{"id":3115,"date":"2023-02-19T16:11:38","date_gmt":"2023-02-19T16:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontobusiness\/chapter\/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivators\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T15:43:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T15:43:22","slug":"intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivators","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontobusiness\/chapter\/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivators\/","title":{"raw":"Learn It 12.2.2: Need-Based Theories of Motivation","rendered":"Learn It 12.2.2: Need-Based Theories of Motivation"},"content":{"raw":"

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivators<\/h2>\r\n

American psychologist Frederick Herzberg set out to determine the effect of attitude on motivation by asking people to describe the times when they felt really good and really bad about their jobs. What he found was that people who felt good about their jobs gave very different responses from the people who felt bad.<\/p>\r\n

The results from this investigation led to Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory<\/strong> (sometimes known as Herzberg's Two Factor Theory<\/strong>).\u00a0Hygiene factors<\/strong>, or extrinsic motivators, tend to represent more tangible, basic needs\u2014i.e., the kinds of needs included in the lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Extrinsic motivators include status, job security, salary, and fringe benefits.\u00a0Motivation factors,<\/strong> or intrinsic motivators, tend to represent less tangible, more emotional needs\u2014i.e., the kinds of needs identified in the higher levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Intrinsic motivators include challenging work, recognition, relationships, and growth potential. Motivators are job satisfiers while hygiene factors are job dissatisfiers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_7676\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"644\"]\"Chart Figure 1. Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory[\/caption]\r\n\r\n

What differentiates two-factor theory from Maslow's theories and the Hawthorne effect is the role of employee expectations. According to Herzberg, intrinsic motivators and extrinsic motivators have an inverse relationship. That is, intrinsic motivators tend to increase motivation when they are present, while extrinsic motivators tend to reduce motivation when they are absent. This is due to employees' expectations. Extrinsic motivators (e.g., salary, benefits) are expected, so they won't increase motivation when they are in place, but they will cause dissatisfaction when they are missing. Intrinsic motivators (e.g., challenging work, growth potential), on the other hand, can be a source of additional motivation when they are available.<\/section>\r\n

If management wants to increase employees' job satisfaction, they should be concerned with the nature of the work itself\u2014the opportunities it presents employees for gaining status, assuming responsibility, and achieving self-realization. If, on the other hand, management wishes to reduce dissatisfaction, then it must focus on the job environment\u2014policies, procedures, supervision, and working conditions. To ensure a satisfied and productive workforce, managers must pay attention to both sets of job factors.<\/p>\r\n

[ohm2_question height=\"300\"]6519[\/ohm2_question]<\/section>","rendered":"

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivators<\/h2>\n

American psychologist Frederick Herzberg set out to determine the effect of attitude on motivation by asking people to describe the times when they felt really good and really bad about their jobs. What he found was that people who felt good about their jobs gave very different responses from the people who felt bad.<\/p>\n

The results from this investigation led to Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory<\/strong> (sometimes known as Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory<\/strong>).\u00a0Hygiene factors<\/strong>, or extrinsic motivators, tend to represent more tangible, basic needs\u2014i.e., the kinds of needs included in the lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Extrinsic motivators include status, job security, salary, and fringe benefits.\u00a0Motivation factors,<\/strong> or intrinsic motivators, tend to represent less tangible, more emotional needs\u2014i.e., the kinds of needs identified in the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Intrinsic motivators include challenging work, recognition, relationships, and growth potential. Motivators are job satisfiers while hygiene factors are job dissatisfiers.<\/p>\n

\"Chart
Figure 1. Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
What differentiates two-factor theory from Maslow’s theories and the Hawthorne effect is the role of employee expectations. According to Herzberg, intrinsic motivators and extrinsic motivators have an inverse relationship. That is, intrinsic motivators tend to increase motivation when they are present, while extrinsic motivators tend to reduce motivation when they are absent. This is due to employees’ expectations. Extrinsic motivators (e.g., salary, benefits) are expected, so they won’t increase motivation when they are in place, but they will cause dissatisfaction when they are missing. Intrinsic motivators (e.g., challenging work, growth potential), on the other hand, can be a source of additional motivation when they are available.<\/section>\n

If management wants to increase employees’ job satisfaction, they should be concerned with the nature of the work itself\u2014the opportunities it presents employees for gaining status, assuming responsibility, and achieving self-realization. If, on the other hand, management wishes to reduce dissatisfaction, then it must focus on the job environment\u2014policies, procedures, supervision, and working conditions. To ensure a satisfied and productive workforce, managers must pay attention to both sets of job factors.<\/p>\n