The concept of a needs “hierarchy” assumes that some needs are more important than others and must be satisfied before the other needs can serve as motivators. For example, physiological needs must be satisfied before safety needs are activated; safety needs must be satisfied before social needs are activated

With Maslow, satisfaction-progression plays an important part. Individuals move up the need hierarchy as a result of satisfying lower order needs. In Alderfer's ERG theory, this isn't necessarily so. The progression upward from relatedness satisfaction to growth desires does not presume the satisfaction of a person's existence needs.

A lower level need

allows the order of the needs to differ for different people (e.g., it accounts for the "starving artist" who may place growth needs above existence ones).

job enrichment is given special attention in the next chapter as a job design alternative. For now, the implication is well summarized in this statement by Herzberg: “If you want people to do a good job, give them a good job to do.”

Hygiene factors are sources of job dissatisfaction, and they are found in the job context or work setting. They relate more to the setting in which people work than to the nature of the work itself. The two-factor theory suggests that job dissatisfaction occurs when hygiene is poor. It also suggests that improving the hygiene factors will not increase job satisfaction; it will only decrease job dissatisfaction. Among the hygiene factors, perhaps the most surprising is salary. Herzberg found that paying a low base salary or wage makes people dissatisfied, but paying more does not necessarily satisfy or motivate them.

Motivator factors, shown on the right in Figure 5.2, are sources of job satisfaction.
These factors are found in job content—what people actually do in their work. They include such things as a