Deck 11: Motivating Employees

Question 1

Which of the following is true about Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory?

A) Security needs include the desire for love, friendship, and companionship.
B) Maslow argues that needs are organized into a hierarchy and the most basic needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy.
C) People seek and aim to meet only one category of needs at a time.
D) According to Maslow's theory, the needs that motivate people fall into three basic categories.

Answer 1

B
Explanation: Maslow argues that needs are organized into a hierarchy and the most basic needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy. People try to satisfy these needs first. At the top of the hierarchy are the needs people try to satisfy only when they have met most of their other needs.

Question 2

McClelland's theory is based on which of the following needs?

A) Physiological, social, and self-actualization
B) Achievement, power, and affiliation
C) Reward, power, and social
D) Esteem, social, and security

Answer 2

B
Explanation: In the 1960s, David McClelland developed a theory of motivation based on the assumption that through their life experiences, people develop various needs. His theory focuses on three such needs, the need for achievement, the need for power, and the need for affiliation.

Question 3

Brian is the manager of a sales office.His company has not been doing well lately and all his employees are demotivated because of that.Which of the following needs must Brian try to satisfy in order to motivate his employees?

A) Spiritual
B) Security
C) Physiological
D) Self-actualization

Answer 3

B
Explanation: As the company is not doing well, employees are more likely to want job security than anything else. Hence, Brian should try to satisfy the security needs of his employees. Security needs keep people free from harm.

Question 4

A policy that grants employees some leeway in choosing which 8 hours a day or which 40 hours a week to work is called:

A) job sharing.
B) gainsharing.
C) flextime.
D) compressed workweek.

Question 5

Vinita and Lilly work on the same projects in Cyber Max Company.They both manage the duties of a single position in the company.They only work for five hours every day as both of them have six-month-old babies.What type of work arrangement does this exemplify?

A) Flextime
B) Job sharing
C) Telecommuting
D) Staggered shifts

Question 6

Alan,a stockbroker,did well in the commodities market and decided to buy a Ferrari.According to Maslow's motivational theory,Alan is most likely fulfilling his:

A) esteem need.
B) physiological need.
C) safety need.
D) self-actualization need.

Question 7

Cathy,an employee,has to take leave on Monday.So,in order to compensate,she takes her company laptop home to work.This is an example of _____.

A) job sharing
B) telecommuting
C) flextime
D) compressed workweek

Question 8

Giving people incentives that cause them to act in desired ways is known as:

A) consideration.
B) bribery.
C) motivation.
D) punishment.

Question 9

Emma applies for medical insurance.Which hierarchical need is she trying to satisfy?

A) Physiological need
B) Social need
C) Self-actualization need
D) Security need

Question 10

According to Maslow,a man who has met his security needs is most likely to also have satisfied his _____ needs.

A) physiological
B) social
C) esteem
D) self-actualization

Question 11

According to Maslow,a man will satisfy his _____ needs before he attempts to satisfy his social needs.

A) physiological
B) spiritual
C) esteem
D) self-actualization

Question 12

The objective of motivating employees is to:

A) lead them to perform in ways that meet the goals of a department and an organization.
B) get as much work out of them as possible to maximize company profits.
C) justify their positions, especially during a layoff, so they will not lose their jobs.
D) help them believe that they can attain desired incentives.

Question 13

Theories of motivation that focus on what things motivate workers are called:

A) content theories.
B) process theories.
C) expectancy theories.
D) equity theories.

Question 14

A supervisor decides to use Maslow's theory to motivate an employee at the level of social needs.Which reward should the supervisor choose to motivate the employee?

A) A new project requiring an informal work group
B) A gift voucher/coupon
C) A new, fancy job title
D) A new, separate cabin

Question 15

When a person does not feel valued by his or her company,the person's _____ needs are most likely to be unfulfilled.

A) esteem
B) social
C) physiological
D) self-actualization

Question 16

Anna goes for a meditation retreat in India to attain spirituality.According Maslow's hierarchy of needs,which need is she trying to satisfy?

