The two-factor theory (also known as Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory and dual-factor theory) states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction. It was developed by Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist, who theorized that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction act independently of each other.

via Wikipedia

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’m in the middle of trying figure out where I should work after graduate school, and I have been looking around for theoretical framework for how to make this decision. I began reading Clayton Christensen’s How Will You Measure Your Life, and encountered Herzberg’s two-factor theory in the first chapters. The factors listed for job satisfaction versus dissatisfaction are thus:

Hygiene or Dissatisfiers:

• Working conditions
• Policies and administrative practices
• Salary and Benefits
• Supervision
• Status
• Job security
• Fellow workers
• Personal life

Motivators or Satisfiers:

• Recognition
• Achievement
• Advancement
• Growth
• Responsibility
• Job challenge

source 

I found the recognition that hygiene factors and motivators are uncorrelated to be enlightening. I can see better now that the jobs that I scored highly but felt ambivalent about were the jobs that scored highly due to hygiene factors, and mediocrely on motivators.  I should really redo the scoring based on the two-factor theory.

Really quite looking forward to the rest of Christensen’s book.