Chapter 05Motivation: Background and Theories
True / False Questions
1.(p.128)Baby Boomers are characterized by their lack of willingness to "go the extra mile" to get the job done.
FALSE
Rationale: Baby Boomers are characterized by their optimism, teamwork and willingness to "go the extra mile" to get the job done.
2.(p.128)The on-the-job characteristics of Baby Boomers make them a perfect match for Gen Xers.
FALSE
Rationale: More cynical than any other generation, the "it's only a job" attitude of Gen Xers places them in direct conflict with Baby Boomers.
3.(p.129)Figuring out why some employees perform better than others is a continual problem facing managers.
TRUE
4.(p.129)Motivation is difficult to define and to analyze.
TRUE
5.(p.129)Almost all aspects of human motivation have been explained.
FALSE
Rationale: Many aspects of human motivation are still unexplained.
6.(p.130)Regardless of their nationality or cultural background, people are driven to fulfill needs and to achieve goals.
TRUE
7.(p.130)Japanese employees are likely to be highly motivated by monetary incentives.
FALSE
Rationale: Japanese tend to prefer to be awarded with plaques, applause and attention; Japanese employees are likely to be insulted by material incentives.
8.(p.132)Needs are energizers or triggers of behavioral responses.
TRUE
9.(p.133)To predict behavior with any accuracy, a manager must know something about an employee's goals and the actions that he/she must take to achieve them.
TRUE
10.(p.134)A person's need deficiencies often repeat themselves in a regular pattern.
FALSE
Rationale: People change because of experiences, life events, aging, cultural and environmental changes and other factors. Therefore, it is unlikely that a person's need deficiencies will repeat themselves in a regular pattern.
11.(p.134)According to Maslow, a satisfied need continues to motivate, but at a lower level.
FALSE
Rationale: According to Maslow, a satisfied need ceases to motivate.
12.(p.134)Needs, work style and work ethics may differ across cultures.
TRUE
13.(p.134)Americans are more job oriented than there are company oriented.
TRUE
14.(p.134)In China, a monetary bonus for outstanding performance could cause an employee humiliation.
TRUE
15.(p.135)American managers working overseas are less satisfied with autonomy opportunities than are their counterparts working in the United States.
FALSE
Rationale: American managers working overseas are more satisfied with autonomy opportunities than are their counterparts working in the United States.
16.(p.135)Maslow proposed that needs on the next higher level aren't activated until the currently important needs are adequately satisfied.
TRUE
17.(p.136)If a subordinate's higher-order needs are being blocked, then it's in the manager's best interest to redirect the subordinate's efforts toward relatedness or existence needs.
TRUE
18.(p.136)Need explanations are popular because they're so easy to remember.
FALSE
Rationale: Need explanations are popular because they're simple, easily expressed views of human behavior.
19.(p.137)Intrinsic conditions include pay, status and working conditions.
FALSE
Rationale: Pay, status and working conditions are extrinsic conditions.
20.(p.137)Extrinsic conditions are called the dissatisfiers or hygiene factors.
TRUE
21.(p.139)David McClelland proposed that most needs are acquired from the educational system.
FALSE
Rationale: David McClelland proposed that many needs are acquired from the culture of a society.
22.(p.139)When taking a Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), people tend to write stories that reflect their dominant needs.
TRUE
23.(p.140)High nAch persons prefer easy performance goals and immediate feedback.
FALSE
Rationale: High nAch persons avoid easy and difficult performance goals; they prefer moderate goals that they think they can achieve.
24.(p.140)Need for achievement correlates highly with the need to attain status or wealth.
TRUE
25.(p.141)There are no gender differences regarding competitiveness and money beliefs.
FALSE
Rationale: Studies have found that gender differences exist regarding competitiveness and money beliefs; men are inclined to be more competitive and tend to focus their ambitions toward making money.
26.(p.142)According to McClelland, a manager should arrange job tasks so that employees with a high nAch receive periodic feedback on performance.
TRUE
27.(p.142)Individuals have both innate and learned needs, so job factors result in varying degrees of satisfaction.
TRUE
28.(p.142)High n Ach individuals who focus on attaining success differ from high n Ach individuals who focus on avoiding failure.
TRUE
29.(p.142-143)A woman's natural tendencies make her better suited to motivated employees than are most men.
TRUE
30.(p.144)Process explanations of motivation suggest that motivation varies from situation to situation.
TRUE
31.(p.144)Herzerg's two-factor theory assumes that every worker has different needs and preferences.