A) Physiological need
B) Social need
C) Self-actualization need
D) Esteem need

Question 17

Applied to a work situation,Maslow's theory means a supervisor must:

A) recognize that employees are only motivated by money.
B) be aware of the current needs of particular employees.
C) actively try to eliminate the Pygmalion effect.
D) always use the piecework system for providing financial incentives.

Question 18

Which of the following is a shortcoming of Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory?

A) It is only applicable for work setting.
B) It cannot be applied to the piecework system.
C) It was not tested for relevance to the work setting.
D) It relies heavily on the Pygmalion effect.

Question 19

Edgar,a student of New York University,goes to Luanda every summer to teach poor kids.He volunteers with the Angolan government agency for two months every year for this purpose.Which of the following needs categorized by Maslow's theory does Edgar want to satisfy?

A) Power
B) Security
C) Self-actualization
D) Expectancy

Question 20

Jim was praised by his manager for his work.In this case,according Maslow's hierarchy of needs,Jim's _____ needs have been met.

A) physiological
B) social
C) self-actualization
D) esteem

Question 21

According to Vroom's expectancy-valence theory,valence is:

A) an unpleasant consequence given in response to undesirable behavior.
B) the perceived probability that a promised reward will actually be received.
C) the value a person places on the outcome of a particular behavior.
D) the cause for all types of dissatisfaction.

Question 22

_____ theory says that the strength of motivation equals the perceived value of the outcome times the perceived probability that the behavior will result in the outcome.

A) Vroom's expectancy-valence
B) Herzberg's two-factor
C) McClelland's achievement-power-affiliation
D) Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Question 23

A difference between process theories and content theories is that process theories:

A) do not focus on specific motivators, whereas content theories do.
B) state that dissatisfaction arises from the absence of hygiene factors, whereas content theories state that dissatisfaction arises from the absence of motivators.
C) see the Pygmalion effect as a useful tool in motivating employees, whereas content theories do not.
D) are only applicable to production based systems, whereas content theories are applicable to piecework systems.

Question 24

The factor that differentiates McClelland's theory from Maslow's theory is that,McClelland's theory:

A) considers group differences rather than individual differences.
B) assumes the same pattern of needs for all people.
C) implies that supervisors must remember that employees are motivated by a variety of possibilities.
D) assumes different people have different patterns of needs.

Question 25

Frederick Herzberg found that employees are most productive when organizations:

A) provide "family-friendly" policies, which typically include flexible work arrangements.
B) stop the use of telecommuting.
C) eliminate the Pygmalion effect.
D) provide a combination of desirable hygiene factors and motivating factors.

Question 26

According to Vroom's expectancy-valence theory,expectancy is:

A) the measure of impact of the Pygmalion effect.
B) the deciding factor used in the piecework system.
C) the value a person places on the outcome of a particular behavior.
D) the perceived likelihood that a behavior will lead to an outcome.

Question 27

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory,dissatisfaction results from the:

A) absence of hygiene factors.
B) presence of motivating factors.
C) Pygmalion effect.
D) lack of need for affiliation.

Question 28

According to Vroom's expectancy-valence theory,instrumentality is:

A) the measure of impact of the Pygmalion effect.
B) the measure of usefulness of an employee.
C) the perceived probability that a promised reward will actually be received.
D) the perceived likelihood that a behavior will lead to an outcome.

Question 29

Which of the following is a statement that both McClelland's theory and Maslow's theory agree upon?

A) Money is the only motivating factor for all employees.
B) All people have the same pattern of needs.
C) Supervisors must remember that employees are motivated by a variety of possibilities.
D) Different people have different patterns of needs.

Question 30

Which assumption did Vroom make when he set out to explain what determines the intensity of motivation?

A) Money is the only motivator for all employees.
B) People act as they do to satisfy their needs.
C) The Pygmalion effect applies to all situations.
D) Dissatisfaction arises from the lack of hygiene factors.

Question 31

Frederick Herzberg's research led to the conclusion that:

A) dissatisfaction results from the presence of hygiene factors.
B) employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction stem from different sources.
C) money is the only motivator for employees.
D) organizations that only provide motivating factors ensure optimum productivity.

