Which statement reflects Herzberg's two-factor theory?

Which statement reflects Herzberg's two-factor theory?

• A. Hygiene factors increase satisfaction.
• B. Hygiene factors prevent dissatisfaction; motivators drive satisfaction.
• C. Motivators prevent dissatisfaction; hygiene factors drive satisfaction.
• D. Both hygiene factors and motivators are irrelevant to job satisfaction.

Answer: (B)

Herzberg's theory splits what affects how people feel about their job into two separate kinds of factors: hygiene factors and motivators. Hygiene factors cover the work setting and conditions—things like salary, company policies, supervision, working conditions, and relationships with coworkers. When these are lacking, people feel dissatisfied, but simply having them present doesn’t create additional positive satisfaction. Motivators, on the other hand, come from the content of the job itself—achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, and opportunities for growth. When these are present, they increase satisfaction and motivation. So, the statement that aligns with this framework is that hygiene factors prevent dissatisfaction, while motivators drive satisfaction. The other options misstate the roles—for example, suggesting hygiene factors increase satisfaction, or that motivators prevent dissatisfaction, or that neither matters—so they don’t fit the theory as well.

Herzberg's theory splits what affects how people feel about their job into two separate kinds of factors: hygiene factors and motivators. Hygiene factors cover the work setting and conditions—things like salary, company policies, supervision, working conditions, and relationships with coworkers. When these are lacking, people feel dissatisfied, but simply having them present doesn’t create additional positive satisfaction. Motivators, on the other hand, come from the content of the job itself—achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, and opportunities for growth. When these are present, they increase satisfaction and motivation.

So, the statement that aligns with this framework is that hygiene factors prevent dissatisfaction, while motivators drive satisfaction. The other options misstate the roles—for example, suggesting hygiene factors increase satisfaction, or that motivators prevent dissatisfaction, or that neither matters—so they don’t fit the theory as well.