Motivation and Personality

In Motivation and Personality, Maslow descried his theory of motivation and the fact that motivation itself centered on a hierarchy of needs. (Crainer, 2003) Maslow explained that individual motivations very based on a scale, or hierarchy, of what one needs/desires at any point in time and that motivation was based strictly on rewards. First a person is motivated by physiological needs such as bread/water. Once these needs are met, safety needs emerge, then love, followed by ego. Ultimately, as a person continues to climb the scale, with each need being satisfied, they will eventually reach what Maslow referred to as “self-actualization,” which is the plateau of all motivation. (Crainer, 2003) In The Motivation to Work, Herzberg explained that motivational elements of work are broken into (2) separate categories, those serving people’s animal needs (hygiene factors) and those meeting uniquely human needs (motivation factors). (Crainer, 2003) Herzberg described hygiene factors as preventative health hazards in the workplace and include supervision, salary, company polices, benefits, and job security. (Crainer, 2003) When the aforementioned hygiene factors deteriorate to a level below when a person considers acceptable, job dissatisfaction ensues. Herzberg believed that true motivation comes in the form of achievements/recognitions and not through rewards as Maslow had reported. In the end Herzberg believed that motivation comes from within and is not something that can be created within an organization. (Crainer, 2003)

I believe that any organization/company can greatly benefit from the writings of both Maslow and Herzberg. I personally tend to agree with the theories of Herzberg, based on my personal life experiences. However, I see much credence to Maslow’s theories as well and feel that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Companies need to be cognizant of hygiene factors, within the workplace. Employees cannot control these particular factors and