Applying Herzberg's theory of motivation and Maslow's hierarchy of needs

 

In the global business context, motivational factors play an important role in increasing employee job satisfaction. This will result in improving organizational performance. High productivity is a long term benefits of employee motivation. Motivated employee is a valuable asset who creates value for an organization in strengthening the business and revenue growth. Motivation is going to work if the right person with suitable skills is made responsible for the job or otherwise it will be the wastage of resources and time, and will lead to job dissatisfaction.

Herzberg's theory of motivators and hygiene factors 

Herzberg (1959) constructed a two-dimensional paradigm of factors affecting people's attitudes about work. He concluded that such factors as company policy, supervision, interpersonal relations, working conditions, and salary are hygiene factors rather than motivators.

According to the theory, the absence of hygiene factors can create job dissatisfaction, but their presence does not motivate or create satisfaction. In contrast, he determined from the data that the motivators were elements that enriched a person's job; he found five factors that were strong determiners of job satisfaction: achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, and advancement. These motivators (satisfiers) were associated with long-term positive effects in job performance while the hygiene factors (dissatisfiers)consistently produced only short-term changes in job attitudes and performance, which quickly fell back to its previous level. In summary, satisfiers describe a person's relationship with what she or he does, many related to the tasks being performed. Dissatisfiers, on the other hand, have to do with a person's relationship to the context or environment in which she or he performs the job. The satisfiers relate to what a person does while the dissatisfiers relate to the situation in which the person does what he or she does.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

In 1954, Maslow first published Motivation and Personality, which introduced his theory about how people satisfy various personal needs in the context of their work. He postulated, based on his observations as a humanistic psychologist, that there is a general pattern of needs recognition and satisfaction that people follow in generally the same sequence. He also theorized that a person could not recognize or pursue the next higher need in the hierarchy until her or his currently recognized need was substantially or completely satisfied, a concept called prepotency.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is shown in below diagram. It is often illustrated as a pyramid with the survival need at the broad-based bottom and the self-actualization need at the narrow top.

Physiological Needs

The basic physiological needs are probably fairly apparent—these include the things that are vital to our survival. 

Some examples of the physiological needs include:

• Food 
• Water 
• Breating etc.

Security and Safety Needs

At this level, the needs for security and safety become primary. People want control and order in their lives, so this need for safety and security contributes largely to behaviors at this level.

Some of the basic security and safety needs include

• Financial security
• Heath and wellness
• Safety against accidents and injury

Social Needs

The social needs in Maslow’s hierarchy include such things as love, acceptance and belonging. At this level, the need for emotional relationships drives human behavior. Some of the things that satisfy this need include:

• Friendships
• Romantic attachments
• Family
• Social groups
• Community groups
• Churches and religious organizations

Esteem Needs

At the fourth level in Maslow’s hierarchy is the need for appreciation and respect. When the needs at the bottom three levels have been satisfied, the esteem needs begin to play a more prominent role in motivating behavior.

Self-Actualization Needs

At the very peak of Maslow’s hierarchy are the self-actualization needs. "What a man can be, he must be," Maslow explained, referring to the need people have to achieve their full potential as human beings.

According to Maslow’s definition of self-actualization:

"It may be loosely described as the full use and exploitation of talents, capabilities, potentialities, etc. Such people seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best that they are capable of doing... They are people who have developed or are developing to the full stature of which they capable."

References
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/herzberg-true-motivators-vs-hygiene-factors/
Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. B. (1959). The Motivation to Work (2nd ed.). NewYork: John Wiley & Sons.
Maslow, A.H. (1970). Motivation and Personality (2nd ed.). NewYork: Harper and Row.