Deck 12: Motivating Employees: Achieving Superior Performance in the Workplace

Question 1

Intrinsic motivation is not as long lasting as extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation has a less positive impact on task performance.

Answer 1

False
Explanation: Intrinsic motivation is longer lasting than extrinsic motivation and has a more positive impact on task performance.

Question 2

Peyton's management professor just told her class that the final exam is optional for students like Peyton who currently have an A. Peyton decides to take the exam anyway because she likes the subject and wants to master the material. Peyton is motivated to take the exam by a(n)

A) hygiene factor.
B) physiological need.
C) high need for power.
D) extrinsic reward.
E) intrinsic reward.

Answer 2

E
Explanation: An intrinsic reward is the satisfaction, such as a feeling of accomplishment that a person receives from performing the particular task itself. An intrinsic reward is an internal reward; the payoff comes from pleasing yourself.

Question 3

An accounting firm reimburses employees for tuition and fees if they complete job-related coursework with a B or better. The accounting firm's tuition-reimbursement policy helps its employees meet their ________ needs.

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

Answer 3

C
Explanation: The self-actualization need is the highest-level need. This includes the need for self-fulfillment: increasing competence, using abilities to the fullest. One workplace example would be sabbatical leave to further personal growth.

Question 4

Della, the sales manager, just informed her sales team that all sales in March will earn an extra 5 percent commission. The team gets right to work, being motivated by a(n)

A) extrinsic reward.
B) physiological need.
C) high need for power.
D) intrinsic reward.
E) hygiene factor.

Question 5

Grant's manager just told his team about this year's contest, the winner of which will receive an all-expense paid trip to Taiwan. Grant does not like to travel to places where he can't speak the language, so he is not very enthusiastic. This reward has a high valence for Grant.

Question 6

Maslow's levels of needs, in order from lowest (most basic) to highest level, are

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

Question 7

To use positive reinforcement, give praise to employees not for showing up for work on time (an expected part of any job) but for showing up early.

Question 8

For managers, the importance of Maslow's contribution is that he showed that workers

A) are interested only in compensation that helps them fulfill physiological needs.
B) are as complex as their organization.
C) have needs beyond that of just earning a paycheck.
D) expect an employer to fulfill every level in their hierarchy of needs.
E) have needs that cannot be understood by their employer.

Question 9

After three shuttle accidents in three months, one of which resulted in a critical injury to a driver, Get Around Shuttle drivers received additional training, and the company retrofitted all shuttles with new braking systems. Which of Maslow's needs are addressed by Get Around Shuttle's actions?

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

Question 10

To motivate employees, employers need to primarily focus on fulfilling the top level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, self-actualization.

Question 11

According to Maslow, the need for status, reputation, and recognition is part of a person's ________ needs.

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

Question 12

Simplified, repetitive jobs lead to job dissatisfaction, poor mental health, and a low sense of accomplishment and personal growth.

Question 13

________ is the set of psychological processes that arouse and direct goal-directed behavior.

A) Self-actualization
B) Productivity
C) Self-determination
D) Reinforcement
E) Motivation

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT part of a simple model of motivation?

A) unfulfilled need
B) feedback
C) behaviors
D) rewards
E) punishment

Question 15

General Electric paid employees who were smokers up to $750 to quit and stay off cigarettes. This program was three times as successful as a different GE "quit smoking" program in which employees received no paid incentives. The $750 in the first program is an example of an intrinsic reward.

Question 16

Those with a high need for achievement may be the least efficient managers because they may resist making decisions that make others resent them.

Question 17

To be most motivating, goals should be specific and challenging but achievable.

Question 18

Most workers rate monetary benefits higher than a caring boss.

Question 19

Content perspectives, also known as need-based perspectives, include all EXCEPT which one of the following theories?

A) Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory
B) Herzberg's two-factor theory
C) McClelland's acquired needs theory
D) Equity theory
E) Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory

Question 20

Goal-setting theory suggests that behavior tends to be repeated if it has positive consequences and tends not to be repeated if it has negative consequences.

Question 21

The theory under which people make the choice that promises them the greatest reward if they think they can get it is ________ theory.

A) goal-setting
B) equity
C) reinforcement
D) expectancy
E) two-factor

Question 22

Ursula has excelled as an auditor for a large financial consulting firm. She loves building mutually beneficial relationships and is extremely well liked by her clients. Ursula likely has a

A) low need for affiliation.
B) low need for power.
C) low need for achievement.
D) high need for achievement.
E) high need for affiliation.

