Herzberg, F. 2003. One more time: How do you motivate employees?

Harvard Business Review

(January): 87-96. (This paper was originally published in the HBR in 1968).
Summary by Justin Gerber
The purpose of this article is to bridge the gap between knowledge and speculation about what motivates
employees. Herzberg discusses various myths about motivation, and explains his now famous motivationhygiene theory.
Motivating with KITA
Many difficulties exist with moving employees to action. The quickest way to get an employee to do
something is to ask, but if the person declines, the next solution is to give them a kick in the pants
(KITA). However, there are problems with KITA and motivation. The employee, of course, does move
when the KITA is applied, whether it is physical or psychological, but KITA does not lead to motivation,
it only leads to movement. If an employee needs no outside stimulation, then he or she wants to do it.
Myths about Motivation
Next Herzberg confronts KITA practices that were developed to instil motivation.
1. Reducing time spent at work The idea here is to motivate people to work by getting them off the job.
The truth is that motivated people seek more hours, not less.
2. Spiralling Wages Spiralling wages motivates people to seek the next wage increase. If rising wages
wont motivate, reducing them might.
3. Fringe Benefits These benefits have gone from rewards to rights. The cost of fringe benefits is
approximately 25% of the wage dollar. People are spending less time working expecting more security
and money. Fringe benefits do not motivate.
4. Human Relations Training More than 30 years of teaching and training and the question is still the
same: How do you motivate employees?
5. Sensitivity Training Because of the failure of Human Relations Training, sensitivity training was
developed. Many employees were forced to get to know themselves better and no motivation was
garnered.
6. Communications This was the next management training program to instil motivation. The idea was
to let employees understand what management was trying to do for them. But communication didnt lead
to motivation, it only lead to management realizing that it was not listening to employees.
7. Two Way Communication Management now began welcoming suggestions and surveys. The twoway communication brought some improvement, but still had no motivating effect.
8. Job Participation Job participation was designed to give employees the sense of achievement, or to
show the employee the big picture. This, of course, doesnt lead to motivation.
9. Employee Counselling Employees could talk to someone about their problems and perhaps that

would motivate them. But the counselling also failed to yield the desired results. In fact, counselling
services were often interfering with the operation of the organization itself.
Hygiene vs. Motivators
Herzberg developed a motivation-hygiene theory based on a study of engineers and accountants. The
findings of the initial study suggest that factors involved in producing job satisfaction (and motivation)
are different from the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction (hygiene). These findings have been
replicated by sixteen other investigations.
The problem with semantics is resolved when understanding human behaviour. Two differing needs are
involved. One set of needs comes from the animal-like nature built in drive to avoid pain and all other
biological needs that drive humans. For example, hunger, makes it necessary to make money, and thus
money is a specific drive. The other need is the ability to achieve and to experience growth. The tasks that
satisfy the growth need are found in the job content, but also factors that induce pain-avoidance behaviour
are found on the job. Growth or motivator factors are achievement, recognition, work itself,
responsibility, advancement and growth. The dissatisfaction avoidance or hygiene factors are company
policy and administration, supervision, relationship with supervisor, working conditions, salary, and
relationship with peers, personal life, and relationship with subordinates, status, and security. See below
for a graphic view of the results of twelve of Herzberg's investigations.

The motivation-hygiene theory proposes that work must be enriched to successfully utilize, or motivate,
personnel. Job enrichment provides the opportunity for growth. Job enrichment must be vertical job
loading and not horizontal job loading. Horizontal loading consists of challenging the employee to
increase production amounts or adding another meaningless task to the existing one. Vertical job loading
could be removing controls while keeping accountability and introducing new and more challenging tasks
not previously handled. Job enrichment needs to be a continuous management function according to
Herzberg.
Conclusion
Herzberg disputes the ideas shared by managers that money and benefits motivate employees. Instead,
Herzberg believes continuous job enrichment will motivate employees. He provides ten steps at the end of
the article that managers should follow to implement his motivation-hygiene theory.

Power Failure in Management Circuits Rosabeth Moss Kanter

This article discusses the effect that power has at different levels of an organization. Power is
derived from three lines:
1. Lines of Supply
2. Lines of Information
3. Lines of Support
Power is best cultivated in positions in which the employees have discretion, recognition, and
relevance. Access to higher level organizational leaders, peer networks, and subordinates who
are capable of ably assisting managers in their duties also foster power.
The authors identify three levels of organizations and discuss some problems inherent in the
position that lead to powerlessness and organizational problems.
1. First line Supervisors
* Primary point of contact for most employees
* Determine the average employees relationship with work * Position creates powerlessness by
being caught between upper management and the workers * Stagnant in their careers,
subordinates know that they do not have access to upper management * Made to enforce rules
and regulations but limited in resources and actions that they can take
2. Staff Professionals
* Nothing to exchange for resources, nothing to bargain with to promote their programs * Not
seen as candidates for development by management
*
3. Top Executives
* Lose sight of long-term objectives
* Need to be insulated, but must be careful not to be too insulated from day to day operations
Particular issues regarding women and power were also discussed. The author notes how
women, when they exhibit the same issues of powerlessness as men, it is perceived as being
because they are women, not because it is their particular individual or management style as it is
when men exhibit the same characteristics.
The authors suggest sharing power in an organization allows power to grow. The authors suggest
that instead of criticizing powerless individuals, structural solutions should be implemented