Deck 10: Managing Employee Motivation and Performance

Question 1

According to Maslow's hierarchy, when a satisfaction of security needs is achieved an individual is typically concerned with a need for _____.

A) self-actualization
B) recognition
C) physiology
D) belongingness
E) positive self-image

Answer 1

D
According to Maslow's hierarchy, when a satisfaction of security needs is achieved an individual is typically concerned with a need for belongingness.

Question 2

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, once an individual has satisfied his physiological needs, he turns his focus towards _____ needs.

A) survival needs
B) esteem
C) belongingness
D) security
E) self-actualization

Answer 2

D
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, after physiological needs people tend to focus on security needs.

Question 3

Which of the following factors would be included in Maslow's physiological needs category?

A) Air
B) Job stability
C) Safety
D) Recognition
E) Self-image

Answer 3

A
Physiological needs-things such as food, sex, and air represent basic issues of survival and biological function.

Question 4

When a manager tries to encourage social interaction among his subordinates, he is trying to address their need for _____.

A) belongingness
B) esteem
C) security
D) physiological
E) self-actualization

Question 5

Organizations provide adequate wages, comfortable temperatures, restrooms, ventilation, etc. as a means to address the _____ needs of its employees.

A) esteem
B) belongingness
C) self-actualization
D) security
E) physiological

Question 6

_____ needs in Maslow's hierarchy involve realizing one's potential for continued growth and individual development.

A) Esteem
B) Social
C) Self-actualization
D) Security
E) Physiological

Question 7

Brenda, a senior engineer at Machineworks Inc., sets herself difficult goals and assumes personal responsibility for the performance of her subordinates. Brenda most likely has a high need for _____.

A) achievement
B) affiliation
C) esteem
D) security
E) potential

Question 8

According to Maslow's hierarchy, the need to have a safe physical and emotional environment is a(n) _____ need.

A) esteem
B) physiological
C) psychological
D) security
E) social

Question 9

In expectancy theory, raises, promotions, stress and resentment are all _____ of an individual's behaviors.

A) factors
B) motivations
C) reinforcements
D) outcomes
E) valences

Question 10

Which of the following perspectives on motivation concerns "what" motivates people rather than "how" they are motivated?

A) Reinforcement
B) Process
C) Content
D) Equity
E) Expectancy

Question 11

Under which of the following circumstances will an employee feel a need deficiency?

A) When she feels that her tasks are challenging
B) When she receives recognition for a job well done
C) When she feels she is underpaid
D) When she is motivated to perform a job
E) When she attains self-actualization

Question 12

Neal works for the state of Vermont. He perceives that his union will protect him from getting fired, but the only way he will get promoted is if the person above him retires or dies. He has

A) low effort-to-performance expectancy, and low performance-to-outcome expectancy.
B) low effort-to-performance expectancy, and high performance-to-outcome expectancy.
C) high effort-to-performance expectancy, and low performance-to-outcome expectancy.
D) high effort-to-performance expectancy, and high performance-to-outcome expectancy.
E) zero valence.

Question 13

_____, used to determine individual performance, can be challenging for a manager to impart in an employee.

A) Ability
B) Motivation
C) Work environment
D) Skills
E) Needs

Question 14

Martha is given a new cabin and a new job title as recognition for her accomplishment over her years of service to the organization. She is satisfied with the recognition and respect from her colleagues. This portrays that the organization is addressing her _____ needs.

A) esteem
B) psychological
C) security
D) physiology
E) self-actualization

Question 15

Amelia believes that if she tries hard to eliminate distractions and concentrate on her work, she will learn to do her job more efficiently. Amelia has:

A) low effort-to-performance expectancy.
B) moderate performance-to-outcome expectancy.
C) low performance-to-outcome expectancy.
D) high effort-to-performance expectancy.
E) moderate effort-to-performance expectancy.

Question 16

Madeline works at a local retail store. She feels that she is being underpaid in spite of her job performance. She motivates herself to improve her performance to get the due recognition she deserves. Madeline's motivation is due to a _____.

