Frederick Herzberg

Frederick Irving Herzberg (April 18, 1923 – January 19, 2000) 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 proposed the motivator-hygiene theory, also known as the two-factor theory of job satisfaction. According to his theory, people are influenced by two sets of factors.

The idea is that hygiene factors will not motivate, but if they are not there, they can lower motivation. These factors could be anything from clean toilets and comfortable chairs to a reasonable level of pay and job security.

Motivational factors will not necessarily lower motivation, but can be responsible for increasing motivation. These factors could involve job recognition, potential for promotion or even the work in itself.

Subpages (1): Frederick Herzberg and his Two Factor Theory

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