FALSE
Rationale: Herzerg's two-factor theory assumes that every worker has similar needs and preferences.
32.(p.145)Second-level outcomes that result from behavior are associated with doing the job itself.
FALSE
Rationale: First-level outcomes that result from behavior are associated with doing the job itself.
33.(p.146)The valence concept applies only to first-level outcomes.
FALSE
Rationale: The valence concept applies to both first- and second-level outcomes.
34.(p.146)The intent of expectancy theory is to assess the magnitude and direction of all the forces acting on the individual.
TRUE
35.(p.146)The term ability refers to a person's physical and mental ability to do a job, as well as what the person will actually do.
FALSE
Rationale: Ability refers to a person's ability to do a job, not what the person will actually do.
36.(p.147)If expectancy is low, there will be little motivation.
TRUE
37.(p.148)Managers who know what subordinates prefer can offer more highly valued outcomes.
TRUE
38.(p.148)Motivation programs should be designed with rigidity in order to provide consistency, regardless of individual preferences.
FALSE
Rationale: Motivation programs should be designed with enough flexibility to address differences in individual preferences.
39.(p.149)Expectancy theory assumes that employees allocate their behavior according to anticipated consequences of actions.
TRUE
40.(p.149)The expectancy approach contains an implicit assumption that all motivation is subconscious.
FALSE
Rationale: The expectancy approach contains an implicit assumption that all motivation is conscious.
41.(p.150)According to Equity theory, individual characteristics such as skills, experience and age are considered inputs.
TRUE
42.(p.150)Equity exists when employees perceive that the ratios of their inputs (efforts) to their outcomes (rewards) are equivalent to the ratios of similar employees.
TRUE
43.(p.151)Expectancy theory views behavior as the product of what employees know has happened in the past.
FALSE
Rationale: Expectancy theory views behavior as the product of what employees believe will happen in the future.
44.(p.152)Distributive justice is the perception of fairness of the processes and procedures used to distribute rewards and resources.
FALSE
Rationale: This is procedural justice; distributive justice is the perception of fairness of the rewards and resources in an organization.
45.(p.152)The reaction to an inequity will be proportional to the magnitude of the inequity experienced.
TRUE
46.(p.152)Employees are often told by the organization that they are overpaid, if they fact they are.
FALSE
Rationale: Employees are seldom told that they are overpaid.
47.(p.152)Perceived overpayment inequity is more likely to occur when friends are involved.
TRUE
48.(p.152)An individual often receives signals from the organization that he/she is being treated unfairly.
FALSE
Rationale: An individual is unlikely to receive signals from the organization that he/she is being treated unfairly.
49.(p.153)Any management attempt to improve individuals' job performance must utilize motivation theories.
TRUE
Multiple Choice Questions
50.(p.129)Motivating employees was an important topic as far back as the ______.
A.1700s
B.1800s
C.1900s
D.Motivation has only surfaced as an important topic within the past 10 years
51.(p.130)In Japanese firms, bonuses are generally based on all of the following except:
A.Seniority
B.Marital status
C.Gender
D.Individual accomplishments
52.(p.130)Motivation has to do with all of the following except:
A.The consistency of the behavior
B.The direction of behavior
C.The strength of the response, once a course of action is chosen
D.The persistence of the behavior
53.(p.131)Managers prefer highly motivated employees for all the following reasons except:
A.They want to come to work and be part of a team
B.They're interested in helping coworkers
C.They're willing to accept lower wages in order to get the job
D.They strive to find the best way to perform their jobs
54.(p.132)Need deficiencies trigger a search for ways to reduce the ______they cause.
A.Conflict
B.Tension
C.Fear
D.Confusion
55.(p.133)McClelland was the founder of the ______.
A.Learned needs theory
B.Two-factor theory (hygiene-motivators)
C.Five-level need hierarchy
D.Three-level hierarchy (ERG)
56.(p.133)______was the founder of the reinforcement theory concerned with the learning that occurs as a consequence of behavior.
A.Vroom
B.Adams
C.Skinner
D.Locke
57.(p.133)Process theories describe and analyze how behavior is energized, directed, sustained and stopped by factors primarily ______to the individual.
A.Internal
B.External
C.Unrelated
D.Oblivious
58.(p.133)Content theories focus on individual needs in explaining all of the following except:
A.Job satisfaction
B.Worker behavior
C.Reward systems
D.Quality-quantity relationships
59.(p.134)Maslow hypothesized five classes of needs. In order of level (lowest to highest), they are:
A.Social, esteem, physiological, safety and self-actualization
B.Physiological, safety, social, self-actualization and esteem
C.Physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization
D.Self-actualization, safety, social, physiological, esteem
60.(p.135)Managers at upper levels in large companies are ______their counterparts in small companies.
