Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

Anyone that wants to excel in management knows that a worker that is happy and fulfilled will perform far better on the job than those that aren’t.

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During the 50’s and 60's, Fredrick Herzberg decided to carefully study and research the key factors affecting a worker's performance.  During his research, he found that certain factors tended to cause a worker to feel unsatisfied with his or her job. These factors seemed to directly relate to the employee's environment such as the physical surroundings, supervisors and even the company itself.  He developed a theory based on this observation, naming it the "Hygiene Theory." 

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According to the two-factor theory of Herzberg, people are influenced by two factors. Satisfaction and Psychological growth was a issue of motivational factors. Dissatisfaction was a result of hygiene factors. Herzberg developed this motivation theory during his investigation of 200 accountants and engineers in the U.S.A.

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Hygiene factors are needed to ensure an employee does not become dissatisfied. They do not lead to higher levels of motivation, but without them there is dissatisfaction.

Motivation factors are needed to motivate an employee into higher performance. These factors result from internal generators in employees.

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According to his theory, for a worker to be happy and therefore productive, these environmental factors must not cause discomfort.   Although the elimination of the environmental problems may make a worker productive, it will not necessarily motivate him. The question remains, "How can managers motivate employees?"  Many managers believe that motivating employees requires giving rewards. Herzberg, however, believed that the workers get motivated through feeling responsible for and connected to their work.  In this case, the work itself is rewarding. Managers can help the employees connect to their work by giving them more authority over the job, as well as offering direct and individual feedback.

Herzberg was definitely a man ahead of his time. Today we still have managers and leaders that refuse to take into account these findings.

Next post I’ll talk more in-depth about distinguishing between the two and putting them to work for you.