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Motivating your employees

The following is a summary of the article One more time: How do you motivate employees? pulbished in the Jan, 1968 issue of the Harvard Business Review by Frederick Herzberg.

Herzberg argues that KITA (Kick in the Ass) is not a sustainable form of motivation. Given that a physcial KITA is not a normal form of interaction in society today the manager has to apply KITA in a different manner. Psychological KITA is the method that seems to be used more often to deliver the motivation. The other method of motivation employed by management is positive KITA. Essentially, "you do this for me and I'll give you this". Herzberg claims in this case the motivation remains with the employer. Where KITA was a push, positive KITA is a pull. His quote:

..negative KITA is rape, and positive KITA is seducation. But it is infinitely worse to be seduced than to be raped; the latter is an unfortunate occurence ,while the former signifies that you were a party to your own downfall...

The main reason why KITA is not motivation is because it needs to be applied serially to cause an action. Herzberg reviews common mechanisms used to motivate people and dispels all myths that they harbor:

reducing time at work The claim is that spending less time at work will improve employee morale and contribute to a motivated employee. Herzberg points out that a motivated employee would want to spend more time at work.

spiraling wages. Increase the wage and the employees will seek a greater increase. Herzberg claims out shrinking wages motivate people better.

Fringe benefits Companies have introduced all sorts of perks to improve employee life. Herzberg states that the cost of fringe benefits has reached 25% of the wage dollar today. He says that employee instinct has been deadened to the point the bar has to continually be raised for an employee to be motivated. From medical benefits to stock options things have continually gotten better without much improvement in employee motivation to show for it.

Human relations training The attack of sensitivity training, claims Herzberg has changed the office dynamic. The onus has been transferred to the employer that proper attitude has been demonstrated in requesting a change in bad behavior.

Other attempts at boosting motivation include Sensitivity training, Communications, two-way communications, job participation (the attempt to convey to the solitary wrench tightener on the assembly line that his efforts lead to the construction of great cars, essentially conveying job sense and the big picture) and employee counseling.

Hygiene vs Motivators
Herzberg proposes his motivation-hygiene theory. The theory states that the factors leading to job satisfaction are different from the factors leading to job dissatisfaction. The normal human thought is to consider the opposite of job satisfaction to be job dissatisfaction. The theory refutes this.