Introduction
Motivation is a strategic approach that inspires people to improve their performance by providing rewards based on their unmet needs. Motivation is an internal desire to fulfill an unmet need and attain a certain objective (Nurun Nabi & Dip TM, 2017). Given that motivated employees are the foundations of a thriving organization, senior executives should identify and effectively manage the motivations of their employees. Poorly motivated employees may not work efficiently in their jobs, avoid the workplace, and exit the company. Employees contribute to an organization’s ability to adjust to a dynamic environment by assisting when they are strongly motivated.
According to theories of motivation, for firms to succeed in achieving their objectives, employees must be motivated. Additionally, it is widely agreed that motivation is a human process that is depicted as having different purposes and that motivational theories predict behavior (Kanfer et al., 2017). In light of this, it is obvious how work performance differs from organizational performance. The main criterion to assess their performance is the effectiveness with which a person executes a great plan and achieves results. As trailblazers in this discipline, Herzberg and Maslow’s theories are still important today. Herzberg’s motivation theory is useful in the workplace, as it promotes organizational safety and hygiene, while Maslow’s theory helps executives to identify and prioritize specific needs of their employees that should be met.
The Two-Factor Theory
The Two-Factor Theory claims that an individual’s connection to their work is vital, and their perception may impact their success or failure. Herzberg performed research in the 1950s, polling several executives, engineers, and accountants on their growing importance in business (Herzberg et al., 2017). This research increased the understanding of motivational factors and organizational work satisfaction. Herzberg discovered that workers in the business sector had two distinct desires influencing their job commitment. He referred to them as “motivator” factors and “hygiene” (satisfiers). The latter comprises pay, working conditions, and perks (Table 1). Moreover, Herzberg asserted that these traits might not lead to job satisfaction, but their absence may cause unhappiness. Responsibility, acknowledgement, success, and opportunity for promotion are motivators. Herzberg concluded that the combination of these factors fostered commitment and improved employee efficiency
Table 1: Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
Hygiene Factors: Employees who are poorly remunerated become unhappy with their jobs. It is vital to pay employees properly to limit employee dissatisfaction. The vast majority of employees with full-time jobs anticipate receiving perks and benefits; as a result, these rewards are seen as necessities. When individuals have a sense of security in their jobs, they are unlikely to be dissatisfied with their occupations. Therefore, ensuring employees’ health and safety should be a company’s priority.
Motivation Factors: Recognizing and rewarding exceptional performance enhance workplace happiness. According to Herzberg, appreciation and promotion improve job performance. The theory’s motivator-hygiene concept values employee autonomy and responsibility. Self-inspired, meaningful employment increases success and motivation among employees (Alfayad & Arif, 2017). Firms should give their employees productive employment and demonstrate their value to the business.
Hierarchy of Needs Theory
Maslow depicted the hierarchy of needs for people as a prism with many levels. At the top is self-actualization needs, and at the bottom are physiological demands (Maslow, 2019). The preceding assumptions served as the foundation for Maslow’s theory:
- Some necessities determine people’s actions, but unsatisfied desires may influence behavior. Fully met wants do not function as motivators;
- Needs are arranged on a scale of importance, beginning with the most fundamental physiological demands and progressing to the most complex self-actualization preferences;
- An individual’s demand at any level of the hierarchy thrives only when their lesser wants have been addressed adequately (Maslow, 2019).
According to Maslow’s theory, each person has a hierarchy of five needs, as shown in the table below:
Table 2: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Theories
Today, organizations are applying Herzberg’s motivation theory variedly. This includes the incorporation of different rules that increase motivation and cleanliness. One strategy is to give employees more freedom in their work. When employees have a better sense of achievement in their work, they also have a deeper feeling of accountability and autonomy. The higher an organization’s level of success in motivating employees to embrace professional ownership of their role, the higher the group’s level of motivation. Improving the standard of living and working circumstances of those employed is an additional strategy. Hur (2018) opines that one of the most effective ways to improve workplace hygiene is to make sure that the space employees work in is tidy, safe, and aesthetically pleasing.
Herzberg’s theory underscores intrinsic motivation above external influences. Using this strategy, a company may improve the circumstances and environment of the workplace. In their study, Alshmemri et al. (2017) found that work happiness among nurses supports Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory by demonstrating that hygienic considerations are less influential than motivational variables in influencing job satisfaction. According to Two-Factor Theory, monetary pay is not as effective a motivator for employees as opportunities for promotion, recognition, and relationships inside the company (Herzberg et al., 2017). In a culture where the value of goods is measured in terms of money, Herzberg’s theory presents a new paradigm by suggesting that workers’ satisfaction should be evaluated based on other factors that are just as important.
The drawbacks of Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory should be considered by firms aiming to motivate workers. The fundamental problem with this theoretical model is that not in all cases, pleased employees enhance performance. According to Holmberg et al. (2018), job satisfaction is only one factor that increases overall productivity. Another problem with the Two-Factor Theory is that people have varied perspectives about what constitutes work happiness. Case in point, although some people may regard more adaptable work hours as advantageous, others may consider the opposite true. Others would rather have a larger pay than be promoted or given more responsibility, while others prioritize these aspects.
