Chapter 16 Motivating Employees

TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS

WHAT IS MOTIVATION?

1. Motivation is a result of an interaction between a person and a situation.

(True; p. 452)

2. The three key elements in the definition of motivation are energy, direction, and achievement.

(False; p. 452)

3. High levels of effort don’t necessarily lead to favorable job performance unless the effort is channeled in a direction that benefits the organization.

(True; p. 452)

EARLY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

4. The best-known theory of motivation is probably McGregor’s Theories X and Y.

(False; p. 453)

5. Maslow argued that each level in the needs hierarchy must be substantially satisfied before the next is activated.

(True; p. 454)

6. Lower-order needs are satisfied internally while higher-order needs are predominantly satisfied externally.

(False; p. 454)

7. The two-factor theory is also called Theory X and Theory Y.

(False; p. 455)

8. Herzberg believed that the data from his study suggested that the opposite of satisfaction is dissatisfaction.

(False; p. 455)

CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

9. Based on McClelland’s three-needs theory, high achievers perform best when the odds are against them.

(False; p. 456)

10. The best managers are high in the need for power and high in the need for affiliation.

(False; p. 456)

11. Reinforcement theory is related to an individual’s belief that he or she is capable of performing a task.

(False; p. 460)

12. The key to reinforcement theory is that it ignores factors such as goals, expectations, and needs and focuses solely on what happens to a person when he or she takes some action.

(True; p. 460)

13. Job design refers to the way tasks are combined to form complete jobs.

(True; p. 460)

14. Adding vertical depth to a job is called job enlargement.

(False; p. 460)

15. Job enlargement increases job depth.

(False; p. 461)

16. When a mail sorter’s job is expanded to include mail delivery, the mail sorter has experienced job enlargement.

(True; p. 461)

17. In the job characteristics model, skill variety refers to the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work.

(False; p. 462)

18. According to the job characteristics model, task identity is not important.

(False; p. 462)

19. According to equity theory, a person who earns $50,000 will be less satisfied with his/her pay than a person who earns $100,000.

(False; p. 464)

20. Equity theory has three referent categories: other, system, and self.

(True; p. 465)

21. The three variables in Vroom’s expectancy theory are valence, instrumentality, and expectancy.

(True; p. 466)

22. Vroom would say that if a person values an outcome, his/her effort to obtain that outcome will always be great.

(False; 466)

CURRENT ISSUES IN MOTIVATION

23. Equity theory has a relatively strong following in the United States.

(True; p. 469)

24. Flextime is a scheduling system in which employees work four 10-hour days.

(False; p. 470)

25. Job sharing consists of two or more people who split a full-time job.

(True; p. 470)

26. Most temporary workers prefer the temporariness of their jobs.

(False; p. 472)

27. Performance-based compensation is probably most compatible with expectancy theory.

(True; p. 475)

28. Everybody is motivated by jobs that are high in autonomy, variety, and responsibilities.

(False; p. 477)

29. If participation is inconsistent with the culture, managers should consider using assigned goals.

(True; p. 478)

30. Employees perform better for managers who care about them.

(True; p. 479)

Multiple-Choice Questions

For each of the following choose the answer that most completely answers the question.

WHAT IS MOTIVATION?

31. ______refers to the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal.

  1. Motivation
  2. Leadership
  3. Effort management
  4. Need configuration

(a; p. 452)

32. What element of motivation is a measure of intensity or drive?

  1. direction
  2. energy
  3. persistence
  4. achievement

(b; p. 452)

33. We want employees to ______putting forth an effort to achieve organizational goals.

  1. persist in
  2. consider
  3. stop
  4. motivate others into

(a; p. 452)

EARLY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

34. The drive to find food, drink, and sexual satisfaction is based on what level of need?

  1. physiological
  2. safety
  3. self-actualization
  4. social

(a; p. 453)

35. An individual who wants to buy a home in an expensive neighborhood with a low crime rate is satisfying which need?

  1. esteem
  2. safety
  3. physiological
  4. self-actualization

(b; p. 453)

36. Within Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the need for belonging is associated with ______.

  1. physiological needs
  2. safety needs
  3. social needs
  4. esteem needs

(c; p. 453)

37. The need for such factors as status, recognition, attention, self-respect, autonomy, and achievement are examples of which of the following needs according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?

