Motivational Theories: Herzberg Two-Factor Theory and McClelland's Three-Needs Theory

This paper discusses the concept of motivation by comparing two theories: Herzberg Two-Factor Theory and McClelland's Three-Needs Theory. It explores the factors that contribute to employee motivation and the impact on productivity and efficiency. The paper also highlights the importance of recognizing and boosting motivation in the workplace.

Motivation

Motivational theories
Motivation
Motivation is considered as the essential factor on which the emphasis should be given by the
managers as it can assist in boosting the productivity and efficiency of the employees towards
their work. Motivation can be defined as "a willingness of the employees to complete the
assigned task with efficiency. Motivated employees have energy, commitment and creativity,
which they showcase in their work (Osemeke and Adegboyega, 2017). Therefore, in this paper,
the discussion will be made on the concept of motivation by comparing two theories. The two
motivational theories selected for this paper are Herzberg Two- Factor Theory and McClelland's
Three-Needs Theory.
It can be said that when the workers feel to have a positive attitude towards their work, then they
give their best to attain the set targets. But when the employees are not motivated, their energy
level drops, the negative impact can be seen on quality, communication and also on the
productivity level. So, it is important for the employees to be motivated and it is the
responsibility of higher authorities to boost motivation of the workers in the company (Miner,
2015).
The motivated workforce can easily emphasize on attaining the organizational goals which lead
to a supportive working environment. The employees who have the feeling to work always try to
attain the set goals and also motivated employees maintain the relation between the superior and
subordinates. The higher authorities should recognize and respect workers, as it will help in
boosting positive mindset of the employees. It can also lead to proper coordination and also
cooperation in the workplace and can boost the team spirit. The motivated employee will
contribute their efforts in one direction so that it can be easy for them to attain the set goals. But
to keep the employees motivated in the workplace, it is necessary for the higher authorities to
consider Herzberg Two- Factor Theory (Lazaroiu, 2015).
Herzberg Two- Factor theory is considered as the motivation-hygiene theory. In this theory, the
emphasis is on the two factors, one is motivating factors that boost the job satisfaction and the
next is hygiene factors which leads dissatisfaction among the employees. If the hygiene factors,
such as salary and working environment are not according to the employee then it enhances the
dissatisfaction among the employees for their work. Whereas, the motivating factors focuses on
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Motivational theories
boosting the satisfaction level of the employees towards the assigned activities (Alshmemri,
Shahwan-Akl and Maude, 2017).
Motivating factors Hygiene factors
 Achievement  Policies of the company
 Recognition  Salary
 Responsibility  Supervision
 Advancement  Working environment
It has been said by Herzberg, that salary is not only the factor related to motivation but thereare
other factors such as achievement and recognition. Salary could be considered as the motivator if
it is high but it is not considered as the incentives. On the other hand, McClelland is also known
as the "Learned needs theory". McClelland said that there are three motivating drivers and it does
not depend on the satisfaction and dissatisfaction but these drivers emphasize on the behavior of
the person. McClelland's theory is different from Herzberg Two factor Theory. In Herzberg Two
factor Theory, the focus is given on two factors theories related to hygiene and motivating
factors but McClelland focuses on the three drivers that are related with behavior and also the
life experience of the individual (Herzberg, 2017).
Motivation can also help to change the negative attitude to a positive attitude. The employees
who are motivated have a positive attitude towards their work and they emphasize on
maintaining long-time relations with the other employees in the workplace. McClelland theory
emphasizes on maintaining diversity between the employees and also they change the behavior
of the person. Therefore, the three factors related to this theory are achievement motivation,
affiliation, and powerful motivation. Achievement motivation, need to attain and maintain
mastery towards the work. This is also influenced by the internal drivers for the actions.
Individuals with a high achievement need regular feedback so that it can be easy to progress and
achieve success (Brunstein and Heckhausen, 2018). There are various sources related to the high
need for an achievement like goal setting skills and also positive feelings towards the work. It is
important for the employees to give training and teaching so that it can be easy to boost the
individual need for achievement. The next factor emphasizes on affiliation motivation in which
there is a need for love, belongingness and relatedness. In this factor, the individuals emphasize
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Motivational theories
to maintain strong friendship and also require support from the top management (Sanjeev and
Surya, 2016).
The last factor related to this theory is an authority, in which it is important to maintain the work
of others. In this factor, the employees are motivated because of their authority as they need to
boost their personal status and prestige. So, it can be stated to motivate the employees in the
workplace, it is important to focus on maintaining a strong need for achievement so that they can
attain success and growth in the workplace (Duncan, McClelland and Acock, 2017).
The comparison in relation to the theories: Herzberg Two- Factor Theory and McClelland's
Three-Needs Theory are:
Herzberg Two- Factor Theory McClelland's Three-Needs Theory
2 Factors are : 3 Factors are:
 Hygiene factor
 Motivator factor
 Need for affiliation
 Need for power
 Need for achievement
Therefore, it can be concluded that it is necessary for the higher authorities to emphasize on
motivating the employees, as it assist in attaining success in the highly competitive market.
Motivated employees are considered as the assets of the organisation and if workers are not
motivated then it would be difficult to attain set targets. To boost the motivation level of the
employees, it is essential to focus on the two theories of motivation so that it can be easy to boost
the performance of the employees and to satisfy their needs related to achievement and
recognition. In two factor theories, the focus is on the two factors related to motivator and
hygiene and in this theory, satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors are considered but on the other
hand McClelland’s focuses on three needs theory in which there are factors related to affiliation,
power and achievement.
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Motivational theories
References
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