Moreover, young people have different attitudes on salary, employment needs, and progress than senior citizens. A further flaw of this theory is its neglect of external factors, which have a crucial effect on behavior (Herzberg et al., 2017). For example, employees in a company that fully implements the theory’s concepts may not be satisfied with their jobs if a competitor pays higher for otherwise equivalent jobs. Thus, an organization risks encountering difficulties if it disregards external factors, especially in those sectors where external impacts are more prevalent than internal factors.
The primary advantage of Maslow’s theory is that it is simple to understand and relevant to real-world circumstances, as all people undergo more stages. Additionally, the notion applies to almost all aspects of life since individuals meet their essential needs first, whether at home or work. In other words, it informs workers on the order in which they must do the necessary tasks. Likewise, knowing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is essential to comprehending organizational theory since both investigate the notion of human motivation. Overall, the theory of hierarchy of needs helps businesses to concentrate on what characteristics they must strengthen in workers to boost efficiency.
On the contrary, substantial data from the research community does not support Maslow’s theory of human motivation. The body of studies backing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model has been insufficient (Fallatah et al., 2018). In a culture that prioritizes individuality, the method developed by Maslow has been the target of major condemnation for its ethnocentric prejudice. This bias focuses disproportionately on Americans in a culture where individuality is strongly favoured. Osemeke and Adegboyega (2017) contend that most of these higher-level criteria in the ranks are focused on the individual, making it challenging to generalize and apply to various contexts. For instance, in Asian cultures, there is a greater focus on working together, being selfless, and providing service.
Lastly, several of the ideas that Maslow proposed are difficult to customize due to the nature of the theory. Executives have a responsibility to the business to be mindful of the specific needs of their staff members and to meet those requirements. Such requirements cannot be satisfied if the company does not have a method for determining them. Notably, it is impossible to quantify self-actualization, making it impossible for senior management to assess whether a worker has attained this desire.
The usefulness of the Theories in the Workplace
Organizations have embraced specific noticeable strategies suggested by the theories: employee advancement and the proving healthy and safe workplace. Employee advancement is a crucial component of Maslow’s and Herzberg’s theories. In the latter case, opportunities for advancements and actual upgrades have a greater inclination to stimulate higher levels of production than standard remuneration systems. This is supported by Maslow’s needs hierarchy which puts higher importance on desires such as self-actualization and self-esteem than on desires encompassing compensation, such as physiological demands. Pay improves with advancements to higher positions, but recognition, greater responsibility, difficult work, and a sense of success are more effective motivators than financial benefits. For years, the two views have shaped how businesses in the West think about what motivates their employees.
Personnel at businesses with a western mindset are motivated to bolster their performance and their commitment to the company by utilizing incentives and performance bonuses. An illustration that most people are familiar with is promotion, which may be based on rank or years spent in the company or performance. Since these rewards are mainly given to efficient people, there is a lot of pressure on workers to perform. The absence of incentive programs like those seen in western businesses is the key characteristic that differentiates companies from Eastern cultures’ approach toward the concept of motivation. The senior leadership is not thought to be responsible for inspiring employees.
This point of view inarguably originates from the social systems in Asian nations that Confucianism has impacted. In these regions, motivation is viewed as a basic moral requirement (Chen & Hsieh, 2017). This approach has not evolved significantly throughout the years in the Western world, although it does vary from one organization to another. Prior to promoting an individual, for instance, firms will examine several factors: They consist of being a team player, having strong work ethics, being objective-oriented, courteous and influential, being accountable, and being receptive to learning and criticism.
Two-Factor Theory is intrinsically tied to ensuring clean and safe working conditions. Consistent with Maslow’s physiological and safety requirements, it incorporates sanitary factors that motivate employees to remain in the same environment due to its favorable circumstances. Investigations into occupational hazards and health, as well as laws requiring their compliance, are relatively new phenomena. Prior to the 19th century, there were neither rules nor studies on the health and safety of laborers in the workplace (Friend & Kohn, 2018). Labor unions developed as a response to worker concerns post-industrial revolution, and soon after, workplace health was recognized as a workplace condition.
Today, risk factors for occupational health and safety depend on the organization and sector of operation. For example, manual workers may have a significantly increased risk of falling, while fishermen may have a heightened risk of drowning. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the following industries have some of the most dangerous working conditions: fishing, aviation, lumber, agriculture, trucking, mining, transportation, and metal work (Braverman, 2019). Employees in the fields of health care, law enforcement, corrections, and education are all susceptible to psychological hazards, such as violence on the job. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of every company, regardless of the sector in which it operates, to offer a healthy and clean working environment for its employees. The characteristic of the work setting, as well as sector and national guidelines, are frequently taken into consideration while formulating these rules. At the same time, they should adhere to international labor regulations.
Conclusion
Employees can be motivated to operate more productively by using motivation. However, motivation is not the only prerequisite for efficient performance. The level of commitment shown by management and personnel is vital to the success of any organization. Maslow’s motivational theory applies in the real world, especially in developing and undeveloped countries where monetary rewards play a significant role in the workplace. Conversely, Herzberg’s theory builds upon Maslow’s theory of motivation. Therefore, it is useful in developed and prosperous countries where money plays less in driving the economy.
References
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