Deck 17: Motivating Employees

Question 1

Joining a civic club because the members are considered to be very powerful and popular would be satisfying which needs state?

A)safety
B)social
C)esteem
D)physiological
E)self-actualisation

Answer 1

C

Question 2

An individual who wants to buy a home in an expensive neighbourhood with a low crime rate is satisfying which psychological needs state?

A)esteem
B)social
C)self-actualisation
D)physiological
E)safety

Answer 2

E

Question 3

In a short essay, explain the concept of motivation.Then identify and describe the three key aspects of motivation.

Answer 3

Motivation refers to the process by which a person's efforts are energised, directed and sustained toward attaining a goal.Although, generally speaking, motivation involves any effort exerted toward a goal, we're most interested in organisational goals because our focus is on work-related behaviour.Three key elements are important to this definition: energy, direction and persistence.The energy element is a measure of intensity or drive.A motivated person puts forth effort and works hard.However, the quality of the effort must be considered as well as its intensity.High levels of effort don't necessarily lead to favourable job performance unless the effort is channelled in a direction that benefits the organisation.Effort that's directed toward, and consistent with, organisational goals is the kind of effort we want from employees.Finally, motivation includes a persistence dimension.We want employees to persist in putting forth effort to achieve those goals.

Question 4

Growth, achieving one's potential, self-fulfilment and the drive to become what one is capable of becoming are characteristics of which need according to Maslow's hierarchy?

A)physiological
B)self-actualisation
C)safety
D)social
E)esteem

Question 5

It is known that motivation is the result of the interaction between ________.

A)psychological and physiological needs
B)the individual and the situation
C)people
D)personality and attitude
E)one situation and another

Question 6

Exerting high levels of effort will always lead to favourable job performance outcomes.

Question 7

Based on McGregor's assumptions, theory X type managers are likely to involve their staff in participative decision making.

Question 8

Motivation is a result of an interaction between a person and a situation.

Question 9

________ refers to the process by which a person's efforts are energised, directed and sustained toward attaining a goal.

A)Motivation
B)Leadership
C)Competitive analysis
D)Effort management
E)Need configuration

Question 10

The need for such factors as status, recognition, attention, self-respect, autonomy and achievement are examples of which of the following needs according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs?

A)social
B)physiological
C)esteem
D)self-actualisation
E)safety

Question 11

A manager who believes that employees need constant control would be described as ________ according to McGregor.

A)a Theory X manager
B)a human relations manager
C)a Theory Y manager
D)a Theory Z manager
E)needs hierarchy

Question 12

People with a high need for affiliation prefer cooperative situations to competitive ones.

Question 13

The drive to find food, drink and sexual satisfaction is based on what level of need?

A)physiological
B)safety
C)self-actualisation
D)esteem
E)social

Question 14

Enjoying friendship with co-workers satisfies what need?

A)self-actualisation
B)social
C)esteem
D)safety
E)physiological

Question 15

The three key elements in the definition of organisational motivation are energy, ________ and persistence.

A)direction
B)personality
C)tenure
D)need
E)effort

Question 16

The best managers are high in the need for power and high in the need for affiliation.

Question 17

The three key elements in the definition of motivation are energy, direction and persistence.

Question 18

What element of motivation is a measure of intensity or drive?

A)direction
B)energy
C)need
D)persistence
E)achievement

Question 19

Who developed the hierarchy of needs motivational theory?

A)Vroom
B)Maslow
C)Lawler
D)McGregor
E)Herzberg

Question 20

According to Maslow, lower-order needs are satisfied internally while higher-order needs are predominantly satisfied externally.

Question 21

Which of the following is an accurate statement concerning McClelland's three-needs theory?

A)The best managers are high in need for power and low in need for affiliation.
B)High achievers are poor salespersons.
C)Employee need for achievement is innate and cannot be changed.
D)High achievers tend to be good managers.
E)High achievers are best motivated in jobs with low personal responsibility but high task difficulty.

Question 22

The best managers are high in the need for ________ and low in the need for ________.

A)affiliation; power
B)power; affiliation
C)power; achievement
D)achievement; affiliation
E)achievement; power

Question 23

In a short essay, list and discuss the three-needs theory according to David McClelland.Next, identify which of these needs has been studied most extensively and discuss the findings of this research.

Question 24

Content theories provide a complete understanding of motivation.

Question 25

Which of the following is true concerning individuals who have a high need for achievement?

A)They want slow but sure feedback on their performance.
B)They dislike tasks with too high or too low risk.
C)They enjoy very difficult tasks.
D)They seek achievement, but not personal responsibility.
E)They desire to do many things with medium impact on quality.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT true concerning high achievers?

