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:
| Motivating factors | Hygiene factors |
| Recognition, achievement, advancement, nature of the work undertaken, responsibility | Pay, company policies, relationship with supervisors, working conditions, feelings associated with lack of status or security |
| If these factors are present staff will feel motivated | If these factors fall below a certain level dissatisfaction sets in |
Herzberg uses the term KITAs (literally kicks in the ass) when he refers to some of the ineffective strategies used by managers to motivate staff.
THESE ARE:
Negative physical KITAs are literally a kick in the backside and include critical feedback or a telling off.
Negative psychological KITAs include emotional game playing and physiological manipulation.
Positive KITAs include bonuses, pay increases and benefits. However, he argues that regardless of how generous the positive KITAs are, they will not on their own generate positive motivation. However, if they drop below an acceptable level they will cause resentment and de-motivation.
HOW TO USE IT
- Start by recognising that most people are not motivated solely by pay and working conditions.
- Make people’s work interesting. Redistribute the more mundane tasks between members of the team and impress on each person the importance of their job to the team’s overall performance.
- Give each member of staff the necessary resources and training they need to work effectively. Make them responsible for the quality of their work and give them the autonomy to get on with it. Do this and they will see work as their responsibility and not something they just do for the boss.
- Set challenging but realistic targets which when achieved will give staff a feeling of achievement. Recognise such achievements publicly. Simply saying ‘thank you’ or ‘well done’ publicly will do wonders for morale and productivity.
- Provide opportunities for advancement and personal development for all staff. Promote from within whenever possible but remember, providing a new challenge or more interesting work can provide greater motivation than a pay rise or promotion.
- Although factors such as pay and working conditions are not motivational factors, if they fall below a certain level they can be serious de-motivators. Benchmark (see Theory 83) pay and working conditions with similar groups in your organisation and competitors and ensure equivalence.
- Maintain good communications with staff and adopt their good ideas. But make sure that they receive full recognition for their suggestions.
- Don’t be afraid to use negative physical KITAs. By delivering a telling off to a member of staff you can often provoke the reaction ‘Right, I’ll show them’: which is exactly the response you want.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
- Do I assume that what motivates me motivates my staff?
- Do I publicly thank and/or celebrate the success of my staff?