Frederick Herzberg
Encyclopedia
Frederick Irving Herzberg (April 18, 1923 – January 19, 2000) born in Massachusetts was an American psychologist
who became one of the most influential names in business management. He is most famous for introducing job enrichment
and the Motivator-Hygiene theory. His 1968 publication "One More Time, How Do You Motivate Employees?" had sold 1.2 million reprints by 1987 and was the most requested article from the Harvard Business Review
.
Herzberg attended City College of New York
, but left part way through his studies to enlist in the army. As a patrol sergeant, he was a firsthand witness of the Dachau concentration camp. Herzberg believed that this experience, as well as the talks he had with other Germans living in the area, was what triggered his interest in motivation. He graduated from City College in 1946 and moved to the University of Pittsburgh
to undertake post-graduate workplace while teaching as a professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland and later moved to the University of Utah
where he held the position of professor of management in the college of business.
Herzberg proposed the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, also known as the Two factor theory
(1959) of job satisfaction. According to his theory, people are influenced by two sets of factors:
He proposed several key findings as a result of this identification.
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
who became one of the most influential names in business management. He is most famous for introducing job enrichment
Job enrichment
Job enrichment is an attempt to motivate employees by giving them the opportunity to use the range of their abilities. It is an idea that was developed by the American psychologist Frederick Hertzberg in the 1950s. It can be contrasted to job enlargement which simply increases the number of tasks...
and the Motivator-Hygiene theory. His 1968 publication "One More Time, How Do You Motivate Employees?" had sold 1.2 million reprints by 1987 and was the most requested article from the Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business Review is a general management magazine published since 1922 by Harvard Business School Publishing, owned by the Harvard Business School. A monthly research-based magazine written for business practitioners, it claims a high ranking business readership among academics, executives,...
.
Herzberg attended City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, but left part way through his studies to enlist in the army. As a patrol sergeant, he was a firsthand witness of the Dachau concentration camp. Herzberg believed that this experience, as well as the talks he had with other Germans living in the area, was what triggered his interest in motivation. He graduated from City College in 1946 and moved to the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
to undertake post-graduate workplace while teaching as a professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in Cleveland and later moved to the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
where he held the position of professor of management in the college of business.
Two Factor Theory "The Dual Structure Theory"
Referred to as "The Dual Structure theory"Herzberg proposed the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, also known as the Two factor theory
Two factor theory
The states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction...
(1959) of job satisfaction. According to his theory, people are influenced by two sets of factors:
| Motivator Factors | Hygiene Factors |
|---|---|
|
|
He proposed several key findings as a result of this identification.
- People are made dissatisfied by a bad environment, but they are seldom made satisfied by a good environment.
- The prevention of dissatisfaction is just as important as encouragement of motivator satisfaction.
- Hygiene factors operate independently of motivation factors. An individual can be highly motivated in his work and be dissatisfied with his work environment.
- All hygiene factors are equally important, although their frequency of occurrence differs considerably.
- Hygiene improvements have short-term effects. Any improvements result in a short-term removal of, or prevention of, dissatisfaction.
- Hygiene needs are cyclical in nature and come back to a starting point. This leads to the "What have you done for me lately?" syndrome.
- Hygiene needs have an escalating zero point and no final answer.
See also
- Hawthorne effectHawthorne effectThe Hawthorne effect is a form of reactivity whereby subjects improve or modify an aspect of their behavior being experimentally measured simply in response to the fact that they know they are being studied, not in response to any particular experimental manipulation.The term was coined in 1950 by...
, which sheds light on the difficulties of measuring motivation. - Theory X and theory YTheory X and theory YTheory X and Theory Y are theories of human motivation created and developed by Douglas McGregor at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the 1960s that have been used in human resource management, organizational behavior, organizational communication and organizational development...