There are any number of theories of motivation that have been used in organizations to develop programs and strategies for encouraging employees to achieve high levels of productivity and enhanced performance. Two theoretical frameworks will be addressed in this essay. The first is Frederick Herzberg's (1968) theory of job enrichment. The second is Victor Vroom's (1994) expectancy theory. According to Bohlander and Snell (2004), both of these motivational frameworks continue to be used in organizations today.
Herzberg's (1968) theory is a two-factor process which holds that individuals are motivated by factors that are intrinsic to their job such as the sense of autonomy and satisfaction their jobs provide, as well as factors external to their job such as compensation. However, Herzberg (1968) asserted that external factors such as compensation only have the effect of preventing individuals from becoming dissatisfied with their jobs. Compensation as a primary motivator therefore represented only a marginal strategy for increasing job satisfaction (Liccione, 2007).
Basically, Herzberg (1968) viewed job enrichment as fulfilling the high motivational needs of employees such as self-fulfillment and self-esteem while simultaneously achieving long-term job satisfaction and performance goals. Job enrichment is a vertical expansion of jobs which is achieved by increasing employee autonomy and responsibility.
Herzberg (1968) identified five factors for enriching jobs and thereby motivating employees. These factors are achievement, recognition, growth, responsibility, and performance of the whole job versus only parts or elements of the job. Specifically, his theory states that managers can enrich the jobs of employees by (1) increasing the level of difficulty and/or responsibility of the job itself; (2) allowing workers to retain more authority and control over work outcomes; (3) providing unit and individual job pe...