A) need deficiency
B) negative reinforcement
C) low performance-to-outcome expectancy
D) dissatisfaction of physiological needs
E) need for belongingness

Question 17

A construction worker injured on the job is on convalescent time-off for five weeks. She has a desire to get back to work and achieve her goals more effectively than she has done in the past. This portrays her need for _____.

A) esteem
B) power
C) affiliation
D) security
E) achievement

Question 18

_____ is defined as the set of forces that cause people to behave in certain ways.

A) Motivation
B) Management
C) Attribution
D) Personality
E) Contribution

Question 19

According to Maslow's hierarchy, _____ needs include the need that people have for respect and recognition.

A) achievement
B) security
C) self-actualization
D) belongingness
E) esteem

Question 20

According to the motivation framework, after a worker notices an unfilled need, the next step is:

A) choosing a behavior that satisfies the need.
B) determining future needs.
C) searching for ways to satisfy the need.
D) evaluating need satisfaction.
E) identifying a need deficiency.

Question 21

Which of the following motivational theories is based on the idea that employees compare the treatment they receive relative to others' treatment in order to determine if they are being treated fairly?

A) Expectancy theory
B) Reinforcement theory
C) Equity theory
D) Hierarchy of needs theory
E) Two-factor theory

Question 22

Alberto complimented Daniel on his project updates two weeks in a row. Then he waited a month to compliment him again. Not knowing when Alberto will drop by for inspection, Daniel keeps his projects updated regularly. What reinforcement schedule is he using?

A) Fixed-interval
B) Fixed-ratio
C) Variable-interval
D) Variable-ratio
E) Fixed-variable

Question 23

Every alternate day, quality control inspectors at McHeinz Inc. randomly select items from an assembly line for inspection, and compliment the workers for every product that meets their expectations on quality. However, they vary the number of items they inspect each time.This motivates the employees to put in more effort to ensure that all the items are of the required quality. What reinforcement schedule are the quality control inspectors using?

A) Variable-interval
B) Variable-fixed
C) Fixed-ratio
D) Fixed-interval
E) Variable-ratio

Question 24

Which of the following reinforcement methods can be used to weaken behaviors?

A) Recognition
B) Avoidance
C) Extinction
D) Participation
E) Pay raises

Question 25

When a subordinate has outstanding performance and his or her supervisor publicly praises it, the supervisor is using:

A) positive reinforcement.
B) punishment.
C) avoidance.
D) extinction.
E) an intrinsic reward.

Question 26

Ana is a police detective. She believes that she is just as good a detective as her male counterparts. Because she is female, many of her counterparts assume that she will type up their reports as well as her own. She has been doing this typing for a while and is increasingly feeling underrewarded for her efforts. In terms of _____, she will decrease her inputs by refusing to do additional work and try to reduce the gap between work and rewards.

A) expectancy theory
B) reinforcement theory
C) equity theory
D) hierarchy of needs theory
E) two-factor theory

Question 27

Which of the following reinforcement schedules offers a worker the least incentive to do good work?

A) Fixed-interval
B) Fixed-ratio
C) Variable-interval
D) Variable-ratio
E) Continuous

Question 28

Clara plays offensive pranks at her workplace, which were so far encouraged by her colleagues. To make sure that she does not repeat such behaviors, managers at the organization instruct her colleagues to ignore her actions. The reinforcement method adopted by the organization is _____.

A) Recognition
B) Punishment
C) Avoidance
D) Extinction
E) Pay raises

Question 29

What is the most important idea for managers to remember from equity theory?

A) People who feel underrewarded may try to decrease the inequity by increasing their inputs.
B) Employees must receive equal rewards irrespective of their overall performance.
C) For rewards to motivate employees, employees must perceive them as being fair.
D) Employees must consider their inputs equal to the inputs of their colleagues.
E) Employees must consider their outcomes equal to the outcomes of their colleagues.

Question 30

A manager expends extra effort because she has been told that she will get a $50,000 bonus if her team meets their quota. She also feels stress because she has been informed that she will be put on probation if she does not get her team to perform above last year's total. Which of the following does this scenario illustrate?