  1. physiological
  2. esteem
  3. social
  4. self-actualization

(b; p. 453)

38. Growth, achieving one’s potential, self-fulfillment, and the drive to become what one is capable of becoming are characteristics of which need according to Maslow’s hierarchy?

  1. physiological
  2. esteem
  3. social
  4. self-actualization

(d; p. 453)

39. Maslow argued that once a need is substantially satisfied, ______.

  1. the next need becomes dominant
  2. individuals no longer require that need
  3. that need continues to motivate an individual
  4. it becomes a higher-order need

(a; p. 454)

40. Which of the following is considered a lower-order need?

  1. social
  2. esteem
  3. self-actualization
  4. safety

(d; p. 454)

41. ______assumes that employees have little ambition, dislike work, and avoid responsibility.

  1. Theory Y
  2. Theory X
  3. Self-actualization Need Theory
  4. Belongingness Need Theory

(b; p. 454)

42. Theory Y assumes that people inherently ______.

  1. want to belong more than anything else
  2. avoid responsibility and need to be closely controlled
  3. want to work and can exercise self-direction
  4. work to satisfy hygiene factors

(c; p. 454)

43. Theory X assumed that ______needs dominated individuals, and Theory Y assumed that ______needs dominated.

  1. lower-order; higher-order
  2. safety; physiological
  3. esteem; self-actualization
  4. social; safety

(a; p. 454)

44. According to Hertzberg, what characteristic is associated with job dissatisfaction?

  1. advancement
  2. status
  3. work itself
  4. growth

(b; p. 455)

45. According to Herzberg, when ______are adequate, people won't be dissatisfied, but they also will not be satisfied.

  1. achievement needs
  2. affiliation needs
  3. power needs
  4. hygiene factors

(d; p. 455)

46. According to Herzberg, in order to provide employees with job satisfaction, managers should concentrate on ______.

  1. hygiene factors
  2. issues such as pay
  3. motivator factors (moderate)
  4. extrinsic factors

(c; p. 455)

CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

47. According to McClelland, the need to make others behave in a way they wouldn’t have behaved otherwise is which of the following work motives?

  1. need for achievement
  2. need for power
  3. need for affiliation
  4. need for motivation

(b; p. 456)

48. Which of the following suggests that there is a desire for friendly and close interpersonal relationships at work?

  1. need for achievement
  2. need for power
  3. need for fulfillment
  4. need for affiliation

(d; p. 456)

49. An individual who would enjoy taking on the challenge of personally redesigning the workflow of a manufacturing line to improve employee productivity would probably be rated high on which of the following?

  1. need for affiliation
  2. need for impact
  3. need for achievement
  4. need for power

(c; p. 456)

50. Goal setting works best when the goals are ______.

  1. specific
  2. indefinite
  3. infinite
  4. moderately challenging

(a; p. 458)

51. Difficult goals, when accepted, result in ______.

  1. lower performance than easy goals
  2. higher performance than easy goals
  3. low satisfaction
  4. higher dissatisfaction

(b; p. 458)

52. People will do better when they get ______because it helps identify discrepancies between what they have done and what they want to do.

  1. input
  2. goals
  3. equity
  4. feedback

(d; p. 459)

53. The higher your ______, the more confidence you have in your ability to succeed in a task.

  1. self-efficacy
  2. self-esteem
  3. reinforcers
  4. job scope

(a; p. 459)

54. Goal setting is more effective in cultures located in ______.

  1. Asia
  2. North America
  3. South America
  4. Europe

(b; p. 459; AACSB: Globalizations)

55. The concept that behavior is a function of consequences is known as ______.

  1. reinforcement theory
  2. leadership
  3. group dynamics
  4. human resource management

(a; p. 460)

56. Reinforcement theorists believe that behavior results from ______.

  1. external consequences
  2. internal personality traits, such as need for achievement
  3. setting high goals
  4. intrinsic satisfiers

(a; p. 460)

57. A ______is any consequence immediately following a response that increases the probability that the behavior will be repeated.

