Engineer at work. Image credit ibtimes.com

Engineer at work. Image credit ibtimes.com

ZIMSEC O Level Business Studies Notes: How managers can use Maslow’s theory of motivation

  • Herzberg used questionnaires and interviews to ask professionals about factors that influence employee performance in the workplace
  • His conclusion was that employee performance is affected how well workers performed their jobs:
  • hygiene factors and
  • motivators
  • Hygiene factors:
    • These are things that are likely to lead to job dissatisfaction
    • Job satisfaction is a measure of how content an employee is with his/her job
    • Job dissatisfaction is when an employee has negative feelings/view/is not content with their job
    • Herzberg identified 5 main hygiene factors:
      1. Working conditions
      2. salary
      3. relationship with others (including the relationship between supervisors and subordinates
      4. company policy and administration
      5. supervision
    • He recommended that management find an acceptable level for these hygiene factors and stick to it
    • In other words management should benchmark these factors
    • If they are not properly met hygiene factors lead to job dissatisfaction
    • However even if they are met they will not lead to job satisfaction (motivation)
  • Motivators:
    • These are things that are likely to lead to job satisfaction
    • Job satisfaction is a measure of how well content an employee is with their job
    • When an employee has positive feelings and attitudes towards their job this is called job satisfaction
    • The opposite of this is known as job dissatisfaction
    • If a person’s motivators are met it is likely to lead to motivation
    • Herzberg identified 5 factors which lead to motivation:
      1. Achievement
      2. Recognition
      3. Personal growth/development
      4. The work itself
      5. Promotion/Opportunity
    • Herzberg recommended that managers should find ways to improve motivators
    • So as to lead to motivation
  • To motivate workers managers need to benchmark (standardise) hygiene works and maximise motivators

To access more topics go to the O Level Business Notes page.