A) Equity theory
B) Maslow's esteem needs
C) Two-factor theory
D) Performance-to-outcome expectancy
E) The Porter-Lawler extension

Question 31

A popular retail outlet provides its salespersons a small bonus for every sale that exceeds a $50 bill amount. The type of reinforcement used here is _____.

A) Fixed-ratio
B) Fixed-interval
C) Variable-interval
D) Variable-ratio
E) Fixed-variable

Question 32

Tyler is the marketing manager at MarketAds Inc., and Emily is an account manager reporting to him. Tyler instructs Emily to improve public opinion. The goal that Emily was given lacks goal _____.

A) specificity
B) acceptance
C) conformity
D) congruity
E) difficulty

Question 33

Workers at Windlock Works Inc. were instructed by their supervisor to increase productivity to 350 percent in the next three months. The workers are most likely to be challenged by goal _____.

A) specificity
B) acceptance
C) conformity
D) congruity
E) difficulty

Question 34

Which of the following is a process perspective on motivation?

A) Maslow's need hierarchy
B) McClelland's work on need for power
C) McClelland's work on need for achievement
D) Two-factor theory
E) Equity theory

Question 35

Leo showed up late for a meeting. His boss ignored it. She was using _____ as reinforcement.

A) avoidance
B) extinction
C) positive reinforcement
D) punishment
E) distortion

Question 36

Employees at GreenTech Inc. complete their schedules on time as every hour they take in excess may lead to a corresponding loss of pay. Their behaviors are strengthened through _____.

A) Avoidance
B) Extinction
C) Positive reinforcement
D) Punishment
E) Incentives

Question 37

Jaime, who works at Minlog Inc., maintains punctuality to avoid a loss of pay. Jaime's behavior is strengthened through _____.

A) avoidance
B) extinction
C) positive reinforcement
D) punishment
E) distortion

Question 38

Monthly paychecks are examples of reinforcements provided at a _____ schedule.

A) Random
B) Fixed-interval
C) Fixed-ratio
D) Variable-ratio
E) Variable-interval

Question 39

Justin is rewarded a significant pay raise for his contributions to the organization. This motivates him to put in more hard work and better performances. The organization has used _____ to strengthen his behavior.

A) Avoidance
B) Extinction
C) Positive reinforcement
D) Punishment
E) Distortion

Question 40

Brianna's employer has announced a goal of getting workers to live a healthier lifestyle. Because of this, Brianna has improved the foods she eats and is getting more physical activity. Which attribute of the expanded goal-setting theory best portrays this example?

A) goal specificity
B) goal acceptance
C) goal satisfaction
D) goal congruity
E) goal difficulty

Question 41

According to Maslow, an individual is motivated first and foremost to satisfy _____ needs.

A) security
B) self-actualization
C) physiological
D) esteem
E) belongingness

Question 42

Rewards tied specifically to _____ have the greatest impact on enhancing motivation.

A) outcome
B) performance
C) effort
D) ability
E) skill

Question 43

According to the two-factor theory, which of the following is a hygiene factor that influences an employee's satisfaction or dissatisfaction?

A) Achievement
B) Recognition
C) Working conditions
D) Advancement and growth
E) The work itself

Question 44

Jessica Weller, a senior manager at DigWell Inc., differentiates the annual pay raises provided to her subordinates based on their individual contributions to the organization. The type of reward system used by Jessica is an example of _____.

A) fixed-rate pay
B) profit sharing
C) gainsharing
D) scanlon plan
E) merit pay

Question 45

Jessica is required to follow a forty-hour work schedule from 9:00 in the morning and ends at 5:00 each day, every week. However, she has the freedom to take a day off by working two extra hours each day. This reflects a _____.

A) variable work schedule
B) flexible work schedule
C) telecommuting arrangement
D) job sharing arrangement
E) traditional work schedule

Question 46

A manager who provides reinforcement on the basis of a particular number of behaviors, rather than on the basis of time is using a(n) _____ schedule.

A) fixed-ratio
B) fixed-interval
C) variable-interval
D) variable-ratio
E) interval-ratio

Question 47

Aside from motivational strategies such as the content perspective, process perspectives, and reinforcement perspectives, an organization's _____ is its most basic tool for managing employee motivation.

