Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Caring enough to listen to subordinates and to consider their opinions and feelings is one of
the most powerful ways to recognize employees. Every successful manager has his or her
own way of recognizing people effectively, but no matter what the technique, it is not acci-
dental. It is an important management activity that relates directly to fi rm productivity.
Self-actualization is not quite as easy to deal within a management context because it
comes from within the individual. However, this need can be a very important one for indi-
viduals who have “done it all.” Examples here might be the department manager who has
demonstrated exceptional performance year after year, and is now looking for the next chal-
lenge; or, the veteran salesperson who has received every major sales award and is looking
for what's next. Management can best address self-actualization by:
1. Recognizing that some employees will be motivated by their own sense of self-
accomplishment
2.
Allowing this to happen
3.
Encouraging the proper environment for it, whenever possible
Herzberg's two-factor theory
A popular but somewhat controversial theory of employee motivation is one developed by
Frederick Herzberg. He argued that there are certain “satisfi ers” and “dissatisfi ers” for
employees at work.
Hygienic factors
(so called because like hygiene, the presence will not make you healthier,
but absence can cause deterioration of health) are conditions necessary to maintain an
employee's social, mental, and physical health. Research suggests that there are several
such factors—including company benefi ts and policies, working conditions, job secu-
rity, supervision, and pay. Herzberg argued that the presence of these factors does not
make a worker happy, but if they are lacking, the employee is likely to become
unhappy.
Motivators
are reward producers, or conditions that encourage employees to apply them-
selves, mentally and physically, more productively to their jobs. Motivators bring about
commitment to the task. Most motivators are predominantly psychological, such as rec-
ognition, advancement, responsibility, challenging work, and the opportunity for further
growth.
Figure 16.
6
shows the continuum where absence of hygiene factors causes dissatisfaction,
but their presence provides no motivation. Likewise, the absence of motivators does not
cause dissatisfaction, but their presence does cause motivation.
One of the controversies surrounding Herzberg's theory is whether compensation is a
hygiene factor or motivator. Many agribusinesses use compensation as an incentive to moti-
vate employees to higher levels of performance. Proponents of such plans feel strongly that
both salespeople on commission and fi eld or line workers on wages tied to productivity are
highly motivated to maximize their performance.
Yet Herzberg argues that these payment techniques are hygienic because they do not have
the effect of increasing commitment to the job. He says that pay incentives work well tem-
porarily, but once a particular pay and performance level has been reached, and the employee
adapts to it, the pay itself is no longer a motivator. In fact, if something happens to cut the
