Deck 4: Theories of Motivation

Question 1

Which of the following statements would most likely be made by a manager who has a Theory X approach to human beings?

A)"Focus on the organization and people will take care of themselves."
B)"I treat people differently in different ways based on the situation we are facing."
C)"The only way to get people to work hard is to push them hard."
D)"People work best if left alone."
E)"People will generally seek greater responsibility and accountability when given the opportunity."

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following do you think would motivate Mary the most?

A)more vacation time
B)more responsibility
C)greater discretion over her job
D)more money
E)more satisfying work

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Herzberg investigated which of the following questions?

A)What do people need from their jobs?
B)What do people dislike about their jobs?
C)What do people want from their jobs?
D)What do people take from their jobs?
E)What do people do at their jobs?

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Unlike her co-workers, Jane was motivated by challenge, personal satisfaction, and by doing interesting work; most of her coworkers were just in it for the money. Jane was motivated by

A)intrinsic motivators.
B)safety motivators.
C)social motivators.
D)extrinsic motivators.
E)esteem motivators.

Question 5

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is arranged in which order?

A)physiological, esteem, safety, social, and self-actualization
B)physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization
C)safety, physiological, esteem, social, and self-actualization
D)physiological, social, safety, esteem, and self-actualization
E)physiological, social, safety, self-actualization, and esteem

Question 6

James had dreamed of making lots of money since he was a child, and that has driven him to great success. James is motivated by

A)intrinsic motivators.
B)esteem motivators.
C)extrinsic motivators.
D)safety motivators.
E)social motivators.

Question 7

Your supervisor seems to assume that your basic nature is

A)Theory X.
B)Theory Y.
C)Theory Z.
D)based on Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory.
E)Theory Y and Z combined.

Question 8

Sara decided first to analyze the dissatisfiers in the work situation. Sara will be reviewing

A)working conditions.
B)intrinsic rewards.
C)recognition.
D)advancement.
E)responsibility.

Question 9

Which of the following would Herzberg classify as a hygiene factor?

A)responsibility
B)growth
C)company policy
D)achievement
E)self-satisfaction

Question 10

You would expect that Mary is trying to satisfy which need?

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

Question 11

Which of the following would motivate the employees according to Herzberg?

A)improvement in working conditions
B)fixing the heating system
C)receiving recognition for a job well done
D)having the supervisor "hang around" more
E)eliminating the supervisor's position

Question 12

The theory which asserts that motivation depends upon the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way, which in turn depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual, is called

A)Herzberg's dual-factor theory.
B)McClelland's three needs theory.
C)Vroom's expectancy theory.
D)Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
E)Alderfer's ERG theory.

Question 13

Chao has a lot of internal drive. His overall goal in life is to "be all that he can be" in all aspects of his life. Which level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs is reflected in Chao's attitude?

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

Question 14

Lilly was a strong employee who was committed to the objectives of her department and the goals of her company. Which of the following would likely also be applicable to her?

A)dislikes work
B)needs to be controlled
C)avoids responsibility
D)exercises self-direction
E)displays little ambition

Question 15

Motivation is

A)a component of ability, personal traits and desire.
B)an individual's intensity, direction and persistence.
C)an effort toward creating goals.
D)a constant intensity.
E)an attitudinal trait.

Question 16

You would expect that Jane is attempting to satisfy which need?

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

Question 17

Which one of the following would be considered a motivator in the motivation-hygiene theory?

A)salary
B)supervision
C)working conditions
D)recognition
E)company policy

Question 18

According to Maslow, when does a need stop motivating?

A)when it is substantially satisfied
B)It never stops motivating.
C)when one returns to a lower level need
D)when a higher level need comes into focus
E)when too many other needs come into focus

Question 19

Kane was a manager who believed most employees were lazy, working only to earn money. He assumed that they disliked work, and as a result

A)he lets employees choose their own goals.
B)he allows employees to use discretion.
C)he imposes strict controls.
D)he makes extensive use of delegating authority.
E)he allows employees to make decisions.

