Motivation-Hygiene Theory November 17, 2009

According to Frederick Herzberg, the determinants of job dissatisfaction include

1. working conditions
2. supervision
3. salary

Herzberg proposed the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, also known as the Two factor theory (1959) of job satisfaction. According to his theory, people are influenced by two sets of factors:

Motivator Factors	Hygiene Factors
Achievement Recognition Work Itself Responsibility Promotion Growth	Pay and Benefits Company Policy and Administration Relationships with co-workers Supervision Status Job Security Working Conditions Personal life

1. People are made dissatisfied by a bad environment, but they are seldom made satisfied by a good environment.
2. The prevention of dissatisfaction is just as important as encouragement of motivator satisfaction.
3. Hygiene factors operate independently of motivation factors. An individual can be highly motivated in his work and be dissatisfied with his work environment.
4. All hygiene factors are equally important, although their frequency of occurrence differs considerably.
5. Hygiene improvements have short-term effects. Any improvements result in a short-term removal of, or prevention of, dissatisfaction.
6. Hygiene needs are cyclical in nature and come back to a starting point. This leads to the “What have you done for me lately?” syndrome.
7. Hygiene needs have an escalating zero point and no final answer.

Leadership November 17, 2009

Which one of the following leadership styles was identified by the Michigan University Leadership Studies as the most effective leadership style?

Ans– Employee-centred leadership

University of Michigan studied leadership for several years and identified two distinct styles, which they referred to as job-centered and employee-centered leadership styles.

The job-centered leader closely supervises subordinates to make sure they perform their tasks following the specified procedures. This type of leader relies on reward, punishment, and legitimate power to influence the behavior of followers.

The employee-centered leader believes that creating a supportive work environment ultimately is the road to superior organizational performance. The employee-centered leader shows great concern about the employees’ emotional well-being, personal growth and development, and achievement.