EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION THEORIES - Herzberg's two-factor theory

Most theories discuss job satisfaction within the context of motivation (Kian et al., 2014). The Herzberg theory has been used as a method to explore job satisfaction among employees (Lundberg et al., 2009) According to Herzberg's theory of motivation applied to the workplace, there are two types of motivating factors: 1) satisfiers (motivators), which are the main drivers of job satisfaction and include achievements, recognition, responsibility, and work advancement, and 2) dissatisfiers (hygiene factors), which are the main causes of job dissatisfaction (Herzberg, 1966).

In 1975, Rogers summarized Herzberg's two-factor theory as follows: “In other words, adequate salary, good working conditions, respected supervisors and likeable co-workers will not produce a satisfied worker; they will only produce a worker who is not dissatisfied. However, their levels must be acceptable in order for the motivation factors to become operative. In other words, like medical hygiene practices, they cannot cure an illness, but they can aid in preventing it” (Rogers, 1975).

Motivation factors are related to a person’s job satisfaction and include advancement, the work itself, possibility of growth, responsibility, recognition and achievement (Herzberg, 1966). 

Herzberg states that the hygiene factors are extrinsic to the job, and if present, lead to preventing job dissatisfaction because hygiene factors react to the environment and workplace for ‘the need to avoid unpleasantness’ (Herzberg, 1966, p. 75).

Figure 01 shows how employee job satisfaction fluctuates according to the behavior of Hygiene factors and the Motivation factors. Similarly figure 02 shows the example for these two factors.

                                                                    Figure 01

(Source: Herzberg 1987)

   Figure 02

(Source: Herzberg 1987)

As per the below video 01 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory, argues that there are two factors that an organization can adjust to influence motivation in the workplace. Further it describes how employee job satisfaction fluctuates according to the behavior of Hygiene factors and the Motivation factors. And what are the four combined behaviors of the two factors.

Video 01

                                                        (Source: EPM, 2018)

Reference

• Herzberg, F.I. (1966). Work and the Nature of Man.

• Herzberg, F. (1987), 'One more time: How do you motivate employees?', Harvard Business Review, Vol. 65(5), pp. 109-120.

• Kian, T., W. Wan, W., Rajah, S. (2014). European journal of business and social sciences, 3 (2) (2014), pp. 94-102.

• Lundberg, C., Gudmundson, A. and Andersson, T.D. (2009). Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory of work motivation tested empirically on seasonal workers in hospitality and tourism. Tourism management, 30(6), pp.890-899.

• Rogers, R.W. (1975). A protection motivation theory of fear appeals and attitude change1. The journal of psychology, 91(1), pp.93-114.

 EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION THEORIES - Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

It is a well-known fact that satisfied employees contribute their maximum and are committed to achieving organization’s goals and that their turnover intention is very low (Verma, 2017).  Employee satisfaction depends on various factors and that it is not easy to maintain the satisfaction level constant without motivation. What motivates employees changes constantly and thus it is very complex. (Alshamemri 2017).

Abraham Maslow a phycologist became renowned with his motivational theory that he published in 1943 named “A theory of human motivation”. This theory is known as “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory “and has been the subject of many researchers and discussions worldwide since then.

As per the below Figure 01, Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.

From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological (food and clothing), safety (job security), love and belonging needs (friendship), esteem, and self-actualization.

                                                                  Figure 01

(Source - Jerome, 2013)

Physiological needs - These are biological requirements for human survival, e.g., air, food, drink, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, sleep. If these needs are not satisfied the human body cannot function optimally. Maslow considered physiological needs the most important as all the other needs become secondary until these needs are met. (Maslow 1943,1954. cited in McLeod 2018).

Safety needs - Once an individual’s physiological needs are satisfied, the needs for security and safety become salient. People want to experience order, predictability and control in their lives. These needs can be fulfilled by the family and society (e.g. police, schools, business and medical care). (Maslow 1943,1954. cited in McLeod 2018).

Social needs - After physiological and safety needs have been fulfilled, the third level of human needs is social and involves feelings of belongingness. Belongingness refers to a human emotional need for interpersonal relationships, affiliating, connectedness, and being part of a group. (Maslow 1943,1954. cited in McLeod 2018).

Esteem Needs - These are the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy and include self-worth, accomplishment and respect. Maslow classified esteem needs into two categories: (i) esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and (ii) the desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g., status, prestige). (Maslow 1943,1954. cited in McLeod 2018).

Self-actualization needs - These are the highest level in Maslow's hierarchy, and refer to the realization of a person's potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. Maslow (1943) describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be. Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically. For example, one individual may have a strong desire to become an ideal parent. In another, the desire may be expressed economically, academically or athletically. For others, it may be expressed creatively, in paintings, pictures, or inventions. (Maslow 1943,1954. cited in McLeod 2018).

Reference

• Alshmemri, M, Shahwan-Akl. L and Maude. P (2017). Hersberg’s Two Factor   Theory.  Life Science Journal 2017;14 (5). pp:12-16.