A)They prefer high personal achievements rather than rewards.
B)They like a high probability of success.
C)They like goals that cause them to stretch a bit.
D)They prefer jobs that offer personal responsibility for finding solutions to problems.
E)They like immediate feedback on their performance.

Question 27

Which of the following would describe the beliefs of a Theory Y manager?

A)People dislike work.
B)People have little ambition.
C)Work is acceptable because of financial needs, but play is more natural.
D)Employees readily accept responsibility.
E)Managerial direction of employees is essential.

Question 28

Content theories of motivation focus on understanding what motivates individuals, and how this understanding can be used to design their tasks.

Question 29

An individual who would enjoy taking on the challenge of personally redesigning the workflow of a manufacturing line to improve employee productivity would probably be rated high on which of the following?

A)need for power
B)need for affiliation
C)need for achievement
D)need for control
E)need for impact

Question 30

Which of the following suggests that there is a need to have good relationships at work?

A)need for affective connection
B)need for power
C)need for fulfilment
D)need for achievement
E)need for affiliation

Question 31

According to Herzberg, in order to provide employees with job satisfaction, managers should concentrate on ________.

A)non-motivators
B)issues such as pay
C)extrinsic factors
D)motivator factors
E)hygiene factors

Question 32

Reinforcement theory is related to an individual's belief that he or she is capable of performing a task.

Question 33

In Goal-Setting theory, people will do better when they get feedback on how well they're progressing toward their goals.

Question 34

The key to reinforcement theory is that it ignores factors such as goals, expectations and needs, and focuses solely on what happens to a person when he takes some action.

Question 35

According to McClelland, the need to make others behave in a way they wouldn't have behaved otherwise is which of the following work motives?

A)need for power
B)need for motivation
C)need for self-fulfilment
D)need for achievement
E)need for affiliation

Question 36

Reinforcement theory suggests that good behaviour should be rewarded and unfavourable behaviour should be punished.

Question 37

Reinforcement theorists believe that behaviour is a function of its consequences.

Question 38

Employees can be trained to stimulate their ________ needs.

A)power
B)self-actualisation
C)achievement
D)affiliation
E)self-esteem

Question 39

The lower a person's self-efficacy, the more confidence he or she has in his/her ability to succeed in a task.

Question 40

Adding vertical depth to a job is called job enlargement.

Question 41

People will do better when they get ________ because it helps identify discrepancies between what they have done and what they want to do.

A)input
B)feedback
C)power
D)equity
E)goals

Question 42

According to equity theory, a person who earns $50 000 will be less satisfied with his/her pay than a person who earns $100 000.

Question 43

Job enlargement increases job depth.

Question 44

Vroom would say that if a person values an outcome, his/her effort to obtain that outcome will always be great.

Question 45

A ________ is any consequence immediately following a response that increases the probability that the behaviour will be repeated.

A)job characteristics model
B)conclusion
C)goal
D)reinforcer
E)valence

Question 46

According to the job characteristics model, task autonomy is not important.

Question 47

When a mail sorter's job is expanded to include mail delivery, the mail sorter has experienced job enlargement.

Question 48

Equity theory has three referent categories: other, system and self.

Question 49

The proposition that specific goals increase performance and that difficult goals, when accepted, result in higher performance than easy goals is termed ________.

A)reinforcement theory
B)path-goal theory
C)self-efficacy
D)equity theory
E)goal-setting theory

Question 50

Job design refers to the way tasks are combined to form complete jobs.

Question 51

Guidance from the job characteristics model suggests that job enlargement should take place rather than task specialisation.

Question 52

Which of the following best summarises the relationship between goal setting and need for achievement findings?

A)They are very similar theories.
B)They are incompatible theories but there is no empirical research to support either claim.
C)Difficult goals are still recommended for most people because only 10 to 20 per cent of people are high achievers.
D)Goal setting is not needed with high achievers.
E)Goal setting is superior because it recommends setting difficult goals.

Question 53

Reinforcement theorists believe that behaviour results from which of the following?

A)internal personality traits, such as need for achievement
B)hygiene factors
C)intrinsic satisfiers
D)setting high goals
E)external consequences

Question 54

The job characteristics model suggest that managers should reorganise work by ________.

A)expanding jobs horizontally
B)opening feedback channels
C)establishing client relationships
D)both B and C
E)all of the above

Question 55

________ is the way tasks are combined to form complete jobs.

A)Job scope
B)Job enlargement
C)Job criteria
D)Job design
E)Job enrichment

Question 56

According to reinforcement theory, if a manager catches an employee exhibiting unproductive behaviour, the recommended action for eliminating the behaviour would be to ________.

A)punish the behaviour
B)punish other employees exhibiting similar unproductive behaviour
C)reward other employees' good behaviour
D)reward their good behaviour
E)ignore the behaviour

Question 57

The higher your ________, the more confidence you have in your ability to succeed in a task.