  1. goal
  2. reinforcer
  3. conclusion
  4. job characteristics model

(b; p. 460)

58. According to reinforcement theory, rewards are effective if they ______a desired behavior.

  1. precede
  2. follow
  3. coincide with
  4. decrease

(b; p. 460)

59. Behavior that is not rewarded, or is punished, is ______.

  1. extinguished
  2. not high on a list of priorities
  3. unstructured
  4. less likely to be repeated

(d; p. 460)

60. ______is the way tasks are combined to form complete jobs.

  1. Job scope
  2. Job enlargement
  3. Job enrichment
  4. Job design

(d; p. 461)

61. The number of different tasks required in a job and the frequency with which those tasks are repeated is ______.

  1. scope
  2. enlargement
  3. enrichment
  4. design

(a; p. 461)

62. One of the first attempts to design jobs horizontally expanded jobs and is known as job ______.

  1. enlargement
  2. scope
  3. rotation
  4. enrichment

(a; p. 461)

63. Job ______is vertical expansion of a job by adding planning and evaluating responsibilities.

  1. scope
  2. enlargement
  3. enrichment
  4. design

(c; p. 461)

64. The research evidence on the use of job enrichment programs could be classified as ______.

  1. encouraging
  2. strongly supportive
  3. moderately supportive
  4. inconclusive

(d; p. 461)

65. The job characteristics model (JCM) identifies ______as the degree to which a job has substantial impact on the lives or work of other people.

  1. task significance
  2. task identity
  3. skill variety
  4. autonomy

(a; p. 462)

66. ______is the degree to which a job provides substantial freedom, independence, and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out.

  1. Task significance
  2. Task identity
  3. Skill variety
  4. Autonomy

(d; p. 462)

67. ______is the degree to which carrying out the work activities required by a job results in an individual’s obtaining direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his or her performance.

  1. Task significance
  2. Task identity
  3. Skill variety
  4. Feedback

(d; p. 462)

68. The job characteristics model provides guidance to managers concerning ______.

  1. job design
  2. employee selection
  3. pay satisfaction
  4. collective bargaining

(a; p. 463)

69. A theory that suggests that employees compare their inputs and outcomes from a job to the ratio of input to outcomes of relevant others is known as ______.

  1. action motivation
  2. goal setting
  3. reinforcement theory
  4. equity theory

(d; p. 464)

70. Which of the following is not an input according to equity theory?

  1. effort
  2. experience
  3. pay level
  4. education

(c; p. 464)

71. In general, the research support for equity theory could be described as ______.

  1. strong
  2. moderate
  3. weak
  4. inconclusive

(a; p. 465)

72. Which expectancy theory linkage explains the belief that having a high grade point average is critical in obtaining a good job?

  1. instrumentality
  2. expectancy
  3. goal setting to achievement
  4. valence

(a; p. 466)

73. The importance that an individual places on a potential outcome or reward that can be achieved on the job is known as ______.

  1. valence or attractiveness of reward
  2. operant learning opportunity
  3. effort performance linkage or expectancy
  4. goal-setting behavior

(a; p. 466)

CURRENT ISSUES IN MOTIVATION

74. Maslow’s hierarchy aligns well with employees in ______.

  1. the United States
  2. Mexico
  3. Japan
  4. Greece

(a; p. 468; AACSB: Globalizations)

75. The view that a high achievement need acts as an internal motivator presupposes a willingness to accept a moderate degree of risk and a concern with performance, two cultural characteristics that are relatively absent in ______.