Question 32

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory,which of the following are hygiene factors?

A) Salary and benefits
B) Personal growth
C) Work itself
D) Opportunity for recognition

Question 33

Which of the following is true about Vroom's expectancy-valence theory?

A) It is based on employees' perceptions of rewards and whether they are able to achieve them.
B) According to this theory, dissatisfaction results from the absence of hygiene factors and satisfaction results from the presence of motivating factors.
C) It focuses on three needs namely; power, achievement, and affiliation.
D) It argues that needs are organized into a hierarchy and the most basic needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Question 34

According to Herzberg,which of the following is a hygiene factor?

A) Personal growth
B) Advancement
C) Responsibility
D) Supervision

Question 35

Greta is the manager of a company who has implemented a payments-for-suggestions plan whereby employees get paid for providing valid suggestions that can help the company.She found that not many employees came forward with suggestions.Upon further investigation,she found out that employees did not think that they would actually be paid for making the suggestions.So,she made the paymentsfor-suggestions plan part of their work contract which guaranteed that they would be paid.According to Vroom's expectancy-valence theory,Greta has increased _____ to motivate her employees.

A) instrumentality
B) expectancy
C) valence
D) reinforcement

Question 36

Which of the following is true according to McClelland's achievement-power-affiliation theory?

A) The need for affiliation is the desire to do something better than it has been done before.
B) People with a high need for power desire close and friendly relationships and don't like to be responsible for other people.
C) People with a high need for achievement prefer unchallenging goals as they are easier to achieve.
D) The nature of a person's early life experiences can influence the person's needs.

Question 37

Michael was an engineer in a large aerospace company.He was unhappy with his job and it was beginning to show in terms of his work performance.His supervisor,Nick,tried to motivate Michael by telling him about the new employee benefit plans that the company would be coming out within the next quarter.Nick also told Michael about the new building that they were going to move to next month.Using Herzberg's two-factor theory,which type of factor was Nick using to motivate Michael?

A) Motivating factors
B) Hygiene factors
C) Reinforcement factors
D) Affiliation factors

Question 38

A person with a strong need for achievement tends to:

A) set challenging but achievable goals.
B) assess risk carelessly.
C) actively avoid work.
D) be more motivated by money than success.

Question 39

A person with a strong need for achievement:

A) is more motivated by success than by money.
B) tries to influence others.
C) seeks out advancement and responsibility.
D) seeks approval and acceptance.

Question 40

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory,satisfaction results from the:

A) presence of hygiene factors.
B) presence of motivating factors.
C) Pygmalion effect.
D) fulfilment of security needs.

Question 41

Reinforcement theory implies that supervisors can:

A) encourage or discourage a particular kind of behavior by the way they respond to the behavior.
B) only use money as a motivating factor.
C) use the piecework system to punish workers effectively.
D) rely on the Pygmalion effect to accurately determine an employee's motivation levels.

Question 42

_____ theory maintains that people's behavior is influenced largely by the consequences of their past behavior.

A) Valence-expectancy
B) Reinforcement
C) Maslow's hierarchy of needs
D) Herzberg's two-factor

Question 43

Who among the following is most likely to work solely for intrinsic rewards?

A) A single mother living in Mexico
B) A college student studying economics
C) A retired accountant with a pension
D) A man who has to support a family of five

Question 44

In order to successfully implement behavior modification programs in organizational settings,a supervisor should consider:

A) offering all employees similar types of rewards regardless of the quality of their performance.
B) giving feedback to employees by telling them only about what they are doing right and not what they are doing wrong.
C) punishing an employee in the presence of other employees.
D) providing rewards and punishments that are substantial.

Question 45

Reinforcement differs from punishment in that it is:

A) more effective in the long term.
B) less effective in the short term.
C) less effective in the long term.
D) more effective in the short term.

Question 46

An intrinsic reward is:

A) only achievable when money is not a motivator.
B) a compensation that is extraneous to the task accomplished.
C) the personal satisfaction that comes directly from performing a task.
D) determined solely by the Pygmalion effect.

