Management Theory of Frederick Herzberg

The management theory of Frederick Herzberg

Herzberg contributed greatly to the human relations school of management through his insights into employee satisfaction and motivation. Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, also known as the two-factor theory, covers what he called the “hygiene factor” and the “motivation factor.” According to his theory, hygiene factors are the extrinsic conditions, or environmental factors, that determine employees’ satisfaction levels. 

Herzberg’s theory states that although negative hygiene factors (such as low pay, poor working conditions, and a lack of job security) cause job dissatisfaction, positive hygiene factors (such as status, good ergonomics, and worker-friendly policies) simply satisfy basic employee needs while exerting no effect on motivation.

Motivational factors, by contrast, are the positive influences that cause an employee to want to do a better job. According to Herzberg’s theory, motivational factors can be either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic motivating factors include recognition, advancement, and increasing levels of responsibility, whereas intrinsic motivating factors include achievement, growth, and interest.

Herzberg suggested arranging work for job enlargement, job rotation, or job enrichment to motivate employees. He said employers must increase their employees’ motivational factors while improving workplace hygiene to boost productivity.

How does Herzberg’s management theory explain the Great Resignation?

The Great Resignation emerged with such swift force in the early 2020s largely because employees’ motivating factors were not being met. Kara Lambert, a business psychology consultant, mindset coach, speaker, and thought leader, noted that many of the commonly cited reasons why employees quit are intrinsic motivating factors.

“Commentary through [the early] COVID [pandemic] pointed to a misalignment of employee and employer values and a greater need for employees to have their sense of purpose fulfilled,” Lambert said. “These findings were particularly prevalent in millennial and Gen Z employees, and are trends that continue today.”

Lambert emphasized that some factors that Herzberg would define as hygiene played a part in widespread resignations.

“There was the increase of workplace flexibility and access to remote work [in the early COVID pandemic], which particularly suited women and other caregivers,” Lambert said. “With the trend in requiring staff to return to the office and the removal of that flexibility, there is a cohort of employees changing employment to maintain that flexibility.”

Tips for implementing Herzberg’s management theory

If you’re looking to implement aspects of Herzberg’s management theory, below are some tips to get started.

Locate tools and resources.

Numerous resources — including books, podcasts, and tutorials — can provide valuable information about Herzberg’s theory. You’ll find videos, instructional materials, diagrams, and summaries of Herzberg’s motivation principles that can help you develop the background knowledge to put the theories to work for your company.

Hire a consultant. 

Consultants with knowledge and experience in Herzberg’s management theory can guide you in maximizing the benefit of his principles in your company’s unique environment. If hiring a consultant to help tackle the work isn’t in your budget, you can begin evaluating your company’s current status to get a sense of your workforce’s overall job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Evaluate your current workplace.

Herzberg took inspiration from Abraham Maslow’s theory of self-actualization, more commonly known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and applied some of those principles to the workplace.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that for humans to achieve self-actualization — or the motivation to become the best possible version of themselves — their most basic needs must be met first. With Herzberg’s theory, the same idea applies to evaluating your company culture to determine how well your current policies meet your employees’ motivation and hygiene needs. 

Address “hygiene” factors.

Herzberg’s hygiene factors equate to what Maslow considered the most basic needs. Once your company meets those requirements, your workforce should feel stable and supported enough to be motivated to perform their roles as well as possible. Below are some hygiene factors to consider.

• Your company’s reputation and administration policies: Your brand reputation can affect your employees’ ability to work with external partners and vendors and seek opportunities outside the organization. Your administration policies can also profoundly influence your employees’ satisfaction.
• Job policies and managerial practices: The procedures you implement to regulate your employees’ daily activities and how managers reinforce them affect employees’ job dissatisfaction and their motivation to perform well for the company. If your employees feel stifled by your company’s regulations, they won’t be motivated to contribute to its success.
• Job security: Especially in times of economic uncertainty, it’s essential to assure your employees their jobs are safe and that they are valued members of your company.
• Work environment: Providing a safe and comfortable work environment is vital to optimal workplace hygiene. The most basic definition of workplace hygiene concerns aspects of the physical work environment, such as cleanliness and temperature. Workplace hygiene, however, can also encompass employees’ average commute time and the stress they face in getting to and from the office. Hybrid work models have become a popular option to provide more flexibility than requiring employees to be in the office five days per week.
• Salary and benefits: Employee compensation and employee benefits address your employees’ most basic needs. Benefits, however, can extend beyond insurance coverage to include affinity groups to foster connections across your organization, mentorship programs to help employees grow beyond their roles, and additional training and professional development opportunities so they can learn new skills and explore other areas of interest.

Listen to your employees.

