Frederick Herzberg Totally Explained

Everything about Frederick Herzberg totally explained

Frederick Irving Herzberg (1923 - 2000) is a noted psychologist who became one of the most influential names in business management. He is most famous for introducing job enrichment and the Motivator-Hygiene theory. His 1968 publication "One More Time, How Do You Motivate Employees?" had sold 1.2 million reprints by 1987 and was the most requested article from the Harvard Business Review. Herzberg attended City College of New York, but left part way through his studies to enlist in the army. As a patrol sergeant, he was a firsthand witness of the Dachau concentration camp. He believed that this experience, as well as the talks he'd with other Germans living in the area was what triggered his interest in motivation. Herzberg graduated from City College in 1946 and moved to the University of Pittsburgh to undertake post-graduate studies in science and public health. He earned his PhD in psychology with a dissertation entitled "Prognostic variables for electroshock therapy". He started his research on the workplace while teaching as a professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and later moved to the University of Utah where he held the position of professor of management in the college of business.

Two factor theory

Herzberg proposed the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, also known as the Two factor theory (1959) of job satisfaction. According to his theory, people are influenced by two factors:

Satisfaction, which is primarily the result of the motivator factors. These factors help increase satisfaction but have little effect on dissatisfaction.
Dissatisfaction is primarily the result of hygiene factors. These factors, if absent or inadequate, cause dissatisfaction, but their presence has little effect on long-term satisfaction

Motivator Factors

Achievement

Recognition

Work Itself

Responsibility

Promotion

Growth Hygiene Factors

Pay and Benefits

Company Policy and Administration

Relationships with co-workers

Physical Environment

Supervision

Status

Job Security

Hygiene Dynamics

Hygiene factors focus on the context in which the job is done, the conditions that surround the doing of the job. The underlying dynamic of hygiene is the avoidance of pain from the environment.

When hygiene factors deteriorate to a level below that which the employee considers acceptable, then job dissatisfaction ensues. Hygiene factors directly affect job attitudes, primarily satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

When these factors have been satisfied or provided to a level which the employee considers acceptable, there will be no dissatisfaction, but neither will there be significant positive attitude.

People are made dissatisfied by a bad environment, but they're seldom made satisfied by a good environment.

The prevention of dissatisfaction is just as important as encouragement of motivator satisfaction.

Hygiene factors operate independently of motivation factors. An individual can be highly motivated in his work and be dissatisfied with his work environment.

All hygiene factors are equally important, although their frequency of occurrence differs considerably.

Hygiene improvements have short-term effects. Any improvements result in a short-term removal of, or prevention of, dissatisfaction.

Hygiene needs are cyclical in nature and come back to a starting point. This leads to the "What have you done for me lately?" syndrome.

Hygiene needs have an escalating zero point and no final answer.Further Information

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