A.More satisfied than
B.Less satisfied than
C.Just as satisfied as
61.(p.135)If a person is continually frustrated in attempts to satisfy growth needs, ______needs reemerge as a major motivating force.
A.Development
B.Existence
C.Relatedness
D.All of the choices are correct
62.(p.135)New employees are often very interested in salary, scheduled work hours and working conditions. According to Maslow, these employees are motivated to satisfy the ______needs category.
A.Physiological
B.Safety
C.Social
D.Self-actualization
63.(p.135-136)Which of the following statements about Maslow's theory is correct?
A.Needs can be satisfied in any order
B.People's needs depend on what they already have
C.Satisfied lower order needs still motivate
D.Upper order needs are the most motivating
64.(p.137)______developed the two-factor content theory of motivation.
A.Adams
B.Herzberg
C.Maslow
D.Vroom
65.(p.137)According to Herzberg's motivation model, which of the following factors is a "motivator"?
A.Working conditions
B.Salary
C.Recognition
D.Working conditions
66.(p.138)The validity of Herzberg's theory is criticized because it was based on a sample of American workers that included only ______.
A.Bankers and lawyers
B.Business owners
C.Accountants and engineers
D.Blue-collar workers
67.(p.139)McClelland proposed all of the following needs except:
A.The need for security
B.The need for achievement
C.The need for power
D.The need for affiliation
68.(p.140)McClelland proposes that the economic growth of a society is based on the level of ______inherent in its population.
A.Need for power
B.Need for affiliation
C.Need for achievement
D.Both A and C
69.(p.141)In comparison to women, men place more value on all of the following except:
A.Salary
B.Interesting work
C.Motivation
D.Directing others
70.(p.142)In comparison to men, women place more value on all of the following except:
A.Good interpersonal relationships
B.Feelings of accomplishment
C.Professional growth
D.Motivation
71.(p.142)A major difference between the four content theories is McClelland's emphasis on ______.
A.Distributive justice
B.Motivation
C.Socially acquired needs
D.All of the choices are correct
72.(p.142)______stresses that only certain job features and characteristics can result in motivation.
A.Maslow's need hierarchy
B.Alderfer's ERG theory
C.Herzberg's two-factor theory
D.McClelland's learned needs theory
73.(p.143)Which of the following items on Maslow's need hierarchy is considered a basic need?
A.Self-actualization
B.Safety
C.Belongingness
D.Esteem
74.(p.143)Which of factors identified by Herzberg is considered a motivator?
A.Quality of interpersonal relations among coworkers
B.Job security
C.Working conditions
D.Recognition
75.(p.144)______stresses that a person's needs are learned from society.
A.Maslow's need hierarchy
B.Alderfer's ERG theory
C.Herzberg's two-factor theory
D.McClelland's learned needs theory
76.(p.145)Vroom defines ______as a process governing choices among alternative forms of voluntary activity.
A.Ethics
B.Morality
C.Motivation
D.Expectancy
77.(p.145)Which of the following would be considered a first-level outcome?
A.Absenteeism
B.Merit pay raise
C.Group acceptance or rejection
D.Promotion
78.(p.150)Expectancy theory explanations have some validity in countries where employees believe they have some control over the work context and their own behavior expectancy. In which of the following countries would expectancy theory not be valid?
A.New Zealand
B.Canada
C.United States
D.Iraq
79.(p.150)The essence of ______is that employees compare their efforts and rewards with those of others in similar work situations.
A.Expectancy theory
B.Equity theory
C.Learned needs
D.Needs hierarchy
80.(p.150)According to equity theory, a ______is any individual(s) or group used by Person as a referent regarding the ratio of inputs and outcomes.
A.Person
B.Comparison other
C.Ratio comparison
D.Perceptive other
81.(p.151)Jeff senses an inequity and has decided to put less effort into his job. He will be ______.
A.Changing the reference person
B.Changing the situation
C.Changing outcomes
D.Changing inputs
82.(p.151)Jeff senses an inequity and has decided to ask his boss for more time off. He is trying to ______.
A.Change the reference person
B.Change the situation
C.Change the outcome
D.Change inputs
83.(p.152)Most of the research on equity theory has focused on ______as the basic outcome.
