Process - Top Tips - Hertzberg Motivation

Hertzberg Motivation

What is it?

Herzberg’s theory is named after the originator Frederick Herzberg, and is often referred to as motivation hygiene factors

What’s it about?

The theory states that not all the factors you might apply to an individual will motivate them, but the absence of them will act as a demotivator. For example, people will not be motivated if you point out to them the advantages of having a company sick pay scheme, but they will be de-motivated if they are not paid when off sick. Herzberg referred to these as hygiene factors.

He identified the true motivators as being those factors that would encourage a person to

– for example - improve their performance, but would not demotivate them if absent. This would include competition prizes.

Therefore, he reasoned, if you have a well-motivated team member, you may not be able to motivate them to work harder, or faster, or produce better results, as they will only do this when the motivate themselves. The best thing you can do for this person is to remove any de-motivators that exist – these might for example include removing administrative tasks that they find annoying.

What else might I need to know?

You might want to look at the pages on Maslow and McGregor.