Question 20

As a Theory Y manager, your supervisor can be expected to do all of the following EXCEPT

A)assume that you will be internally motivated.
B)assume that you want to do your job.
C)allow you freedom to do your job as you believe it should be done.
D)monitor your work closely for signs that you are "slacking off."
E)support your efforts to self-direct.

Question 21

Bikram, a recent B.Eng. (engineer), has started his first job with an engineering firm; Bikram uses a self-outside comparison to determine if the company is treating him fairly. Bikram will compare his treatment to

A)his experience as a work study student.
B)a fellow male B.Eng recently hired by the firm.
C)a fellow female B.Eng hired by the firm two years ago.
D)a fellow female B.Eng recently hired by another firm.
E)a woman with an M.Sc. hired with Bikram for the same department.

Question 22

Which of the following is an example of an MBO objective?

A)Telephone orders should be processed promptly.
B)Quality of all products should increase substantially.
C)Sales should be increased by two percent.
D)Company costs should be decreased as much as possible.
E)New customers should be brought in on a regular basis.

Question 23

The objectives for each individual will be set

A)unilaterally by you, the supervisor.
B)by each employee.
C)by a committee of peers.
D)by the employee and you, the supervisor.
E)by a committee of both employees and management.

Question 24

SMART stands for

A)specific, measurable, attainable, reliable, and time-bound.
B)specific, unfixed, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound.
C)specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound.
D)equivocal, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound.
E)specific, measurable, inaccessible, results-oriented, and time-bound.

Question 25

In contrast to the hierarchy of needs theory, McClelland suggests that

A)no more than one need may be working at one time.
B)all needs are lower level.
C)more than one need may be working at the same time.
D)McClelland identifies motivators, not needs.
E)interpersonal relationships are always the highest need to be satisfied.

Question 26

For the individual employee, MBO provides

A)specific, personal performance objectives.
B)increased monetary compensation.
C)communication between co-workers.
D)a means to an end.
E)a way to keep the company accountable.

Question 27

Allowing employees to participate in goal setting, rather than have their boss arbitrarily assign a goal, has an additional effect: each person is more likely to ________ even a difficult goal.

A)reject
B)misunderstand
C)begin resenting
D)resist achieving
E)accept

Question 28

Which theory will you probably use in evaluating how you regard this situation?

A)equity
B)expectancy
C)goal setting
D)reinforcement
E)performance-reward

Question 29

An example of a SMART goal is

A)Do your best, but be sure to finish before our next meeting.
B)Have it done by Friday and use the correct font this time.
C)Complete your draft proposal for reorganizing the warehouse by Friday; we will review it then and make plans to finalize.
D)Complete the report as soon as possible.
E)By Friday, I want to see progress on the warehouse proposal.

Question 30

Your freshman grades may be explained because the goal of a major in computer science and mathematics was

A)too specific.
B)not hard enough.
C)not one you had committed to.
D)made public.
E)too difficult to achieve.

Question 31

Your referent comparison for equity theory is termed

A)self-inside.
B)self-outside.
C)other-inside.
D)other-outside.
E)self-other.

Question 32

When people perceive an imbalance in their outcome-input ratio relative to others

A)an illegal situation is assumed.
B)they expect to be promoted.
C)tension is created.
D)turnover is inevitable.
E)goal setting needs to be renewed.

Question 33

You want to make certain they understand the ingredients common to MBO programs. Which of the following is one of those ingredients?

A)Goals should be general enough to allow creativity.
B)Decision making will be autocratic.
C)Time periods will be implicit.
D)Feedback will not be given on each employee's performance.
E)Goals will be specific and measurable.

Question 34

Management by objectives (MBO)emphasizes setting goals with the employee; according to MBO, goals should be

A)easy to attain.
B)approved by management.
C)tangible, verifiable, measurable.
D)easy to create and develop.
E)general in nature.

Question 35

________ is the theory that individuals act depending upon their evaluation of whether their effort will lead to good performance, followed by an outcome that is attractive to them.

A)Goal-setting theory
B)Rewards theory
C)Instrumental theory
D)Valence theory
E)Expectancy theory

Question 36

Which of the following is least important in goal-setting theory?

