Herzberg! Can we trust you in Africa?

Abstract

Information technology (IT) projects are implemented through individual team members. These projects are fairly
long in duration, especially enterprise resource planning projects. The problem that IT project managers face is how
to motivate the team members, particularly in an African context where a team consists of various cultures and
races. This paper presents results of a quantitative research study in which team members were asked to rank their
motivating factors on a scale of 1 to 12 based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory. The reason for using this theory is
that, it was found to still be applicable after 50 years of its establishment. The purpose was to determine whether
Herzberg’s two-factor theory is applicable in an African context and if so, what unique factors could motivate IT team
members in Africa. The research indicates that race, age and gender are not indicators and that there is a general
tendency that the motivating factors of Herzberg can be used to motivate team members. The implication is that IT
project managers can use Herzberg’s two-factor theory to motivate individual team members. The research also adds
to the current body of knowledge that Africans are not motivated by hygiene factors