A.Pay
B.Self-esteem
C.Achieving organizational goals
D.Feedback
84.(p.152)______is the degree to which individuals feel fairly treated within the organizations for which they work.
A.Procedural justice
B.Organizational justice
C.Distributive justice
85.(p.152)______is the perceived fairness of how resources and rewards are distributed throughout an organization.
A.Procedural justice
B.Organizational justice
C.Distributive justice
Fill in the Blank Questions
86.(p.130-131)______is the concept we use to describe the forces acting on or within an individual to initiate and direct behavior.
Motivation
87.(p.131-132)Deficiencies may be physiological, psychological or ______.
sociological
88.(p.133)Motivation theories fall into two categories: content theories and ______theories.
process
89.(p.135)Alderfer proposed three sets of needs: existence, relatedness and ______.
growth
90.(p.145)The ______theory of motivation proposes that when an employee is faced with a set of first-level outcomes, he/she will select an outcome based on how the choice is related to second-level outcomes.
expectancy
91.(p.146)______is an individual's preference for an outcome.
Valence
Short Answer Questions
92.(p.131)Every six months, the chief executive officer at Lincoln Electric personally reviews each employee's merit rating. What four things are employees rated on?
Everyone is rated on output, quality, dependability and cooperation.
93.(p.146)What is expectancy?
Expectancy is the perceived chance of something occurring because of a behavior.
94.(p.148)Three conditions must hold for the valence of outcomes to be related to effort. The first is "performance-outcome instrumentalities must be greater than zero." What are the other two?
(a) Effort-performance expectancies must be greater than zero. (b) There must be some variability in the valence of outcomes.
95.(p.153)What does referent cognitions theory predict?
Reference cognitions theory predicts resentment of unfair treatment when procedures yield poor outcomes for a person.
Essay Questions
96.(p.128)List five workplace preferences of Generation Y workers (a.k.a. Internet Gen or Echo Boomers, who were born between 1977 and 1997).
Any five of the following:
(1) A fair boss.
(2) Belief in the company.
(3) Safety in the workplace.
(4) Meaningful work.
(5) Training and learning opportunities.
(6) A flexible work schedule.
(7) Constructive feedback.
(8) Timely and fair reward systems.
97.(p.130)List five things that the National Cash Register Company did for employees that cut turnover, increased productivity and helped it dominate the cash register market for many years.
Any five of the following:
(a) Increased wages
(b) Cleaned up the shop floor
(c) Improved safety
(d) Made showers and dressing rooms available
(e) Opened a company cafeteria that served lunches at reduced rates
(f) Provided free medical care at its dispensary
(g) Gave additional food to underweight employees
(h) Redesigned factories to allow in natural light
(i) Instituted a paid suggestion system
(j) Provided educational opportunities
98.(p.131-132)Discuss needs and how they relate to employee motivation and management practices.
A need is the deficiency or lack of something of value that an individual experiences at a particular point in time. These needs may be physiological, sociological or psychological. When needs are present, the individual will seek to fulfill those needs. If a manager can understand an employee's needs, she can create a mutually beneficial, motivating environment by making it possible for the employees to meet their needs and the preferred behavior (performance) of the organization. This is accomplished by:
1. Determining what needs trigger desired performance,
2. Offering rewards that meet employee's needs, and
3. Staying "tuned-in" to employees, because needs can change over time.
99.(p.139)Explain how a Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is administered and what evaluators look for when reviewing them.
A person is shown a series of pictures and asked to write a story about what he/she sees portrayed in them. The evaluator would then search the stories for recurring themes related to a need for achievement, a need for affiliation or a need for power.
100.(p.151)When inequity exists, a person will be motivated to take one of five possible actions to bring the situation back into balance. The first possible action is changing inputs. What are the other four actions?
(1) Changing outcomes; (2) Changing the reference person; (3) Changing the inputs or outcomes of the reference person; (4) Changing the situation.
Matching Questions
101.(p.133)Match the Founders to the most appropriate statement about their theory.
1.Herzberg / Five-level need hierarchy. / 22.Maslow / Three learned needs acquired from the culture: achievement, affiliation and power. / 6
3.Adams / Equity theory, based on comparisons that individuals make. / 3
4.Vroom / Reinforcement theory concerned with the learning that occurs as a consequence of behavior. / 7
5.Locke / Goal setting theory that contends that conscious goals and intentions are the determinants of behavior. / 5
6.McClelland / Three-level hierarchy (ERG). / 8
7.Skinner / Two major factors call hygiene-motivators. / 1
8.Alderfer / An expectancy theory of choices. / 4