Question 47

If money is to work as a motivator,it should:

A) be seen as achievable by employees.
B) be used only as an intrinsic reward.
C) not serve to signal one's worth to his or her organization.
D) circumvent the Pygmalion effect.

Question 48

The structure of a pay plan:

A) determines the extent to which the Pygmalion effect affects employees' motivation.
B) enables supervisors to rate employee performance.
C) influences the degree to which employees are motivated to perform well.
D) decides the specific roles of a supervisor.

Question 49

Which of the following is an intrinsic reward?

A) The happiness one experiences from gardening
B) The recognition one gets for breaking a world record
C) The pay bonus an employee receives for a job well done
D) The trophy a boxing champion gets for winning a tournament

Question 50

Vroom's and Skinner's process theories both state that supervisors motivate most effectively when they:

A) only provide extrinsic rewards.
B) eliminate the Pygmalion effect.
C) place less emphasis on punishing infractions.
D) use more punishment than reinforcement.

Question 51

Payments for meeting or exceeding objectives are known as _____.

A) financial incentives
B) scale economies
C) intrinsic rewards
D) basic wages

Question 52

Which of the following is an example of punishment?

A) Certain police officers are given favored assignments when the department receives compliments on those police officers' work.
B) Employees who meet the sales target of the month are not required to work on weekends.
C) An assembly-line worker is docked if he gets to work late.
D) A nurse is given the day shift after working six months in the night shift without any patient and/or doctor complaints.

Question 53

Ted is a manager at Global Gains,an advertising firm.Kim works as a sales executive in Global Gains.Ted has been reducing Kim's incentives for three successive months after repeatedly warning her of her incompetence.Kim started having a passive approach toward her job as she believed that she would fail no matter what.She was convinced that she would never be able to achieve what was expected of her.Which of the following describes Kim's situation?

A) Learned helplessness
B) Instrumentality
C) Cognitive dissonance
D) Affirmation

Question 54

An extrinsic reward:

A) is a compensation that is extraneous to the task accomplished.
B) is the personal satisfaction that comes directly from performing a task.
C) is given only to executives who do extra work.
D) is never given in the form of money.

Question 55

Veronica is the sales manager of a company which manufactures office equipment.She believes that it is possible to increase sales by using reinforcement theory.If Veronica wants to use positive reinforcement to increase sales,she should:

A) end all sales contests and their corresponding awards.
B) allow flextime for all salespeople.
C) stop displaying the "top salesperson of the month" results on the company bulletin board.
D) increase sales commissions.

Question 56

Which of the following is an example of an extrinsic reward?

A) An employee experiencing a sense of increased self-esteem after accomplishing a challenging task
B) A supervisor spending time helping an employee sort out a personal problem
C) A human resource executive being satisfied with his job which fulfills his esteem needs
D) A manager giving an "Employee of the month" award with a certificate and gift vouchers

Question 57

The content theories of motivation imply that money:

A) is the only expectation that employees have from a job.
B) motivates people when it exceeds their needs.
C) motivates employees to work toward meeting organizational goals.
D) cannot be given as an extrinsic reward.

Question 58

According to the _____ Act,organizations with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius must give employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a new born,adopted,or foster child within one year of the child's arrival.

A) Uniform Adoption
B) Family and Medical Leave
C) Pregnancy Discrimination
D) Occupational Safety and Health

Question 59

Repeated punishment or failure can lead to an unhappy consequence called:

A) loss aversion.
B) repression.
C) learned helplessness.
D) self-serving bias.

Question 60

Which of the following is an example of reinforcement?

A) A service waiter being fired for being rude to the customers
B) An employee getting demoted for never coming in to work on time
C) A truck driver getting a bonus for making deliveries on time
D) An employee being paid his severance package

Question 61

Arax Group of Companies (AGC)has a group incentive plan for its employees.Under this plan,the company sets aside a portion of its profits and divides it among employees.Which of the following plans has the company adopted?

A) Gainsharing plan
B) Employee stock ownership plan
C) Profit-sharing plan
D) Defined benefit pension plan

Question 62

Select the correct statement about wage and salary information of private (nongovernment)workers.

