Question 1

You have been asked to explain to a client the notion of work motivation.Which of the following would best characterize an employee's work motivation?

Accepted Answer

Work motivation refers to the factors that drive employees to perform their tasks well and with a high level of effort. While being happy and satisfied with one's job content and performance or sharing the organization's goals and aspirations are important, they do not necessarily guarantee high levels of work motivation.

Question 2

According to reinforcement theory,what happens when organization-controlled rewards stop?

Accepted Answer

According to reinforcement theory, when organization-controlled rewards stop, the desired behaviours that were previously reinforced will eventually disappear. This is known as extinction. It is important for organizations to provide alternative sources of reinforcement to maintain the desired behaviours and motivation.

Question 3

Which scenario is reflective of an organization displaying procedural justice in their reward system?

Accepted Answer

Procedural justice involves a fair and transparent process for making decisions. If employees are able to appeal pay increase decisions using a transparent appeal process, this demonstrates that the organization is following procedural justice in their reward system. Options A, B, and D do not demonstrate procedural justice as they involve unequal pay, pay increases not tied to performance, and unclear processes, respectively.

Question 4

Economic theory of motivation is closely aligned with which management strategy?

Accepted Answer

The economic theory of motivation, which suggests that employees are primarily motivated by money and economic incentives, is closely aligned with the classical management strategy. This strategy focuses on efficiency, productivity, and minimizing costs, often emphasizing a top-down approach to management and the importance of organizational structure and control.

Question 5

Which of the following refers to content theories of motivation?

Accepted Answer

Content theories of motivation focus on understanding the human needs that drive behavior, such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs or Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory. A, B, and C do not fit this description.

Question 6

You operate an inbound call centre serving the various needs of your customers.Over the last several months,you notice that customers are waiting on hold for several minutes before being served.To motivate operators,you introduce an incentive program that rewards those operators that answer over 200 calls per 8-hour shift.Shortly thereafter,wait times drop but service complaints escalate.What kind of reward problem does this vignette describe?

Accepted Answer

The vignette describes a reward program that motivates operators to answer a high number of calls, which results in shorter wait times. However, the undesired consequence is that customer service complaints escalate, indicating that the operators are not able to provide quality service to all callers despite answering a high volume of calls. This is an example of a reward program producing the desired behavior but also producing negative consequences.

Question 7

Which theory is most applicable in explaining why a hockey player who earns $10 million per year is dissatisfied with his pay?

Accepted Answer

The equity theory proposes that individuals compare their inputs (such as effort and skills) and outcomes (such as pay and recognition) with those of others, and if they perceive an imbalance, they experience distress or dissatisfaction. In this case, the hockey player may compare his pay with that of other highly paid athletes or his own perceived worth, and if he feels that his inputs and outcomes are not in balance, he may be dissatisfied.

Question 8

An employee survey at a particular company indicated very strong employee job satisfaction levels.Management was elated with the outcome of the survey.What is a likely consequence of having satisfied employees?

Accepted Answer

Satisfied employees are generally more content with their work environment, which often leads to fewer grievances as they have less to complain about or be dissatisfied with.

Question 9

In what way is there congruency between Maslow's theory and Herzberg's theory?

Accepted Answer

Both theories identify a hierarchy of needs, with higher-order needs being related to motivators (Maslow) or satisfiers (Herzberg), and lower-order needs being related to hygiene factors. Both also suggest that higher-order needs must be met before individuals are motivated by lower-order needs.

Question 10

According to expectancy theory,which of the following would be an example of negative instrumentality?

Accepted Answer

Negative instrumentality occurs when the employee believes that there is no positive correlation between their performance and reward or outcome. In this scenario, the employee believes that their hard work will not result in recognition or reward, even though they perform well. Therefore, choice A is the correct example of negative instrumentality.

Question 11

Organizational justice has two key dimensions.Which pair of variables best captures these two dimensions?

Accepted Answer

The two key dimensions of organizational justice are distributive justice (the fairness of outcomes) and procedural justice (the fairness of the process used to determine outcomes). Option A is incorrect as integrative justice is not one of the dimensions of organizational justice. Option C and D are incorrect as both psychological and tenure-based justice, as well as psychological and task justice do not accurately capture the two dimensions of organizational justice.

Question 12

Zara would typically go "well beyond the call of duty" in the workplace to help her organization achieve its goals.What is Zara displaying?

Accepted Answer

Zara is displaying organizational citizenship behaviour, which refers to voluntary actions that go beyond the formal requirements of one's job duties to benefit the organization. This includes things like helping coworkers with their tasks, making suggestions for improvements, and contributing to the overall positive culture of the workplace.

Question 13

A particular employee becomes dissatisfied with a decision by an organization to decrease pay.Which of the following could be considered an attempt by the employee to increase rewards?

Accepted Answer

Padding their expense accounts can be seen as an attempt by the employee to increase their rewards, compensating for the decrease in pay by inflating expenses to receive higher reimbursements.

Question 14

Terry was generously rewarded by his parents when he received excellent grades.His parents are hoping that the rewards will help Terry get similar grades in the future.Which theory helps to explain this scenario?

Accepted Answer

The scenario described is best explained by reinforcement theory, which suggests that desirable behavior can be reinforced through rewards, increasing the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future. In this case, Terry's parents are providing rewards to reinforce his good grades and encourage him to continue performing well in the future.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a key employee attitude?

Accepted Answer

Organizational citizenship is actually a behavior, not an attitude. It refers to behaviors that go beyond the employee's job description to benefit the organization, such as helping coworkers or volunteering for tasks outside of their role. Attitudes are states of mind or feelings such as job satisfaction, work motivation, and organizational identification.

Question 16

At a unionized firm,workers went on strike even after management offered them a two percent increase in pay.The union representing the workers said that the proposed increase did not match the workers' contributions to the firm.What type of reward problem is evident in this situation?

Accepted Answer

The reward problem evident in this situation is the production of reward dissatisfaction. Despite management offering a 2% increase in pay, the union representing the workers believed that this did not match the workers' contributions to the firm, indicating that there is a mismatch between the rewards offered and the perceived value of those rewards by the workers. This has led to the workers going on strike, indicating that they are dissatisfied with the rewards on offer.

Question 17

Which term refers to the individual's perception of how likely it is that the effort they give will lead to the successful performance of the desired behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Expectancy refers to an individual's perception of how likely it is that their effort will lead to successful performance of a desired behavior. Valence refers to the degree of attractiveness or desirability that an individual attaches to a particular outcome. Instrumentality refers to an individual's perception of how likely it is that successful performance will lead to a desired outcome. Salience refers to the degree to which an issue or factor is perceived as important.

Question 18

Which of the following is associated with job satisfaction?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is associated with...

Question 19

Your employer has not kept his promises in relation to pay,benefits,and ongoing training and development opportunities.Which of the following best describes your situation?

Accepted Answer

This situation describes a violation of the psychological contract, which is the understanding between an employer and employee regarding expectations regarding job performance, development opportunities, and benefits. The employer has failed to fulfill their part of the agreement, resulting in a breach of the psychological contract.

Question 20

What is the definition of membership behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Membership behaviour refers specifically to the decision to join and stay with a particular organization. Paying dues on time and being polite with others may be desirable behaviours for members of an organization, but they do not specifically relate to the decision to join or stay. Attitude toward one's job and workplace may also be important, but they are not the same as membership behaviour.

Quiz 3: A Behavioural Framework for Compensation