Deck 18: Motivation

Question 1

 The managers in an organization wanted to reduce employee turnover by increasing employee job satisfaction. Therefore, they provided employees with a safe work environment and a sense of job security. However, the turnover rate did not decrease even after implementing these changes. During exit interviews, the employees complained that they do not have any opportunities for achievement and personal recognition. From this scenario, according to Herzberg's theory, it can be understood that

A) hygiene factors are lacking in the organization.
B) the organization falls short of motivators.
C) all employees are self-actualized individuals.
D) the employees' higher-order needs are met.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

 Which of the following is an intrinsic reward?

A) Recognition
B) Interesting task
C) Employee benefits
D) Monetary bonus

Answer 2

B

Question 3

 The acronym ERG in Alderfer's theory of motivation refers to

A) existence, relatedness, and growth.
B) empowerment, reliance, and greatness.
C) engagement, responsibility, and governance.
D) employment, recognition, and gain.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

 Maria and Jose have worked together in the same office in the same position for quite some time. They have similar educational backgrounds and have been in the job for about the same period of time. Maria works extremely hard and often notices that Jose is taking long breaks and not putting in the same effort as she is. Thus, when she learns that Jose is paid $8,000 more than what she earns, she gets very upset and decides to reduce her effort and take long breaks as well. Which of the following theories explains this behavior?

A) Expectancy theory
B) Equity theory
C) ERG theory
D) Goal-setting theory

Question 5

 Managers at Glasglow Company sought to increase transparency in organizational processes, emphasize fairness, and build trust so as to fulfill employees' drive to

A) acquire.
B) bond.
C) comprehend.
D) defend.

Question 6

 Adam, a team leader, while assessing the performance of his team members, came to realize that their performance was deteriorating. In order to motivate them, Adam adopted the four-drive theory of motivation and differentiated good performers from average and poor performers. Moreover, he designed a reward system such that it was tied clearly to performance. From this scenario, it can be inferred that Adam tried to fulfill the employees' drive to

A) acquire.
B) bond.
C) comprehend.
D) defend.

Question 7

 Which of the following is one of the three needs of McClelland's acquired needs theory?

A) Need for motivation
B) Need for challenge
C) Need for power
D) Need for safety

Question 8

 The study of the incentives and needs that motivate people to perform in a certain way are called _____ theories of motivation.

A) content
B) path-goal
C) reinforcement
D) process

Question 9

 Which of the following statements about extrinsic and intrinsic rewards is true?

A) Intrinsic rewards are specific, tangible, and easy to compare.
B) Extrinsic rewards include interesting and challenging work.
C) Intrinsic rewards generally provide personal satisfaction.
D) Extrinsic rewards are based on individuals' conception of their worth.

Question 10

 _____ refers to the desire, stimulus, or incentive to pursue a particular course of action.

A) Participation
B) Influence
C) Motivation
D) Reinforcement

Question 11

 Which of the following is an extrinsic reward?

A) Autonomy
B) Challenging task
C) Self-direction
D) Compensation

Question 12

 The human resources department sought to design jobs that have distinct and important roles in the organization, that are meaningful, and that foster a sense of contribution to the organization so as to fulfill employees' drive to

A) acquire.
B) bond.
C) comprehend.
D) defend.

Question 13

 Managers at Bridgeport Company sought to establish a culture that fosters mutual reliance and friendship among coworkers, values collaboration and teamwork, and encourages sharing of best practices so as to fulfill employees' drive to

A) acquire.
B) bond.
C) comprehend.
D) defend.

Question 14

 The _____ theory, proposed by Abraham Maslow, states that individuals have multiple needs that must be fulfilled in a specific order to ensure the greatest level of satisfaction.

A) acquired needs
B) hierarchy of needs
C) four-drive
D) two-factor

Question 15

 Where Joe works, he feels included and accepted. Based on Maslow's needs hierarchy as applied to the work environment, what is Joe's next level of need fulfillment?

A) Job security
B) Self-actualization
C) Recognition and rewards
D) Job autonomy

Question 16

 Which of the following theories is a variant on Maslow's hierarchy theory that involves three instead of five levels?

