Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory

The two-factor theory has been introduced by Herzberg by examine the peoples’ different responses to the question of the situations where they feel good and bad about their jobs (Dartey-Baah & Amoako, 2011).  Based on that it was identified that there are certain factors which are related with job satisfaction and there are some other factors which are related with job dissatisfaction (George & Jones, 2005). Hence there are two factors called motivator factors and hygiene factors. The two factors theory has explained that employee motivation can be achieved with the challenging but enjoyable work environment which employees are facing with growth, achievement (Dartey-Baah & Amoako, 2011).

01.  Hygiene Factors – According to Gibson, et al., (2000), these factors include safety, physiological and social needs according to the hierarchy of needs theory and these factors are related with the job conditions and not the job itself. When these factors are not available, the employees will be dissatisfied, and presence of these factors will not lead to strong motivation among employees. In the case of engineering employees, the supervision that will get in relation to their projects, the relationships that they have with other engineers, their salary, job security, policies and procedures related to their working place and working conditions will be the hygiene factors. According to Huling ,(2003), these factors are necessary to maintain the satisfaction at a reasonable level and to reduce dissatisfaction.

02.  Motivator Factors – These factors are within the job itself and related to the job content. Some of those motivator factors include physiological needs, need for growth and recognition (Dartey-Baah & Amoako, 2011). When it comes to engineering employees presence of such factors can lead to motivation whereas they mainly focus on their achievements and recognitions. Further the absence of such factors will not cause dissatisfaction, but presence of these factors can create motivation among employees. Mainly engineering employees are very much focused on their personal growth and would like to take responsibilities and initiative. Through that they always seek recognition and advancement. Hence these factors lead them to be motivated and these are known as motivator factors according to this theory.

According to Herzberg, (2003), organizations can reduce dissatisfaction by providing necessary support by supervisors, creating a supportive culture, having good company policies, providing job security and status of the job. Provision of such things can help in eliminating dissatisfaction among employees. Further managers need to understand how to make a job in a way that it gives the satisfaction to the employees. In such scenario organizations can provide relevant recognition for their achievements, provide opportunities for their advancement, match the work with their skills, provide relevant training and development opportunities to advance their career, provide responsibilities for each member. These can be applied to engineering employees as well and it is a must to consider both hygiene and motivator factors since one factor alone can’t make a huge impact to the motivation of engineering employees.

 

References

Dartey-Baah, K. & Amoako, G. K., 2011. Application of Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory in assessing and understanding employee motivation at work: a Ghanaian Perspective. European Journal of Business and Management, 3(9), pp. 1-8.

George, J. M. & Jones, G. R., 2005. Understanding and managing organizational behavior. 4 ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice.

Gibson, J. L., Ivancevich, J. M., Donnelly, J. H. & Konopaske, R., 2000. Organisations-Behaviour, Structure, Processes. 10 ed. New York: McGraw-Hil.

Herzberg, F., 2003. One more time: How do you motivate employees?. Harvard business review, Volume 81, pp. 87-96.

Huling , E., 2003. Rough Notes. Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 2, pp. 17-24.