A)goal difficulty
B)goal specificity
C)equity among co-workers
D)feedback
E)participation in goal setting

Question 37

________ is the belief that performance is related to rewards.

A)Valence
B)Expectancy
C)Self-esteem
D)Instrumentality
E)Perception

Question 38

What are three dissatisfiers?

A)work conditions, pay and challenge
B)work conditions, challenge and growth opportunities
C)challenge, growth opportunities and company policy
D)company policy, challenge and work conditions
E)company policy, work conditions and pay

Question 39

Jessica feels she received an appropriate salary increase this year, but does not believe that the company's methods for determining salary increases are fair. She believes there is a problem with the firm's

A)interpersonal justice.
B)distributive justice.
C)equity practices.
D)procedural justice.
E)goal setting methods.

Question 40

The needs for achievement, power, and affiliation are part of whose theory?

A)Frederick Herzberg's
B)David McClelland's
C)Victor Vroom's
D)Abraham Maslow's
E)Douglas McGregor's

Question 41

Extrinsic reward for a task may shift employees from

A)high performance to higher performance.
B)linking performance to appropriate rewards.
C)perceiving the work task to be of less importance than others.
D)linking employee recognition to organizational goals.
E)intrinsic motivation to extrinsic motivation.

Question 42

If Alice provides rewards that increase intrinsic motivation of the employees, she would be offering employees a sense of

A)choice, competence and conditioning.
B)choice, meaningfulness and conditioning.
C)competence, determination and progress.
D)choice, competence and meaningfulness.
E)determination, competence and meaningfulness.

Question 43

Which of the following is suggested by cognitive evaluation theory?

A)It would make sense to make an individual's pay non-contingent on performance.
B)Employees are motivated by a hierarchy of needs.
C)Extrinsic rewards increase intrinsic rewards.
D)Needs are divided into higher-order and lower-order categories.
E)It would make sense to make an individual's pay contingent on performance.

Question 44

Kenneth Thomas identifies four key rewards that increase an individual's intrinsic motivation; they are

A)sense of choice, sense of competence, sense of meaningfulness, sense of progress.
B)sense of justice, sense of competence, sense of meaningfulness, sense of progress.
C)sense of choice, sense of competence, sense of meaningfulness, sense of task.
D)sense of choice, sense of competence, sense of meaningfulness, sense of justice.
E)sense of choice, sense of judgment, sense of meaningfulness, sense of progress.

Question 45

Historically, equity theory focused on ________ justice.

A)distributive
B)procedural
C)organizational
D)interactional
E)relative

Question 46

According to Cognitive Evaluation Theory, providing incentive pay

A)causes co-workers to compete with each other for rewards.
B)encourages employees to perform at a higher level to balance the i/o ratio.
C)changes the employee's perceptions of self.
D)decreases employees' overall levels of intrinsic motivation.
E)helps employees meet their need for achievement.

Question 47

________ justice is the perceived fairness of process used to determine the distribution of rewards.

A)Distributive
B)Interactional
C)Organizational
D)Procedural
E)Relative

Question 48

Of the following statements, the weakest set of criteria to evaluate employee performance would be

A)good attitude or self-confidence.
B)promptness in submitting monthly reports.
C)average number of contact calls per day.
D)number of new accounts established.
E)dollar increase in sales.

Question 49

Which theory considers the issue of whether intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are independent?

A)expectancy
B)reinforcement
C)equity
D)cognitive evaluation
E)goal-setting

Question 50

Equity theory demonstrates that, for most employees, motivation is influenced by

A)relative rewards.
B)input-output ratio.
C)absolute rewards.
D)relative and absolute rewards.
E)job satisfaction.

Question 51

When a salesperson is paid a commission based on some aggregate of sales, this is evidence of

A)gain sharing.
B)an individual performance award.
C)objective goal setting.
D)management discretion.
E)participative decision making.

Question 52

Within the framework of the equity theory, if an employee perceives iniquitous treatment and decides to work harder, what choice have they made?