• Jerome, N. (2013), 'Application of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory: Impact and implications on Organizational Culture', Human Resource and Employee’s Performance. International Journal of Business and Management, Vol. 2, Issue 3, pp. 41-2.

• Verma, C. (2017) Importance of Employee Motivation & Job Satisfaction For Organizational Performance. International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research, Vol. 6 (2)

INTRODUCTION AND THE TYPES OF EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

The concept of motivation can be explained as a process of behavioral and cognitive approach which induces an employee’s inclination to accomplish his individual and overall organizational goals (Håvold and Håvold, 2019). Motivation is considered as a principal component of the workplace behaviors and is defined as a method of incentivizing individuals to act and accomplish organizational goals (Ololube et al., 2013). The term ‘motivation’ refers to the inputs which would generate, guide and facilitate an individual’s behavioral attitude towards the expected outcome (Pinder, 1998). Nahavandi et al. (2013) define motivation as a psychological aspect which illustrates the reason of individual’s attitude towards rewards. According to Timm and Peterson (2000), motivation comes from a person’s needs, demand, desire and yearning. Buford et al. (1995) define motivation as a predilection to act in a more resolute way to satisfy unmet wants. Employee motivation is explained as the enthusiasm and eagerness of an employee to strive for attaining organizational goals as well as satisfying his or her personal needs (Robbins and Coulter, 1996). Work motivation is described as a combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that stimulate work behaviors and control its direction and time span (Rusu and Avasilcai, 2014).

Motivation has been defined as: the psychological process that gives behavior purpose and direction (Kreitner, 1995); a predisposition to behave in a purposive manner to achieve specific, unmet needs (Buford, Bedeian, & Lindner, 1995); an internal drive to satisfy an unsatisfied need (Higgins, 1994); and the will to achieve (Bedeian, 1993).

Employee motivation is the enthusiasm, energy level, commitment, and amount of creativity that an employee brings to the organization (Islam and Ismail, 2008). “Work Motivation is a set of energetic forces that originate both within as well as beyond an individual’s being, to initiate work -related behavior, and to determine its form, direction, intensity and duration (Pinder 2008).

Motivation is the driving force that will lead people to achieve (Bedeian,1993). Employees get motivated by intrinsic (internal) as well as extrinsic (external) factors. (Alshamemri, 2017).

Initial studies found that if an individual engaged freely in an activity (out of interest) and was subsequently offered an external reward such as money (Deci 1971) or points (Lepperet al. 1973) for engaging in that activity, then intrinsic motivation toward the activity declined. Although these initial findings were controversial because they challenged operant theories of behavioral reinforcement, a subsequent meta-analysis affirmed that when extrinsic rewards are expected and tangible, they indeed undermine intrinsic motivation for an activity (Deciet al. 1999). Extrinsic motivation is governed by reinforcement contingencies. (Deci et al., 1999).

Below video (Video 01) describes how to motivate employees in an organization and the two ways of motivating employees with examples.

1. Intrinsic motivation 

2. Extrinsic motivation

                                                                Video 01

                                                (Source: Bernd Geropp, 2019)

Reference

• Alshmemri, M, Shahwan-Akl. L and Maude. P (2017). Hersberg’s Two Factor   Theory.  Life Science Journal 2017;14 (5). pp:12-16.

• Bedeian, A. G. (1993). Management (3rd ed.). New York: Dryden Press.

• Buford, J. A., Jr., Bedeian, A. G., & Lindner, J. R. (1995). Management in Extension (3rd ed.). Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Extension.

• Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychologi-cal Bulletin, 125(6), 627.

• Deci, E. L. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewardson intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality andSocial Psychology, 18, 105–115.

• Håvold, J. and Håvold, O. (2019) ‘Power, trust and motivation in hospitals’, Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp.195–211.

• Higgins, J. M. (1994). The management challenge (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.

• Islam, R and Ismail, A. Z. H “Employee Motivation: A Malaysian Perspective,” International Journal of Commerce & Management, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2008, pp. 344-362.

• Kreitner, R. (1995). Management (6th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

• Lepper, M. R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1973). Undermining children’s intrinsic interest with extrinsicreward: A test of the “overjustification”hypothesis.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28(1),129–137.

• Nahavandi, A., Denhardt, R.B., Denhardt, J.V. and Aristigueta, M.P. (2013) Organizational Behaviour, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.

• Ololube, N.P., Nwokolo, J.O., Onyekwere, L.A. and Kpolovie, P.J. (2013) ‘Fringe benefits and employee motivation in selected banks in Delta State of Nigeria’, African Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp.27–51.

• Pinder, G. (1998) Work Motivation in Organizational Behaviour, Prentice-Hall, London.

• Robbins, S.P. and Coulter, M. (1996) Management, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

• Rusu, G. and Avasilcai, S. (2014) ‘Linking human resources motivation to organizational climate’, Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences, Vol. 124, No. 1, pp.51–58.