Question 23

In equity theory, employees are motivated to

A) resolve feelings of injustice and see fairness in the rewards they expect for task performance.
B) work harder when they have more freedom.
C) correct themselves when they aren't working hard enough.
D) blame others when they miss work or fail at tasks.
E) work just hard enough to get what they want.

Question 24

Which of the following is a process perspective on motivation?

A) self-determination theory
B) job characteristics model
C) two-factor theory
D) goal-setting theory
E) acquired needs theory

Question 25

Clay met with his supervisor, Suri, to discuss that he was being given the same bonus as everyone else on his team at the end of each year, even though he had a Master's degree, took on extra and more difficult projects, and finished well ahead of given deadlines. Because Suri is not able to change the bonus, she can expect Clay to respond in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A) ignoring his feeling of resentment.
B) transferring.
C) quitting.
D) reducing his production.
E) reducing his hours.

Question 26

According to Herzberg, which of the following is an example of a motivating factor?

A) the work itself
B) pay
C) working conditions
D) company policy
E) supervisors

Question 27

Using self-determination theory to motivate employees at Cloud Space, a data storage company, the vice chair makes 10-20 phone calls a day to thank special employees "caught doing something right." The vice chair is fulfilling her employees' ________ needs.

A) competence
B) autonomy
C) relatedness
D) equity
E) love

Question 28

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

A) responsibility
B) advancement
C) the work itself
D) recognition
E) interpersonal relationships

Question 29

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, only ________ factors can make employees satisfied with their jobs.

A) growth
B) affiliation
C) motivating
D) hygiene
E) security

Question 30

According to the acquired needs theory, the desire to influence others is part of the need for

A) power.
B) affiliation.
C) self-actualization.
D) relatedness.
E) achievement.

Question 31

To achieve psychological growth, according to the self-determination theory, people need to satisfy the three innate needs: ________, autonomy, and competence.

A) affiliation
B) power
C) relatedness
D) pay
E) safety

Question 32

Even when he started his first job, Dewayne was not content to be just one of the employees. His boss noticed that he often coached his coworkers about ways to improve their work, even when it wasn't his job. Dewayne probably has a

A) high need for achievement.
B) high need for affiliation.
C) high need for atten tion.
D) low need for achievement.
E) high need for power.

Question 33

When workers perceive they are being treated fairly on the job, they are most likely to

A) pass up promotional opportunities.
B) support organizational change.
C) be a whistle-blower.
D) show improved safety practices.
E) seek additional education.

Question 34

________ perspectives are theories that try to understand the thought processes by which people decide how to act.

A) Needs-based
B) Reinforcement
C) Job design
D) Process
E) Cognitive

Question 35

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, in the zone between the motivating factors and the hygiene factors, employees are

A) dissatisfied.
B) satisfied.
C) unmotivated.
D) neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.
E) stagnant.

Question 36

________ theory is a model of motivation that explains how people strive for fairness and justice in social exchanges or give-and-take relationships.

A) Esteem
B) Equity
C) Hygiene
D) Expectancy
E) Goal-setting

Question 37

McClelland's need for achievement corresponds most closely to

A) Maslow's self-actualization needs.
B) Herzberg's hygiene factors.
C) equity theory.
D) Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory.
E) expectancy theory.

Question 38

Monique is very aggressive at her job, and her coworkers complain that she often manipulates them and her boss in order to get ahead. She attempts to direct everything and everyone, regardless of the consequences to others or even the organization itself. Monique is expressing what type of need for power?

A) legitimate
B) autonomous
C) personal
D) organizational
E) institutional

Question 39

According to Herzberg's theory, if employees dislike their jobs, managers should

A) provide opportunities for achievement.
B) publicly recognize good performance.
C) create opportunities for personal growth and advancement.
D) allow employees to bring their pets to work.
E) increase employees' responsibility and opportunity for leadership.

Question 40

Colin is a branch manager for a large freight company. He has noticed low morale lately, perhaps because of the cramped quarters, stricter policies, and lack of raises this year. According to Herzberg, Colin should first concentrate on

A) hygiene factors.
B) needs for achievement.
C) esteem needs.
D) motivating factors.
E) growth needs.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT a contingency factor in the job characteristics model?

A) autonomy
B) knowledge
C) skills
D) desire for personal growth
E) context satisfactions

Question 42

Which of the following is the best statement of a goal?

A) Give your very best effort.
B) Get through most of those reports by 9/1.
C) Increase customer satisfaction.
D) Reduce production errors by 10 percent by the end of the quarter.
E) Be late to work less often.