A) strategic plan
B) vision statement
C) objective
D) reward system
E) goal

Question 48

_____ is an intangible determinant of individual performance.

A) Motivation
B) Management
C) Attribution
D) Personality
E) Contribution

Question 49

_____ represents an important method that managers can use to enhance employee motivation.

A) Punishment
B) Extinction
C) Absenteeism
D) Turnover
E) Empowerment

Question 50

Cheri and Aaron both wanted to work part-time, and they found a lawyer who was willing to split one full-time paralegal job between the two of them so that Cheri works mornings and Aaron works afternoons. This arrangement is known as _____.

A) flextime
B) participation
C) OB Mod
D) job sharing
E) reinforcement

Question 51

If one wants to maintain an employee's behavior at a high level with variations in the level of behavior irrespective of the time interval, which of the following schedules of reinforcement would be most successful?

A) Fixed-interval
B) Fixed-ratio
C) Variable-interval
D) Variable-ratio
E) Continuous

Question 52

A manager gives her employees a variable bonus every month based on resulting cost savings every time they exceed their sales quota. This type of incentive pay is known as _____.

A) fixed-rate pay
B) profit sharing
C) gainsharing
D) lump-sum bonus
E) pay-for-knowledge

Question 53

Windmere allows its administrative employees to arrive any time between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and to leave any time between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., as long as they work an eight-hour day. This arrangement is known as _____.

A) empowerment
B) compressed work schedule
C) a nine-eighty schedule
D) flextime
E) traditional schedule

Question 54

A manager who provides reinforcement on a periodic basis, regardless of behavior, is using a _____ schedule.

A) variable-interval
B) variable-fixed
C) fixed-ratio
D) fixed-interval
E) variable-ratio

Question 55

_____ needs are at the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

A) Security
B) Self-actualization
C) Physiological
D) Esteem
E) Belongingness

Question 56

A criticism against executive compensation in recent years is that:

A) organizations are getting increasingly innovative in their incentive programs.
B) executive compensation is based on the performance of each and every employee in an organization.
C) there seems to be no relationship between organization's performance and executives' compensations.
D) executives are earning a meager amount compared to the typical worker in an organization
E) the gap between the earnings of a CEO and the earnings of a typical worker is significantly less.

Question 57

Assurance on ____ can satisfy the security needs of an employee in the workplace.

A) comfortable work environment
B) positive self-image
C) adequate wages
D) job continuity
E) recognition

Question 58

Elena is a sales representative. She gets paid a base salary plus a percentage of sales attained as a commission for a period of time. Her pay is an example of _____.

A) merit pay plan
B) scanlon plan
C) gainsharing program
D) nonmonetary incentives
E) incentive pay plan

Question 59

Allowing employees to spend part of their time working offsite, usually at home, is called _____.

A) empowerment
B) compressed work schedule
C) flexitime
D) job sharing
E) telecommuting

Question 60

Which of the following programs applies the concepts of reinforcement theory?

A) Modified workweek
B) Work redesign
C) Organizational behavior modification
D) Attribution theory
E) Two-factor theory

Question 61

_____ is the process of enabling workers to set their own work goals, make decisions, and solve problems within their sphere of responsibility and authority.

A) Participation
B) Empowerment
C) Commitment
D) Reinforcement
E) Enrichment

Question 62

A major advantage of incentives relative to merit systems is that:

A) incentives do not accumulate by becoming part of an individual's salary.
B) incentives are provided only one time, based on that level of performance.
C) individuals receive the same amount or larger irrespective of their performances over the years.
D) the base salary of an individual is unaffected by lower incentives.
E) these plans remain static and cannot be modified by an organization.

Question 63

_____ focuses on why people choose certain behavioral options to satisfy their needs and how they evaluate their satisfaction after they have attained those goals.