Poll your workforce to see how well your company meets your employees’ hygiene and motivation needs. Then meet with your senior leadership team and HR department to review the results, determine the next steps, and coordinate efforts to implement change. 

“Employee engagement surveys and focus groups and interviews can help organizations have a good and systemic listening program to identify hot spots and issues that can be addressed quickly,” said Carolyn Troyan, president and CEO of Leadership 360.

Once you have employee feedback, it can be difficult to discern where to go next. Here are some strategies for addressing your employees’ concerns:

• Ensure adequate resources. Make sure people have the equipment, software, and other resources needed to do their jobs.
• Connect with employees. Determine which departments are the lowest-performing and which have the lowest job satisfaction. Connect with those employees and ask specific questions about the changes they’d like to see, including opportunities for advancement, additional training, and more responsibility. Pay attention to employee hygiene needs as well.
• Maintain open communication. Institute channels through which employees and managers regularly connect to share feedback, including one-on-one meetings, annual performance reviews, and mentorship programs. Improving manager and employee relations can help improve employee job satisfaction and reduce turnover rates.

Prioritize lateral employee development within high-impact functions.

Troyan emphasized that Herzberg’s suggestion to implement job rotation is well worth considering when businesses look to improve conditions for low-performing, unsatisfied employees.

“Many companies focus on promotion and compensation as the main levers [instead of] looking at how to develop leaders and employees laterally, studying what makes high performers successful in critical roles, and helping employees grow in those areas,” Troyan said. “Not all roles are created equal. Do you know the most critical roles at your company and how engaged employees are in those roles? While you want the overall experience to be great for everyone, focusing on the high-impact functions is a good place to start.”

Give employees more autonomy. 

According to Herzberg, allowing employees more responsibility and independence in their roles imparts a sense of fulfillment and achievement, thereby motivating them to take pride in their work and strive to improve and grow. In addition, when your employees are encouraged to take ownership of their projects, you reinforce that they are appreciated members of the company and that you value their insight and expertise. 

Alternatives to Herzberg’s management theory

No single management theory offers all the solutions to your business concerns. Here are other popular management theories to consider besides Herzberg’s.

• The Management Theory of Henry Mintzberg
• Management Theory of Edgar Schein
• The Management Theory of Mary Parker Follett
• The Management Theory of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth
• Management Theory of Henri Fayol
• The Management Theory of Max Weber
• The Management Theory of Frederick Taylor
• What Your Business Can Learn From Peter Drucker
• Management Theory of Rosabeth Moss Kanter
• Management Theory of Michael Porter
• Management Theory of Elton Mayo
• Management Theory of Henry Gantt
• Management Theory of Joseph Juran
• Management Theory of Charles Handy
• Management Theory of Stephen Covey

Lambert suggested implementing expectancy theory as a complement to Herzberg’s theory.

“[Expectancy theory] attempts to overcome a common criticism of early motivation theories that all employees are alike,” Lambert said. “It fits well with Herzberg’s theory, as it considers that behavior is determined by a combination of forces, like Herzberg’s hygiene and motivator factors. It echoes Maslow in saying that employees have different needs, desires, and goals and are satisfied or rewarded by different outcomes. It goes on to say that people choose their behavior based on their desired outcomes — intrinsic or extrinsic — and that people make conscious decisions about their own behavior at work.”

Published work to consider reading while implementing Herzberg’s theory

Lambert noted that, well before the Great Resignation, Colorado State University professor Michael Steger’s Creating Meaning and Purpose at Work elucidated the importance of meaningful work as an intrinsic motivational factor.

“Steger found that meaningful work is a predictor of desirable work attitudes, such as job satisfaction, and was a better predictor of absenteeism than satisfaction,” Lambert said. “Meaningful work was associated with individual flourishing, citizenship, commitment, and engagement, [as well as] long-term, sustainable innovation, culture, and performance in businesses.”

Troyan recommended reading Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Google’s Project Aristotle research into high-performing teams.

“In [Lencioni’s] research of high-performing teams, he identified the five characteristics that define highly functioning teams: trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results,” Troyan said. “This team view takes the thinking to a broader level that, even with highly engaged employees, for a team to truly be great they have to be able to move up the pyramid of behaviors in working together.”

Troyan emphasized that Project Aristotle’s findings — that, in order of decreasing importance, psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning, and impact most strongly shape team effectiveness — overlap with Lencioni’s research.

“The [Project Aristotle] researchers found that what really mattered was less about who is on the team, and more about how the team worked together,” Troyan said.

Motivation from the inside out

Herzberg’s theory explains how employees are driven to succeed — or feel unengaged and driven to underperform — by what’s within and around them. Get employee input and expert help as you leverage the theory to improve your workplace for everyone. Your business will fare better — and, more importantly, your employees will be happier.

Danielle Fallon-O’Leary contributed to this article.