Question 43

Ethan's job as an accounting assistant was recently modified to include reconciling bank accounts and making deposits, two tasks previously done by the accounting manager. This increase in responsibility would best be described as job

A) development.
B) enlargement.
C) satisficing.
D) enrichment.
E) design.

Question 44

________ is the process of building into a job such motivating factors as recognition and achievement.

A) Vertical loading
B) Job enrichment
C) Job satisfaction
D) Job enlargement
E) Horizontal loading

Question 45

Job ________ is the process of increasing the number of tasks in a job to increase variety and motivation.

A) rotation
B) design
C) development
D) enlargement
E) enrichment

Question 46

Goal-setting theory suggests that employees can be motivated by goals that have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT

A) specific.
B) achievable.
C) linked to an action plan.
D) little or no feedback.
E) challenging.

Question 47

A technician who is responsible for keeping an airport's control tower's electronic equipment in working order has higher ________ than a person welcoming you at a hotel.

A) task significance
B) autonomy
C) skill variety
D) feedback
E) task identity

Question 48

The HR manager told Stella that the company pays the total health insurance costs for a family of four. As a single woman, this benefit did not seem especially important to her right now. Here, Stella is low on the ________ element of expectancy theory.

A) expectancy
B) instrumentality
C) valence
D) outcomes
E) significance

Question 49

Job ________ is the opposite of ________.

A) rotation; job focus
B) rotation; job enlargement
C) loading; job enrichment
D) enlargement; job enrichment
E) enlargement; scientific management

Question 50

At his review last year, Lucas was promised a 20 percent raise if he met his production goals. Raises were included in today's paychecks, and although Lucas has met all of his goals, he received only a cost-of-living raise. In the future, Lucas's ________ will probably be ________.

A) instrumentality; high
B) valence; low
C) expectancy; low
D) instrumentality; low
E) expectancy; high

Question 51

Research shows that simplified jobs lead to all the following EXCEPT

A) job dissatisfaction.
B) poor mental health.
C) low sense of accomplishment.
D) low personal growth.
E) increased productivity.

Question 52

When using goal-setting theory to motivate employees, managers should

A) set targets that are beyond employees' reach.
B) set goals that are easily achievable.
C) set general goals that are emotionally appealing.
D) hold employees responsible for getting feedback.
E) help workers understand and accept the goals.

Question 53

Zoe runs a flower shop. She recently made some changes so that one employee answers phones and completes the order and payment process, while another creates arrangements, and a third packages and delivers floral arrangements. Previously, each employee was responsible for the order from the phone call through the delivery. Zoe has made changes to

A) feedback.
B) autonomy.
C) task significance.
D) skill variety.
E) task identity.

Question 54

As a maintenance person for the air force, Clint services aircraft engines, which protects the lives and safety of military personnel and increases their ability to conduct missions. Clint's job has a high level of

A) task significance.
B) task identity.
C) skill variety.
D) autonomy.
E) feedback.

Question 55

Of the following, which is NOT a core job characteristic?

A) autonomy
B) skill variety
C) task significance
D) teamwork
E) task identity

Question 56

________ is the extent to which a job allows an employee to make decisions about scheduling different tasks and deciding how to perform them.

A) Horizontal loading
B) Skill variety
C) Autonomy
D) Task significance
E) Task identity

Question 57

According to goal-setting theory, goal setting helps motivate you by doing all the following EXCEPT

A) directing your attention.
B) increasing your persistence.
C) fostering the use of strategies and action plans.
D) regulating the effort expended.
E) taking attention away from real work.

Question 58

Job ________ involves division of an organization's work among its employees and applies motivational theories to jobs to increase satisfaction and performance.

A) enlargement
B) development
C) simplification
D) design
E) enrichment

Question 59

________ is the expectation that successful performance of the task will lead to the desired outcome.

A) Expectancy
B) Reinforcement
C) Valence
D) Effort
E) Instrumentality

Question 60

After struggling with the accounting training, Aaron is unsure whether he can complete the end-of-year financial reporting with no errors in the time allotted. In this case, Aaron is low on the ________ element of expectancy theory.

A) valence
B) outcomes
C) expectancy
D) instrumentality
E) performance

Question 61

________ theory attempts to explain behavior change by suggesting that behavior with positive consequences tends to be repeated while behavior with negative consequences tends not to be repeated.

