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MBA Boot Camp: Motivation & Human Behavior (7.2)
Alex LeClair Alex LeClair

MBA Boot Camp: Motivation & Human Behavior (7.2)

Why do people work hard? The immediate assumption is "money." But organizational psychology proves this is only half true.

In the 1960s, Frederick Herzberg developed the Two-Factor Theory, a staple of MBA programs. He divided workplace factors into two buckets:

  1. Hygiene Factors (The Baseline): Salary, job security, basic working conditions. If these are bad, employees are dissatisfied. But if you make them great, it doesn't magically create motivation. It simply creates a lack of dissatisfaction. It brings them to "neutral."

  2. Motivators (The Engine): Challenging work, recognition, responsibility, and personal growth. These are the only things that actually make employees work harder and care more.

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