A)adjust perceptions of others
B)choose a different referent
C)adjust perceptions of self
D)change their outcomes
E)change their inputs

Question 53

Alice Ann's firm would like employees to be creative in their thinking and empowered to act and solve problems that arise. You suggest that goal setting with employees may be a positive process to help accomplish this. Which of the following is TRUE of goal setting?

A)If the employee chooses the goal because of intrinsic interest, the employee is likely to be happier when the goal is achieved.
B)If the employee chooses the goal because of intrinsic interest, the employee is more likely to achieve the goal.
C)If the employee chooses the goal because of intrinsic interest, the employee is less likely to achieve the goal.
D)If the employee chooses the goal because of intrinsic interest, the employee is likely to be unhappy if the goal is not achieved.
E)If the employee chooses the goal because of intrinsic interest, there must still be an extrinsic reward for the goal to be motivating.

Question 54

Which of the following set of four behaviours has Kenneth Thomas identified as ones that managers can use to build intrinsic rewards for employees?

A)leading for choice, leading for justice, leading for meaningfulness, and leading for progress
B)leading for choice, leading for competence, leading for meaningfulness, and leading for progress
C)leading for passion, leading for competence, leading for meaningfulness, and leading for progress
D)leading for choice, leading for competence, leading for meaningfulness, and leading for satisfaction

Question 55

Assigning goals appears to generate greater goal commitment in

A)all cultures around the globe.
B)in low individualism cultures.
C)in low power distance cultures.
D)in high power distance cultures.
E)in high individualism cultures.

Question 56

An employee motivated by intrinsic rewards, would most likely choose

A)ongoing opportunities for education and training.
B)a company car.
C)incentive bonuses.
D)increased salary.
E)generous employee benefits.

Question 57

Don was in the habit of reprimanding employees when they arrived late for work. The second time an employee was late, he or she would be docked pay. Don is using which type of reinforcement?

A)positive
B)negative
C)punishment
D)extinction
E)critical incident

Question 58

Sense of competence is

A)the opportunity to delegate authority.
B)the opportunity to pursue worthwhile tasks.
C)the opportunity to compete with others.
D)the opportunity to select what one will do and perform the way one thinks best.
E)the feeling of accomplishment from doing a good job.

Question 59

Within the framework of the equity theory, if an employee perceives iniquitous treatment and decides to exert less effort, what choice have they made?

A)change their inputs
B)change their outcomes
C)adjust perceptions of self
D)choose a different referent
E)adjust perceptions of others

Question 60

Alice Ann tells you that the firm pays on the basis of the productivity of each employee. Research on motivation would say this creates

A)higher intrinsic motivation towards tasks.
B)lower intrinsic motivation toward tasks.
C)self determination.
D)higher job satisfaction.
E)lower productivity.

Question 61

Harry was concerned about Karen, of his best employees. She was great at what she did, but she was chronically late for work. To correct this, every time Karen wasn't late for work, he made a point of acknowledging it. Harry was utilizing

A)intermittent reinforcement.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)operant reinforcement.
D)continuous reinforcement.
E)variable reinforcement.

Question 62

Tina is a weak manager because when she trains people the reinforcement type she uses is

A)positive reinforcement.
B)fixed interval.
C)fixed ratio.
D)punishment.
E)intermittent extinction.

Question 63

If a manager uses positive or negative reinforcement when an employee completes a task, the manager is trying to

A)strengthen the behaviour of completing the task.
B)weaken the behaviour of completing the task.
C)strengthen the behaviour of completing the task with positive reinforcement and weaken the behaviour of completing the task with negative reinforcement.
D)weaken the behaviour of completing the task with positive reinforcement and strengthen the behaviour of completing the task with negative reinforcement..
E)intermittently strengthen the behaviour by using positive reinforcement and then negative reinforcement.

Question 64

Reinforcement theory allows managers to vary rewards and punishments based on

A)time intervals and fixed schedules.
B)time intervals and behaviour ratios.
C)intermittent schedules and fixed intervals.
D)continuous reinforcement behaviour intervals.
E)intermittent schedules.

Question 65

White recognizes that equity theory will play a large role in how he organizes and develops his new program. Individual employees have a tendency to compare themselves with others and have a series of options available to them if they perceive that some sort of inequity exists. Which of the following is a typical employee response to a perceived inequity?