• Timm, P.R. and Peterson, B.D. (2000) People At Work: Human Behaviour in Organizations, South-Western College Publication, Cincinnati, USA.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

Good motivation can strengthen commitment (Sohail et al., 2014; Burns and Alexander, 2020) and lead to improved performance (Joseph, 2015), while good performance can improve organizational performance (Bashaer and Singh, 2017) and lead to on satisfaction (Karyono, 2016).

Motivation has a positive effect on performance. The results give meaning that the role of motivation becomes a supporting factor in an organization both government and private especially in improving performance. Empirical findings indicate that the direct influence of motivation on performance has an influence.  This is based on the relationship between performance and motivation. The findings of this study are in line with several previous studies which have proven in advance that motivation has a significant effect on employee performance both directly (Elvina and Chao, 2019) as well as acting as mediators (Jayaweera, 2015). 

Employee   performance   is   closely   related   to   the   results   of   one's   work   in an organization or company.  The results of the work can involve quality, quantity, and timeliness, but performance evaluation in a company's organization is key in employee development.  Performance evaluation is in principle a manifestation of an employee's performance appraisal form (Irfansyah, 2020). 

The achievement of employee performance in Majalengka Regency Education Office of is largely determined by the ability of the Head of Office in leading, fostering, and directing employees in carrying out their duties that is by carrying out motivation. Motivation is one of the organic functions of management. The success of the implementation of the above motivation depends on the ability of the Head of Service in implementing the principles of motivation. In this study, work motivation consists of the principle of participation, the principle of communication, the principle of recognition, the principle of delegated authority and the principle of reciprocity (Hasibuan, 2006), while performance refers to aspects of quantity, quality, productivity, timeliness and effectiveness (Wibowo, 2010). 

In addition, the motivation possessed by employees further has the ability to improve organizational performance (Dobre, 2013).

As per the below video 01 Business efficiency and productivity are tightly linked to the level of motivation of its workers. Cohabiting with people was never an easy task not to mention motivating them. In order to gain the loyalty of your employees and be able to turn their efficiency into a competitive advantage, a manager must rise to the expectations of the staff and be able to motivate them. 

                                                    Video 01

                                                    (Source - Darius A. Tent, 2020)

Example: At My current working organization which is a Business Process Management (BPM) company, their sights are set on shaping the future of the employees. They are people-focused on their approach and believe that the best motivation they can give their employees is the career. 

There are domain universities that allow employees to upskill / reskill. There are multiple talent initiatives that nurture diversity and inclusion on-the-go, and more importantly, a cohesive work culture that allows for career growth. Eighty percent of my organization’s top leadership is home-grown, being a testimony for recognizing the importance of employee motivation. Motivated employees nurture happy clients which in turn will positively affect the company performance. 

Reference

• Bashaer, A. and Singh, S.  (2017) ‘Determinants of organizational performance: a proposed framework International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management Article information ’:,  International  Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 65(December), pp. 844–859. doi: 10.1108/IJPPM-02-2016-0038.

• Burns, L.  R.  and Alexander, J.  A.  (2020) ‘The Impact of Employee Motivation on Organizational Commitment The Impact of Employee Motivation on Organizational Commitment’, European Journal of Business and Management, 9(15), pp. 134–137.

• Dobre, O. (2013) ‘Employee motivation and organizational performance’, Review of Applied Socio- Economic Research, 5(1), pp. 53–60.

• Elvina, S. and Chao, L. Z. (2019) ‘A Study on the relationship between employee motivation and work performance’, IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM), 21(3), pp. 59–68. doi: 10.9790/487X-2103025968.

• Hasibuan, M. S. (2006) Manajemen Dasar, Pengertian, dan. Masalah,Edisi Revisi. Jakarta: Bumi Aksara.

• Irfansyah.  (2020).  The Duties and Functions Performance of Aceh Human Resources Improvement Institutions in Scholarship Study Program Implementation in Aceh Government. Britain International of Humanties and Social Sciences (BIoHS) Journal, 160-165.

• Jayaweera, T.  (2015) ‘Impact of Work Environmental Factors on Job Performance, Mediating Role of Work Motivation: A Study of Hotel Sector in’, International Journal of Business and Management, 10(3), pp. 271–278. doi: 10.5539/ijbm.v10n3p271.

• Joseph, B.  (2015) ‘The effect of employees’ motivation on organizational performance’, Journal of Public Administration and Policy Research, 7(May), pp.  62–75.  doi: 10.5897/JPAPR2014.0300.

• Karyono, O.  dan M. P. (2016) ‘Kepuasan nasabah diukur dari kinerja pelayanan dan kinerja karyawan’, J-Ensitec, 02(02), pp. 32–37.

• Sohail, B. A.  et al. (2014) ‘Effect of Work Motivation and Organizational Commitment on Job Satisfaction: (A Case of Education Industry in Pakistan)’, Global Journal Management and Business Research: A Administration and Management, 14(6).

• Wibowo. (2010) Manajemen Kinerja. Jakarta: Rajawali Press. Adisasmita.