation, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.