A)Employees will exert more effort.
B)Employees will tend to keep their outcomes unchanged.
C)Employees will maintain their perceptions of others.
D)Employees will have a tendency to quit their jobs.
E)Employees will embrace the process of goal setting.

Question 66

Jason faced an uproar recently after his employees received their annual pay increases. The employees complained that the company didn't follow a fair process in awarding the increases. This is an example of

A)distributive justice.
B)procedural justice.
C)interactional justice.
D)operant justice.
E)equitable justice.

Question 67

Weekly paychecks are an example of what type of schedule of reinforcement?

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

Question 68

In the long term, White decides that equity theory will provide the best guidance for motivating and providing recognition to the employees. He is also aware that the unions may battle his new initiatives. Equity theory demonstrates that, for most employees, motivation is influenced

A)significantly by goal setting as well as by ability to be productive.
B)by union influence over their welfare.
C)solely by monetary rewards.
D)significantly by relative rewards as well as by absolute rewards.
E)significantly by goal setting as well as by absolute rewards.

Question 69

The premise that people learn how to behave to get something that they want or to avoid something that they don't want is called

A)positive reinforcement.
B)extinction.
C)operant conditioning.
D)continuous reinforcement.
E)intermittent reinforcement.

Question 70

ABC Inc. is well known as a company that uses a human relations approach; the company nurtures creativity and self-control in its employees. This company was following

A)Theory X.
B)Theory Z.
C)Theory Y.
D)Theory T.
E)Theory Q.

Question 71

Based on her long experience as a manager, Stella was convinced that people exert higher levels of effort when the goals set out for them are challenging and specific. Stella appears to be an advocate of

A)expectancy theory.
B)equity theory.
C)goal-setting theory.
D)Theory Y.
E)motivation-hygiene theory.

Question 72

Roy really disliked his job. He forced himself to go to work each day out of fear of losing his only source of income. Roy was working mainly because of

A)negative reinforcement.
B)operant conditioning.
C)positive reinforcement.
D)intermittent reinforcement.
E)continuous reinforcement.

Question 73

Which of the following is a process theory of motivation?

A)equity theory
B)expectancy theory
C)needs theory
D)hygiene theory
E)ERG theory

Question 74

Don was a real "people person" so he was glad when his employer began to emphasize working in teams. Don enjoyed working with others as opposed to by himself. According to Maslow, which need level is motivating Don?

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

Question 75

When dealing with his employees, Ted sets aside time to find out what kind of rewards each of his employees prefers and strives to offer these in the work environment He is likely following

A)equity theory.
B)goal-setting theory.
C)expectancy theory.
D)EKG theory.
E)hygiene theory.

Question 76

Zeke was a manager who believed that, in general, people disliked work; he believed people had to be forced or threatened with punishment to motivate them to work. Zeke believes in which of the following management theories?

A)Theory Z
B)Theory X
C)Theory Y
D)Theory Q
E)Theory T

Question 77

Tonya was confused. In order to motivate Sam, one of her employees, she began to pay him for work that she knew he liked to do and for which he was previously not paid. However, she noticed that his overall level of motivation appeared to decrease. The motivation theory that best explains this change is

A)operant conditioning.
B)distributive justice.
C)cognitive evaluation theory.
D)Maslow theory.
E)Theory X.

Question 78

Robert West appeared to be a manager oriented towards traditional ways of doing things. He was convinced that individuals needed to be monitored carefully with respect to their jobs and the tasks they accomplished. It is likely that Robert

A)was a Theory Y manager.
B)emphasized ERG theory.
C)was a Theory X manager.
D)emphasized goal-setting theory.
E)was a Theory Z manager.

Question 79

Kelly, a single mother, recently re-entered the workforce in order to be able to pay for her most basic needs, namely food shelter and clothing for her and her son. According to Maslow, which need level was she trying to fulfill?

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

Question 80

When Brock was recently deciding between two job offers, his decision came down to which offer reflected the better health insurance, pension plan, and safe working conditions. According to Maslow, which need level is he focusing on in his decision?

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