A) Employees' earnings are public information.
B) Employees usually do not know one another's earnings.
C) Employees' earnings are published on a company's notice board.
D) Supervisors do not know what their subordinates earn.

Question 63

Profit-sharing plans and gainsharing plans are types of:

A) group incentive plans.
B) innovation plans.
C) piecework plans.
D) payments for suggestions plans.

Question 64

According to McGregor's Theory Z,_____.

A) Japanese workers are more productive than their U.S. counterparts
B) the Pygmalion effect leads to demotivation in employees
C) people have a natural tendency to avoid work
D) people will work hard to achieve objectives to which they are committed

Question 65

Which of the following is a true statement about financial incentives?

A) They are only given when objectives are exceeded.
B) They can be given for acquiring additional skills.
C) They are decided by the supervisors.
D) They are only given in the form of intrinsic rewards.

Question 66

People such as independent contractors,seamsters,farm workers,and so on are often paid by:

A) commissions.
B) the piecework system.
C) the production bonus system.
D) profit-sharing plans.

Question 67

______ is a set of management attitudes that emphasizes employee participation in all aspects of decision making.

A) Reinforcement theory
B) Two-factor theory
C) Theory X
D) Theory Z

Question 68

A Theory X manager assumes that:

A) people cannot be coerced to perform work.
B) people like to work but need direction.
C) people actively seek responsibility.
D) people wish to avoid responsibility.

Question 69

A financial incentive plan that rewards a team of workers for meeting or exceeding an objective is called a:

A) piecework system.
B) payments for suggestions.
C) group incentive plan.
D) commission.

Question 70

Employees in a production department may receive a basic wage or salary plus a bonus that consists of a payment for each unit produced.This is called a:

A) payments for suggestions.
B) production bonus system.
C) piecework system.
D) commission.

Question 71

A Theory Y manager:

A) focuses on developing the potential of employees.
B) believes that people wish to avoid responsibility and would prefer to be directed.
C) adopts an autocratic leadership role.
D) assumes that the primary need of people is security.

Question 72

Which financial incentive pay plan involves companies paying employees for offering ideas on how to cut costs or improve quality?

A) Piecework system
B) Production bonus system
C) Profit sharing
D) Payments for suggestions

Question 73

The piecework system:

A) moves employees from job to job to give them more variety.
B) provides training in the skills required to perform more than one job.
C) pays people according to how much they produce.
D) adds more duties to a job to make it more interesting.

Question 74

What compromise have organizations developed to maintain the secrecy of individual salaries yet provide enough information on salary to motivate employees?

A) Do not publish any wage or salary information whatsoever
B) Publish pay ranges, showing the lowest and highest wage or salary for each position
C) Publish selective salary details of all employees
D) Post the information only on the company's notice board

Question 75

_____ is a set of management attitudes based on the view that people dislike work and must be coerced to perform.

A) Theory X
B) Two-factor theory
C) Reinforcement theory
D) Theory Z

Question 76

According to McGregor's _____,working is as natural an activity as resting or playing,and people will work hard to achieve objectives to which they are committed.

A) Theory X
B) Theory Y
C) two-factor theory
D) reinforcement theory

Question 77

Which of the following is a true statement about wage and salary information of government workers?

A) Employees' earnings are public information.
B) Employees do not know one another's earnings.
C) Salary information can only be accessed in case of a national emergency.
D) Salary information is only available to politicians.

Question 78

Rhett,the supervisor of a construction crew,assumes that her employees have little ambition and dislike work.She uses this assumption to micro-manage their work.From this description of Rhett,it can be inferred that she is a:

A) Theory X manager.
B) Theory A manager.
C) Theory Y manager.
D) Theory Z manager.

Question 79

Which of the following is a disadvantage of production bonus system?

A) It relies heavily on the Pygmalion effect.
B) It doesn't encourage high-quality work.
C) It assumes that money is not an important motivation tool.
D) It involves excessive behavior modification.

Question 80

Who among the following is a Theory X manager?

A) A manager who involves his employees in all decision making processes
B) A manager who micromanages his employees
C) A manager who allows people to follow flexible schedules
D) A manager who constantly provides positive encouragement to his employees