Question 1

The core dimension of Hackman and Oldham's model of job characteristics that is based on the number of diverse activities that make up a job is known as:

Accepted Answer

The core dimension based on the number of diverse activities that make up a job in Hackman and Oldham's model is known as "skill variety". Autonomy refers to the degree of control an employee has over their work, job enlargement relates to the increase in the number of tasks an employee has, task identity refers to the degree to which employees see the outcome of their work, and feedback refers to the degree to which employees receive information about their performance.

Question 2

The job characteristics model is effective when a person has:

Accepted Answer

The job characteristics model is designed to enhance employee motivation and job satisfaction by incorporating five core job dimensions: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. These dimensions are most effective when an employee desires personal challenge, achievement, and the need for challenging work. Therefore, all of these choices are correct.

Question 3

Which of the following statements best summarises the law of effect?

Accepted Answer

The law of effect refers to the tendency of behaviour that is positively reinforced to be repeated. This means that behaviour that is rewarded or reinforced in a positive way is more likely to occur again in the future. Choice A is too general and does not specifically capture the idea of reinforcement. Choice B is partly true, but does not fully capture the idea of the law of effect. Choices D and E are incorrect.

Question 4

Which of these is the administration of a pleasant and rewarding consequence following a desired behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves the administration of a pleasant and rewarding consequence following a desired behavior.

Question 5

Joanne works at Five-to-One Corporation.Her bosses continually indicate that her motivational level is low.Joanne agrees,but is unwilling to work harder until the company changes the types of reward it offers its employees.Which of the following is low for Joanne?

Accepted Answer

Joanne's reluctance to work harder indicates a low valence, which means she does not believe that the rewards offered by the company are desirable or worth the effort she needs to put in. This is the only option that reflects a low valence. E->P expectancy and O->P expectancy both refer to the employees' perceptions about their ability to perform and the outcome from that performance, respectively. Motivators refer to the factors that drive an individual's desire to perform well. O->E indicators are measures of an organization's effectiveness in achieving its goals, and is not relevant to the situation mentioned in the question.

Question 6

The __________ involves whether putting effort into a task will lead to high performance.

Accepted Answer

E->P expectancy, or expectancy of effort leading to performance, is the appropriate option. It reflects an individual's belief that putting effort into a task will result in improved performance.

Question 7

_______________ refers to the degree to which goals are concrete and unambiguous.

Accepted Answer

Goal specificity refers to the extent to which goals are clear, precise and unambiguous. It allows individuals to have a better understanding of what is expected of them, which leads to better performance and higher motivation.

Question 8

Which of the following theories is based on the relationships between effort,performance and outcomes?

Accepted Answer

Expectancy theory is centered on the belief that employees will be motivated to perform at high levels if they believe their effort will lead to good performance, and good performance will lead to desired outcomes or rewards. It suggests that effort, performance, and outcomes are all intricately connected and that employees will only be motivated if they understand and believe in these connections.

Question 9

Which of the following is an important part of the job characteristics model?

Accepted Answer

Critical psychological states (meaning experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility, and knowledge of results) are the key dimensions in the job characteristics model developed by Hackman and Oldham, which identifies aspects of jobs that lead to high levels of motivation, satisfaction, and performance. A hierarchy of needs is part of Maslow's theory of motivation, and schedules of reinforcement are part of behaviorism theory. While both are important in understanding employee motivation, they are not part of the job characteristics model.

Question 10

While job _____________ can lead to greater task efficiencies,it has failed as a motivational technique.

Accepted Answer

Job simplification can indeed lead to greater task efficiencies by breaking down jobs into simpler, more specialized tasks. However, it has often failed as a motivational technique because it can lead to monotonous work that doesn't engage or challenge employees, thereby reducing their job satisfaction and intrinsic motivation.

Question 11

Common ways to reduce a perceived inequity include all the following,except:

Accepted Answer

All the options listed are indeed common strategies individuals might employ to address or reduce perceived inequity in the workplace or in other contexts. Changing work effort, outcomes, perceptions of equity, or even leaving the job are all ways people might try to restore balance or fairness as they see it.

Question 12

The key components of goal-setting theory include:

Accepted Answer

Goal-setting theory includes all three key components: goal specificity (the extent to which a goal is clear and well-defined), goal difficulty (the level of challenge and effort required to achieve the goal), and goal acceptance (the degree to which an individual is committed to and believes in the goal). Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Question 13

The removal of an unpleasant consequence following a desired behaviour is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Avoidance learning is when an organism learns a response to avoid an unpleasant consequence. In this case, the unpleasant consequence is removed after the desired behavior is exhibited, which results in avoidance learning. Punishment involves applying an unpleasant consequence following an undesired behavior, while positive reinforcement involves providing a pleasant consequence following a desired behavior. Extinction involves removing a previously provided reinforcement, which results in a decrease or cessation of a behavior. Inefficient management is not a relevant term in this context.

Question 14

Alice and Robert are both middle managers at Superslim Corporation on the Gold Coast.Alice is dissatisfied because she knows that Robert makes more in salary even though,in Alice's opinion,she works longer hours than he does.If Alice wishes to reduce this perceived inequity,what should she do?

Accepted Answer

Each option (A, B, C) represents a way for Alice to attempt to reduce the perceived inequity between her and Robert, either by decreasing her input (reducing hours or increasing absenteeism) or by attempting to increase her outcomes (asking for a raise).

Question 15

One of your fellow students is continually late to tutorials.The tutor (Dr Dre)has tried numerous verbal warnings and recently threatened to deduct two per cent off the student's final grade each time he is late without cause.The student then began to show up on time.Based on the above,the tutor's actions are consistent with which of the following reinforcement techniques?

Accepted Answer

The tutor's actions are consistent with avoidance learning, where the student begins to show up on time to avoid the negative consequence of having their final grade reduced. This is a form of negative reinforcement where a behavior is increased because a negative condition is avoided or removed.

Question 16

Enviro Pulp Mill in rural Victoria systematically moves employees from one job to another,thereby increasing the number of different tasks an employee performs without increasing the complexity of any one job.This is known as:

Accepted Answer

Enviro Pulp Mill is using job rotation, which involves moving employees from one job to another to increase the variety of their tasks, but without increasing the complexity of any one job. Job rotation can help prevent boredom and increase employee motivation, as well as develop employees' cross-functional skills. Job simplification involves reducing the number of tasks performed in a job to increase efficiency, while job enlargement involves adding more tasks to a job to increase its scope. Job enrichment involves adding more complex and challenging tasks to a job to provide a sense of achievement and personal growth.

Question 17

Which of the following techniques reduces the likelihood that behaviour will be repeated?

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the process of withholding reinforcement for a behavior, which reduces the probability of that behavior being repeated in the future. Positive and negative reinforcement, as well as reward enhancement, increase the likelihood of behavior being repeated, so they do not reduce the likelihood of behavior being repeated.

Question 18

With a continuous reinforcement schedule:

Accepted Answer

With a continuous reinforcement schedule, every occurrence of the desired behavior is reinforced. This means that the behavior is immediately reinforced every time it occurs, leading to fast and consistent learning of the behavior.

Question 19

Kane is looking for ways to increase the number of different tasks that an employee performs without increasing task complexity.He should try job:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kane is looking for ways to increase...

Question 20

Marjorie is a first-line supervisor at More-or-Less Ltd.She wishes to increase her employees' opportunities for growth and learning.Which of the following techniques should she use?

Accepted Answer

Job enrichment provides employees with more challenging and meaningful work, which can lead to increased growth and learning opportunities.

Quiz 16: Motivating Employees