  1. Canada
  2. Chile
  3. Great Britain
  4. the United States

(b; p. 469; AACSB: Globalizations)

76. Consistent with a legacy of communism and centrally planned economies, employees exhibit ______.

  1. less expectations of outputs
  2. low interest in rewards
  3. a low desire for interesting work
  4. a greater entitlement attitude

(d; p. 469; AACSB: Globalizations)

77. What seems important to almost all workers, regardless of their national culture?

  1. the need to achieve
  2. the need for self-actualization
  3. the desire for interesting work
  4. the desire for equity

(c; p. 469; AACSB: Globalizations)

78. In a study comparing job-preference outcomes among graduate students in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Singapore, what rated the highest among them all?

  1. achievement
  2. flexibility
  3. growth
  4. responsibility

(c; p. 469; AACSB: Globalizations)

79. To maximize motivation among today’s diverse workforce, managers need to think in terms of ______.

  1. flexibility
  2. consistency
  3. needs
  4. wants

(a; p. 470; AACSB: Diversity)

80. In ______, employees work fewer days, but more hours per day.

  1. a reorganization
  2. flexible work hours
  3. a job characteristics model
  4. a compressed workweek

(d; p. 470)

81. ______work hours are where employees work a certain number of hours per week, but are free, within limits, to vary the hours of work.

  1. Flexible
  2. Compressed
  3. Congruent
  4. Parallel

(a; p. 470)

82. What type of job scheduling option would allow two different employees to share one 40-hour-a-week systems analyst position?

  1. compressed workweek
  2. job sharing
  3. flextime
  4. telecommuting

(b; p. 470)

83. The linking by computer and modem of workers at home with coworkers and management at an office is termed ______.

  1. job sharing
  2. compressed workweek
  3. flextime
  4. telecommuting

(d; p. 470)

84. What is a potential disadvantage of telecommuting?

  1. flexible hours
  2. unsatisfied social needs
  3. no commuting
  4. casual dress

(b; p. 471)

85. Successful motivation of professions requires that managers recognize that the loyalty of professionals is usually toward their ______.

  1. employer
  2. short-term financial well-being
  3. long-term financial well-being
  4. profession

(d; p. 472)

86. All of the following are mentioned as suggestions to motivate professionals except ______.

  1. providing them with ongoing challenging projects
  2. using money and promotions
  3. allowing them to structure their work in ways they find productive
  4. rewarding them with recognition

(b; p. 472)

87. What will motivate involuntarily temporary employees?

  1. pay them more
  2. provide health care benefits
  3. provide job challenge
  4. provide the opportunity for training

(d; p. 472)

88. When temps work alongside permanent employees who earn more and get benefits for doing the same job, ______.

  1. the temps tend to work more diligently in hopes of gaining a permanent position
  2. the permanent employees tend to work more diligently
  3. the performance of temps is likely to suffer
  4. the performance of permanent employees is likely to suffer

(c; p. 472)

89. How would a manager motivate low-skilled, minimum-wage employees?

  1. offer more pay for high levels of performance
  2. use employee recognition programs
  3. provide the opportunity for training
  4. provide the opportunity for full-time employment

(b; p. 473)

90. Which of the following is not mentioned as a reward program?

  1. employee incentive programs
  2. pay-for-performance programs
  3. employee recognition programs
  4. stock option programs

(a; p. 473)

91. ______is a motivational approach in which an organization’s financial statements are opened to and shared with all employees.

  1. Open-book management
  2. Expectancy theory
  3. Pay-for-performance
  4. Equity theory

(a; p. 473)

92. Attempts to show the financial condition of the firm to employees to get them to think like owners of the firm are known as ______.

  1. pay-for-performance programs
  2. work sharing arrangements
  3. telecommuting
  4. open-book management

(d; p. 473)

93. ______consists of personal attention and expressing interest, approval, and appreciation for a job well done.