A) Maslow's hierarchy
B) Two-factor theory
C) Expectancy theory
D) Reinforcement theory
E) Variable work schedule

Question 64

_____ are consequences of behaviors in an organizational setting, usually rewards.

A) Performance
B) Valences
C) Outcomes
D) Need deficiencies
E) Commitments

Question 65

_____ is a group based incentive reward system where the distribution of gains is tilted heavily toward the employees.

A) Merit pay
B) Gainsharing
C) Piece-rate incentive plan
D) Scanlon plan
E) Sales commission

Question 66

A basic assumption on which the expectancy theory is based on is that:

A) behavior is determined by a combination of forces in the individual and in the environment.
B) people do not make decisions about their own behaviors in organizations.
C) different people have the same type of needs, desires, and goals.
D) people make choices based on the extent to which a given behavior will lead to undesired outcomes.
E) people are motivated to seek social equity in the rewards they achieve for performance.

Question 67

_____ refers to pay awarded to employees on the basis of the relative value of their contributions to the organization, which is a performance-based reward arrangement for individuals.

A) Scanlon plan
B) Piece-rate incentives
C) Incentive pay
D) Merit pay
E) Gainsharing

Question 68

Work schedules that allow employees to select, within broad parameters, the hours they work is called _____.

A) job sharing
B) flextime
C) nine-eighty schedule
D) compressed work schedule
E) traditional work schedule

Question 69

_____ argues that behavior that results in rewarding consequences is likely to be repeated, whereas behavior that results in punishing consequences is less likely to be repeated

A) Equity theory
B) Reinforcement theory
C) Two-factor theory
D) Maslow's hierarchy
E) Expectancy theory

Question 70

_____ is the process of giving employees a voice in making decisions about their own work.

A) Participation
B) Empowerment
C) Commitment
D) Reinforcement
E) Enrichment

Question 71

An organizational _____ is the formal and informal mechanisms by which employee performance is defined, evaluated, and awarded.

A) reinforcement policies
B) reward system
C) work schedule
D) outcome
E) valence

Question 72

An arrangement where an employee works a traditional schedule one week and a compressed schedule the next, getting every other Friday off is called as _____.

A) job sharing
B) flextime
C) nine-eighty schedule
D) compressed work schedule
E) traditional work schedule

Question 73

_____ is a reward system wherein an organization pays an employee a certain amount of money for every unit he or she produces.

A) Scanlon plan
B) Piece-rate incentive plan
C) Incentive pay
D) Merit pay plan
E) Gainsharing

Question 74

According to the expectancy theory, which of the following conditions must be met for motivated behavior to occur?

A) Effort-to-performance expectancy must be greater than zero
B) Performance-to-outcome expectancy must be less than zero
C) Sum of the valencies for an outcome must be less than zero
D) The individual must believe that effort and performance are unrelated
E) Every outcome must have a negative valence

Question 75

A disadvantage of using compressed work schedules is that:

A) some individuals develop resentment as they feel constrained by their job schedules.
B) it makes it difficult for employees to attend routine personal businesses.
C) employees put too much effort in a single day, and tend to perform at lower levels.
D) employees have to work additional hours all the five days of a week.
E) it gives employees more personal control over the times they work.

Question 76

A value associated with the outcomes of a performance is called its _____.

A) behavior
B) valence
C) need
D) hygiene factor
E) commitment

Question 77

Which of the following is a group based incentive reward system?

A) Merit pay
B) Gainsharing
C) Piece-rate incentive plan
D) Annual pay raise
E) Sales commission

Question 78

Brianne, a graduate engineer, prefers to work in a job that provides her the opportunity to interact with people and make new friends on the job. Brianne has a need for _____.

A) achievement
B) affiliation
C) power
D) esteem
E) security

Question 79

Working a full forty-hour week in fewer than the traditional five days is called as _____.

A) job sharing
B) flexitime
C) nine-eighty schedule
D) compressed work schedule
E) flexible work schedule

Question 80

Which of the following is true about individual incentive plans?

A) They are focused to recognize efforts rather than individual performances.
B) They are used to provide individual performances with non monetary rewards.
C) They are most likely to be used when performance can be subjectively assessed.
D) They are focused at increasing a person's base salary at the end of every year.
E) They are used to reward individual performance on a real-time basis.