A)self-efficacy
B)job scope
C)reinforcers
D)self-esteem
E)motivation

Question 58

According to reinforcement theory, an individual would behave in a desired manner if which of the following occurred?

A)They are punished for doing the wrong behaviour.
B)Their inner drives create the necessary tension level.
C)Nothing happened when they acted appropriately.
D)They are immediately rewarded, such as a monthly bonus.
E)They set specific, difficult goals to achieve.

Question 59

The three variables in Vroom's expectancy theory are valence, instrumentality and expectancy.

Question 60

In the job characteristics model, task significance refers to the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work.

Question 61

________ is the degree to which a job provides substantial freedom, independence and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out.

A)Task significance
B)Autonomy
C)Feedback
D)Skill variety
E)Task identity

Question 62

Which of the following personality variables moderates the relationship between job dimensions and outcomes according to the job characteristics model?

A)need for achievement
B)growth need
C)need for power
D)risk taking
E)locus of control

Question 63

The research evidence on the use of job enrichment programs could be classified as ________.

A)strongly supportive
B)encouraging
C)inconclusive
D)moderately supportive
E)unsupportive

Question 64

Which of the following is NOT associated with job enrichment?

A)vertical expansion
B)increased employee control
C)increasing job scope
D)adding planning tasks
E)adding evaluating responsibility

Question 65

Job enrichment increases job ________, which is the degree of control employees have over their work.

A)scope
B)breadth
C)feedback
D)variety
E)depth

Question 66

Which of the following is an accurate statement about equity theory?

A)It is based on perceptions of our own situation compared to others who are like us.
B)It explains why a factory worker resents how much professional baseball players make.
C)It suggests that people will feel fairly treated if they receive pay increases.
D)It is a theory based on needs.
E)It is a motivational theory based on our job characteristics.

Question 67

The job characteristics model provides guidance to managers concerning ________.

A)strategic planning
B)pay satisfaction
C)collective bargaining
D)job redesign
E)employee selection

Question 68

In ________ an employee compares his job's inputs-outcomes ratio with that of relevant others and then tries to correct any inequity.

A)equity theory
B)expectancy theory
C)job design
D)reinforcement theory
E)the job characteristics model

Question 69

Which of the following, according to the job characteristics model, is the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work?

A)autonomy
B)feedback
C)task significance
D)task identity
E)skill variety

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT a part of an employee's input according to equity theory?

A)qualifications
B)effort
C)experience
D)pay level
E)education

Question 71

In the job characteristics model, which combination of core job dimensions combine to produce experienced meaningfulness of work by the employee?

A)task identity, feedback and autonomy
B)autonomy, task significance and task identity
C)task significance, task identity and feedback
D)task identity, skill variety and task significance
E)skill variety, feedback and autonomy

Question 72

According to the job characteristics model, ________ suggests that managers should design tasks that form an identifiable and meaningful whole.

A)combining tasks
B)creating natural work units
C)expanding jobs vertically
D)opening feedback channels
E)establishing client relationships

Question 73

Horizontally expanding the tasks of a job is known by which of the following terms?

A)right sizing tasks
B)job expansion
C)job enrichment
D)job enlargement
E)task improvement

Question 74

________ is vertical expansion of a job by adding planning and evaluating responsibilities.

A)Job design
B)Job enrichment
C)Job enlargement
D)Job scope
E)Job criteria

Question 75

The job characteristics model identifies ________ as the degree to which a job has substantial impact on the lives or work of other people.

A)task significance
B)task identity
C)autonomy
D)feedback
E)skill variety

Question 76

________ is the degree to which carrying out the work activities required by a job results in an individual's obtaining direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his or her performance.

A)Skill variety
B)Task significance
C)Autonomy
D)Feedback
E)Task identity

Question 77

Which of the following, according to the job characteristics model, is the degree to which a job requires a variety of activities so that an employee can use a number of different skills and talents?

A)autonomy
B)skill variety
C)feedback
D)task identity
E)task significance

Question 78

What theory provides a conceptual framework for analysing jobs by analysing five core dimensions?

A)job characteristics model
B)job design
C)reinforcement theory
D)equity theory
E)expectancy theory

Question 79

If a manager seeks equity by rethinking the situation and deciding that 'on second thought, my office is nicer because it has better carpet,' this manager is seeking equity through which of the following methods?

A)leaving the situation
B)decreasing comparison to other outcomes
C)distorting others' outcomes
D)increasing outcomes
E)choosing a new comparison other

Question 80

The number of different tasks required in a job and the frequency with which those tasks are repeated is ________.

A)job enlargement
B)job criteria
C)job scope
D)job design
E)job enrichment