Team performance management - Motivation theories

Learning Outcomes

After reading this article, you will be able to identify and explain major motivation theories relevant to project team performance management, including Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s two-factor theory. You will understand how these theories apply to managing project teams, recognize motivational drivers and hygiene factors, and select appropriate motivational strategies for PMP scenarios.

PMP Syllabus

For PMP, you are required to understand motivation concepts as part of team performance management. This article covers key syllabus points for your revision:

• Explain the major motivation theories: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s two-factor theory.
• Identify the difference between internal and extrinsic motivators.
• Apply motivation theory to exam-style project team scenarios.
• Distinguish motivational factors from hygiene (maintenance) factors.
• Select appropriate motivation techniques for performance improvement.
• Recognize how motivation impacts team effectiveness, morale, and retention.

Test Your Knowledge

Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision.

1. Which of the following is classified as a "hygiene factor" under Herzberg’s two-factor theory?
   1. Recognition for achievement
   2. Responsibility
   3. Company policy
   4. Growth
2. According to Maslow, which need is at the top of the hierarchy?
   1. Safety
   2. Esteem
   3. Belonging
   4. Self-actualization
3. A project team member is dissatisfied due to unclear promotion policies, but is not particularly motivated even after salary is increased. What does this indicate?
   1. Herzberg’s motivator is lacking
   2. Herzberg’s hygiene factor is lacking
   3. Maslow’s social need is satisfied
   4. Maslow’s self-actualization is fulfilled
4. Which of the following would be an internal motivator in a project environment?
   1. Year-end bonus
   2. Personal growth
   3. Holiday vouchers
   4. Flexible working hours

Introduction

Motivating project teams is essential for achieving objectives, improving productivity, and retaining skilled individuals. For PMP, you must be able to explain the leading motivation theories, differentiate between types of motivators, and select appropriate motivation techniques for typical exam situations. Understanding these theories will help you recognize the drivers of effective team performance and handle scenarios involving demotivation and conflict.

Motivation in Project Management

Motivation involves the internal and external forces that drive people to take action, persist, and perform. In a project context, motivated teams deliver higher quality, solve problems more effectively, and are more resilient to setbacks. Motivation theories help project managers identify what energizes and sustains their team’s performance.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow proposed a hierarchy of needs, suggesting that people are motivated to satisfy basic needs first before moving to higher-order needs. Each level must be sufficiently met before team members focus on the next.

Key Term: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs A five-level model describing human needs as physiological, safety, social (belonging), esteem, and self-actualization; needs are satisfied in order from the bottom up.

Maslow’s Five Levels (from lowest to highest)

1. Physiological: Food, water, rest, basic salary.
2. Safety: Job security, safe working conditions, benefits.
3. Social (Belonging): Relationships, teamwork, acceptance.
4. Esteem: Recognition, respect, achievement, status.
5. Self-actualization: Personal growth, fulfilling potential, challenging work.

A project manager can motivate team members by understanding which needs are currently unmet. For example, team building activities can address social needs, while offering creative problems or responsibility can help fulfill esteem or self-actualization needs.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

Frederick Herzberg identified two groups of workplace factors: hygiene factors and motivators.

Key Term: Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory A motivation theory distinguishing between hygiene (maintenance) factors—whose absence causes dissatisfaction—and motivator (growth) factors—whose presence increases motivation.

Key Term: Hygiene Factors Work environment factors (such as salary, company policy, working conditions) that do not motivate if present, but cause demotivation if missing. They must be sufficient to prevent dissatisfaction.

Key Term: Motivator Factors Factors related to the nature of the work itself (such as achievement, growth, responsibility, recognition) that create motivation and job satisfaction.

Hygiene factors ("maintenance factors") must be adequate to ensure team members are not demotivated, but adding more (e.g., raising salary) will not itself create motivation. Motivation factors are linked to challenging work, responsibility, and recognition—these directly motivate the team.

Herzberg’s Factors—Typical Examples

• Hygiene Factors: Company policy, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations, job security, working conditions.
• Motivators: Achievement, recognition, challenging work, responsibility, personal growth, advancement.

Worked Example 1.1

A project manager learns that several team members are unmotivated after a pay review increased their salary, but the group still seems disengaged and uninterested in tasks. What does this situation illustrate under Herzberg's theory?

Answer: Increasing salary (a hygiene factor) prevented dissatisfaction but did not produce motivation or job satisfaction. The project manager should increase motivators such as responsibility or recognition to raise motivation.

Internal and Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation may be classified as internal (arising from within the individual and the work performed) or extrinsic (from external rewards).

Key Term: Internal Motivation Motivation that comes from the individual’s enjoyment, satisfaction, or interest in the work itself—such as achievement, personal growth, or challenge.

Key Term: Extrinsic Motivation Motivation that comes from external sources such as pay, bonuses, formal recognition, or promotion.

Successful projects are often driven more by internal motivators (achievement, purpose, responsibility) than by extrinsic rewards, especially among knowledge workers.

Application—Selecting Motivation Strategies

Project managers must tailor their approach to team motivation by:

• Ensuring hygiene factors are met to prevent dissatisfaction.
• Providing motivators such as opportunities for achievement, recognition, and personal development.
• Recognizing individual needs (e.g., some need security, others want responsibility).
• Combining both internal and extrinsic rewards appropriately.

Worked Example 1.2

You are managing a project with a highly skilled developer who is motivated by personal growth and recognition. The company announces a salary freeze for six months. What steps can you take to maintain motivation?

Answer: Ensure hygiene factors (reasonable working conditions, job security) are not threatened by the freeze. Offer motivators such as recognition for good work, opportunities to learn new technologies, or take on additional responsibility.

Comparing Maslow and Herzberg

Both theories highlight the importance of meeting basic needs before motivating with higher-level factors. Maslow presents a hierarchy from basic to advanced needs, while Herzberg divides environmental and motivational factors. For PMP, understanding the distinction is essential for scenarios describing cause of demotivation or lack of engagement.

Exam Warning

The PMP exam often tests whether you can distinguish between hygiene factors and motivator factors, and expects you to select motivation strategies appropriate to the scenario. Remember, improving hygiene factors alone does not create motivation.

Revision Tip

For exam questions: If satisfaction is improved only when actual job content changes (e.g., recognition, achievement), it’s a motivator. If only the environment changes (e.g., salary, policy), it's a hygiene factor.

Summary

• Maslow’s hierarchy explains motivation as a series of needs, from physiological up to self-actualization.
• Herzberg’s two-factor theory divides factors into hygiene (prevent dissatisfaction) and motivators (increase satisfaction).
• Motivation in projects is driven more by motivator factors and internal motivation than by hygiene factors or extrinsic rewards.

Key Point Checklist

This article has covered the following key knowledge points:

• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explains motivation as progression from physiological to self-actualization needs.
• Herzberg’s two-factor theory groups factors as hygiene (maintenance, prevents dissatisfaction) and motivators (creates satisfaction).
• Hygiene factors must be present to prevent demotivation but do not motivate; motivators directly increase motivation.
• Internal motivation comes from enjoyment and challenge in the work; extrinsic motivation comes from outside rewards.
• Motivating project teams requires managers to ensure hygiene factors are met, and to add motivators where possible.
• PMP exam questions may describe situations where salary increase does not motivate—interpret as a hygiene factor issue.
• Exam scenarios will require identifying the correct motivation strategies based on the theory.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory
• Hygiene Factors
• Motivator Factors
• Internal Motivation
• Extrinsic Motivation