The Little Book of Big Management Theories

THEORY 26

HERZBERG’S MOTIVATION AND HYGIENE THEORY

Use to distinguish between those factors that genuinely motivate staff and those that merely demotivate them when they fall below acceptable levels.

Frederick Herzberg identified two groups of factors. Motivating factors which create satisfaction and hygiene factors which don’t provide satisfaction but can be a source of dissatisfaction if they fall below acceptable levels.

The most important factors are:

Hygiene factors	Motivating factors
Pay, company policies, relationship with supervisors, working conditions, feelings associated with lack of status or security	Recognition, achievement, advancement, nature of the work undertaken, responsibility
If these factors fall below ...