  1. A pay-for-performance program
  2. A stock option program
  3. An employee recognition program
  4. Open-book management

(c; p. 473)

94. Consistent with ______, rewarding a behavior using employee recognition programs immediately following behavior is likely to encourage its repetition.

  1. expectancy theory
  2. reinforcement theory
  3. equity theory
  4. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

(b; p. 474)

95. What is an example of an employee recognition program?

  1. handwritten notes acknowledging something positive that the employee has done
  2. piece-rate pay plans
  3. lump-sum bonuses
  4. stock options

(a; p. 474)

96. Compensation plans that pay employees based on the basis of their contribution to the effectiveness of the organization are referred to as ______.

  1. pay-for-performance programs
  2. expectancy theory
  3. equity theory
  4. stock options

(a; p. 474)

97. Piece-rate pay plans, wage incentive plans, profit sharing, and lump-sum bonuses are examples of ______programs.

  1. open-book management
  2. expectancy theory
  3. pay-for-performance
  4. equity theory

(c; pp. 474-475)

98. ______are financial instruments that give employees the right to purchase shares of stock at a set price.

  1. Stock options
  2. Open-book management
  3. Employee recognition programs
  4. Pay-for-performance programs

(a; p. 476)

99. The literature on ______suggests that managers should ensure that employees have hard, specific goals and feedback on how well they are doing in achieving those goals.

  1. goal-setting theory
  2. equity theory
  3. reinforcement theories
  4. expectancy theory

(a; p. 477)

100. Managers must be sure that employees feel confident that increased efforts ______.

  1. can earn them a promotion
  2. can lead to achieving performance goals
  3. will most definitely result in high achievement
  4. will earn them just pay

(b; p. 478)

101. Which of the following is not a suggestion for motivating employees?

  1. recognize individual differences
  2. make goals very difficult to achieve
  3. match people to jobs
  4. individualize rewards

(b; pp. 477-479)

102. Following the ideas of ______, managers should check the system to see that employees perceive the rewards as being equal to the inputs.

  1. expectancy theory
  2. three-needs theory
  3. goal-setting theory
  4. equity theory

(d; p. 479)

103. In a stagnant economy where cost-cutting is widespread, ______is a low-cost means to reward employees.

  1. linking rewards to performance
  2. individualizing rewards
  3. using recognition
  4. offering contingent bonuses

(c; p. 479)

Scenarios and Questions

For each of the following, choose the answer that most completely answers the question.

WHAT IS MOTIVATION?

EARLY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

Motivation to Study

Joan has considered her own motivation and discussed it with some of her peers. These other students live in her dormitory. She finds some distinct differences within these other students based on their motivation to study.

104. In making her decisions about where she will spend the money she made during the summer, Joan is more likely to spend the money on clothes. According to Maslow, Joan is seeking to satisfy her ______.

  1. physiological needs
  2. safety needs
  3. social needs
  4. esteem needs

(c; p. 453)

105. As she talked to other students, Joan saw some students who needed more direction in their classroom studies because they had little or no ambition if they were left to their own motivation. This view is similar to ______needs.

  1. physiological
  2. safety
  3. social
  4. self-actualization

(d; p. 453)

106. In one of her own classes, Joan can see the material is related to growth and achievement in her career. She is given responsibility to help other students. In Joan’s motivational processes, as described by Herzberg, this class serves as a(n) ______.

  1. achievement need
  2. affiliation need
  3. power need
  4. hygiene factor

(d; p. 455)

CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

Changing Jobs (Scenario)

Marty sat in his favorite chair at home and pondered his work situation. The funding in his division had been cut by 25 percent, but the numerical goals did not budge. Something had to change, and he knew it was his job to figure out how to make the goals reachable. He had decided to try to make it work by changing the way tasks are combined in each job. First, he needed to know how many tasks there were to each job and how frequently each task is repeated. He also knew that because of the funding cut, people were going to be asked to increase their job tasks horizontally. But, he also felt that to balance this he should add planning and evaluating responsibilities. No one looked forward to this coming year—managers or staff—but it was do or die.