A) Acquired needs
B) Equity
C) Expectancy
D) Reinforcement
E) Two-factor

Question 62

Because the production division at Ricklin's Fences is $10,000 below budget due to process improvements, this year 25 percent of the savings will be returned to the division to spend as desired as a form of

A) pay for performance.
B) pay for knowledge.
C) gainsharing.
D) profit sharing.
E) stock options.

Question 63

Levi teaches fourth grade at a local elementary school. He significantly increased his salary by earning a master's degree in education. Levi's increased salary is an example of

A) pay for performance.
B) profit sharing.
C) a bonus.
D) pay for knowledge.
E) gainsharing.

Question 64

________ is the weakening of behavior by ignoring it or making sure it is not reinforced.

A) Positive reinforcement
B) Intrinsic motivation
C) Punishment
D) Extinction
E) Negative reinforcement

Question 65

Meili's employer distributes checks at the end of each quarter, representing an equitable portion of 5 percent of the company's pretax profits for the previous quarter. These are ________checks.

A) pay for performance
B) pay for knowledge
C) profit sharing
D) bonus
E) gainsharing

Question 66

When would you use a motivating potential score?

A) when using the reinforcement theory
B) when using McClelland's acquired needs theory
C) when using the equity theory
D) when using goal-setting theory
E) when using the job characteristics model

Question 67

In using reinforcement, a manager should

A) clearly communicate the desired behavior.
B) reward both desired and undesired behavior.
C) give all employees the same rewards to ensure fairness.
D) save rewards for weekly or monthly celebrations.
E) avoid using punishment.

Question 68

A supervisor told a salesperson who had not made any calls to clients and therefore did not make quota, "Well, if this continues in the next 30 days, you'll probably be let go." The supervisor provides an example of

A) negative reinforcement.
B) punishment.
C) extinction.
D) intrinsic motivation.
E) positive reinforcement.

Question 69

Due to changes in production, Hanson Steel gave each employee 75 percent of the cost savings. Hanson Steel uses a ________ compensation plan.

A) pay-for-knowledge
B) pay-for-performance
C) benchmarking
D) gainsharing
E) profit-sharing

Question 70

________ is the use of desirable consequences to strengthen a particular behavior.

A) Constructive feedback
B) Extinction
C) Intrinsic motivation
D) Negative reinforcement
E) Positive reinforcement

Question 71

Each year Clifton Falls hosts retreats for organizations. They encourage employers to bring their employees for single days, extended stays, or even full-weeks. Which of Maslow's needs is Clifton Falls helping employers to meet?

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

Question 72

When using punishment, a manager should

A) ignore undesirable behaviors.
B) save reprimands until the end of the workday, or preferably before a weekend.
C) make sure that other employees witness the punishment.
D) do it in conjunction with positive reinforcement.
E) punish even minor infractions, to appear consistent.

Question 73

Next semester Helen is planning to take a sabbatical to go to Sweden and study how they utilize nature to teach preschoolers. It fascinates her to know that the children spend all day outside and not in classrooms. Helen has achieved what level of Maslow's hierarchy?

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

Question 74

A sales commission is an example of a ________ compensation plan.

A) pay-for-knowledge
B) profit-sharing
C) gainsharing
D) pay-for-performance
E) Scanlon

Question 75

It has been two years since any employee has received a bonus at Cloud9, and the possibility of getting one no longer seems to motivate employees. In this case, management has inadvertently applied

A) expectancy.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) intrinsic motivation.
D) extinction.
E) punishment.

Question 76

________ is the process of strengthening a behavior by withdrawing something negative.

A) Negative reinforcement
B) Positive reinforcement
C) Extinction
D) Intrinsic motivation
E) Punishment

Question 77

Which of the following criterion is NOT a characteristic of the best incentive plans?

A) believable and achievable rewards
B) measurable rewards linked to performance
C) monetary compensation to every employee
D) rewards satisfying individual needs
E) rewards agreed on by the manager and employees

Question 78

Iman's manager, using ________, required him to give up his company car because he had missed sales goals for four consecutive quarters.

A) punishment
B) negative reinforcement
C) positive reinforcement
D) intrinsic motivation
E) feedback

Question 79

Armando has a summer job hand-dyeing shirts that will be sold on the boardwalk. He is paid $5.00 per shirt. Armando is being paid on a ________ compensation plan.

A) profit-sharing
B) pay-for-knowledge
C) bonus
D) pay-for-performance
E) gainsharing

Question 80

Joyce would like to start working on a flexible schedule. Which is an option would Joyce NOT discuss with her employer?

A) job sharing
B) sabbatical
C) telecommuting
D) part-time work
E) compressed workweeks