A) Expectancy theory
B) Alderfer's ERG theory
C) Goal-setting theory
D) McClelland's acquired needs theory

Question 17

 According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, hygiene factors

A) correspond to Maslow's hierarchical needs for esteem and self-actualization.
B) are the higher-order needs that motivate people to perform better in their work.
C) are potential dissatisfiers that, when fulfilled, do not cause people to become satisfied.
D) are the direct consequences of doing the job and are the primary cause of satisfaction.

Question 18

 Edwin, a top manager in a bureaucratic organization, often provides advice, coaching, and support to employees and maintains a good reputation both inside and outside the organization. Based on McClelland's acquired needs theory, it can be inferred that Edwin is an example of a(n) _____ manager.

A) socialized power-oriented
B) affiliation-oriented
C) achievement-oriented
D) relations-oriented

Question 19

 Which of the following statements about the goal-setting theory is true?

A) Tight deadlines for goal completion lead to a more rapid work pace.
B) Difficult goals often tend to direct attention toward goal-irrelevant activities.
C) Difficult goals generally lead to lesser effort, persistency, and focus.
D) Easily achievable goals are the significant motivators of performance.

Question 20

 Theories that explain why people behave in ways to satisfy their needs and how they evaluate their overall level of satisfaction after they have attempted to fulfill their needs are called _____ theories of motivation.

A) social identity
B) content
C) reinforcement
D) process

Question 21

 John, a manager who conforms to Douglas McGregor's _____, believes that employees are motivated by extrinsic rewards, especially compensation.

A) Theory ERG
B) Theory X
C) Theory Y
D) Theory Z

Question 22

 Colleen, a manager who conforms to Douglas McGregor's _____, believes that employees inherently dislike work and need to be constantly monitored.

A) Theory ERG
B) Theory X
C) Theory Y
D) Theory Z

Question 23

 According to Douglas McGregor, managers who conform to Theory X tend to use a blend of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards to motivate employees.

Question 24

 Which of the following statements about the reinforcement theory is true?

A) Negative reinforcements tend to decrease certain behaviors.
B) Successful organizations generally build employee engagement by focusing on punishment.
C) Ceasing to reward the behavior that was previously rewarded causes extinction.
D) Positive reinforcement involves removing an aversive condition in response to a desired behavior.

Question 25

 Of the three variables of expectancy theory, valence includes the evaluation of whether

A) the available outcomes are attractive to the employee.
B) putting in effort will lead to commensurate performance.
C) poor effort will lead to limited performance and rewards.
D) successful performance will lead to a desired reward.

Question 26

 Goal-setting theory states that the mere setting of difficult but achievable goals is a significant motivator of performance.

Question 27

 Jill, a manager who conforms to Douglas McGregor's _____, focuses on participatory rather than command-and-control styles of leadership.

A) Theory ERG
B) Theory X
C) Theory Y
D) Theory Z

Question 28

 Richard uses rewards and punishments to induce desired behaviors. Richard subscribes to _____ theory.

A) equity
B) reinforcement
C) acquired needs
D) expectancy

Question 29

 Unlike Maslow, Alderfer believed that individuals could pursue multiple needs at once.

Question 30

 Individuals who are motivated by personalized power like to make an impact on and influence others.

Question 31

 Discuss the process theories of motivation.

Question 32

 According to Herzberg, fulfilling potential dissatisfiers causes people to become less dissatisfied.

Question 33

 Outline the content theories of motivation.

Question 34

 Identify the characteristics of managers who conform to Douglas McGregor's Theory Y.

Question 35

 Describe the features of reinforcement theory.

Question 36

 Which of the following is a characteristic of an organization's climate with high employee engagement?

A) Negative reinforcement
B) Training and development
C) High power distance
D) Centralized decision making

Question 37

 Which of the following statements best describes the theory of operant conditioning?

A) Both positive and negative reinforcement increase behavior while punishment and extinction decrease behavior.
B) People will compare their circumstances with those of similar others, and this behavior motivates them to seek fairness in the way they are rewarded for performance.
C) Individuals have multiple needs that must be fulfilled in a specific hierarchical order to ensure the greatest level of satisfaction.
D) Employees expect that high effort should lead to good performance and that good performance, in turn, should lead to reward.

Question 38

 Differentiate extrinsic and intrinsic rewards of motivation. Give examples.

Question 39

 In contrast to intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation is derived from aspects of "doing the job."

Question 40

 Equity theory assumes that individuals know what effort and skills are required to receive a certain reward threshold from their employer.