Deck 10: Motivating Employees

Question 1

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth developed the principle of motion economy,which said that every job could be broken down into a series of elementary motions.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Elton Mayo conducted studies know as the Hawthorne Studies and became known as the father of scientific management.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Janis works for a local bakery.At one time,she loved the idea of becoming a head pastry chef,but now she is not sure that this is how she would like to spend her working career.Her current supervisor does not believe in breaks.And,lately,he stands next to her and instructs her as to how to roll out the bread dough and ice the cupcakes,as though she never learned these basic skills in culinary school.Just this morning,he commented loudly from the other side of the room,"You should be able to ice five cupcakes in a minute! Time yourself!" Frederick Taylor would have approved of Janis' supervisor.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The sense of satisfaction you get when you achieve an important goal is an intrinsic reward.

Question 5

Frederick Taylor believed that workers existed to make management's job easier and more efficient.He believed that workers were interested in one thing: good pay.If a business provided good pay,workers would provide the grueling labor necessary to get the job done.

Question 6

A key element of Frederick Taylor's approach was the time-motion study,which examined the tasks performed to complete a job and the time needed to complete each task.

Question 7

Frederick Taylor believed that employees would be more productive if they were allowed to decide for themselves which methods at work to use.

Question 8

Frederick Taylor's ideas about improving worker productivity attracted a lot of attention at the time,but had little lasting significance.

Question 9

Extrinsic rewards are those that are given to a person by someone else.

Question 10

The Green Velvet Lawn Care Company teaches all of its employees specific methods for fertilizing and seeding lawns.The methods are designed to ensure adequate lawn coverage with a minimum of time and effort.All employees are expected to follow these methods precisely.Green Velvet's approach to lawn care is consistent with the ideas of scientific management.

Question 11

Frederick Taylor based his approach on the belief that each worker was an individual who should be treated as a unique asset to the firm.

Question 12

Since motivation comes from within an individual,there is little that managers can do to help motivate employees.

Question 13

When unhappy employees leave a company,the firm normally ends up benefiting financially.

Question 14

Frederick Taylor's goal was to find ways to improve worker motivation by making work more interesting and challenging.

Question 15

Andy is a supervisor at a web design company.Andy has observed that most employees he supervises are more productive if he lets them have some freedom and flexibility in how they go about their work.Andy's experience is consistent with the teachings of scientific management.

Question 16

The concept engagement is used to describe the level of passion and motivation that a person has about their work.

Question 17

Scientific management became the dominant strategy for improving productivity during the early 1900s.

Question 18

Three elements were basic to Taylor's approach: time,methods,and rules of work.

Question 19

Frederick Taylor encouraged managers to make use of psychological techniques to improve worker motivation.

Question 20

Mark successfully completed a very challenging assignment given to him by his supervisor at work.The feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction Mark experiences is an example of an extrinsic reward.

Question 21

According to Maslow,it is impossible to rank human needs in any logical order.

Question 22

Abraham Maslow believed that motivation arises from the desire to satisfy unmet needs.

Question 23

The Hawthorne studies concluded that productivity at work seldom changed,but an employee's attitude could show significant improvement if he/she were given the opportunity to think critically at work.

Question 24

Harrison is a manager at the local post office.He wants to find ways to improve worker motivation,and has read about the Hawthorne studies conducted by Elton Mayo and his colleagues.He believes these studies offer important insights into what motivates employees.Harrison is not likely to support the methods and ideas associated with scientific management.

Question 25

Marissa works for a large pharmaceutical company in the greater Chicago are
A.Last week she visited with an advisor at the nearby university because her employer encourages workers to continue their education and gives them time off to go to academic related appointments,even during regularly scheduled work hours.One would assume that management at Marissa's company values the results of the Hawthorne studies,more so than traditional scientific management principles.

Question 26

Although Elton Mayo originally intended to collect data for a traditional scientific management study,his break-through research led to further research on the kinds of things that drive employees to successfully meet and exceed productivity goals at work.

Question 27

A major conclusion of the Hawthorne studies was that the best way to motivate employees is with monetary incentives such as pay raises and bonuses.

Question 28

One of the original objectives of the Hawthorne studies was to determine the degree of lighting needed in the workplace to enable employees to achieve optimum productivity.

Question 29

The tendency of employees to behave differently when they know they are being studied is known as the Taylor effect.

Question 30

Maslow referred to the needs people had for recognition and acknowledgement from others as esteem needs.

Question 31

The original results of the Hawthorne studies proved that employees were much more productive when they worked in well-lit areas than when they worked in poorly lit areas.

Question 32

Greg is a small business owner who wants to find a way to increase the productivity of his employees.He has just finished reading a book on worker motivation,and found the book's discussion of the Hawthorne studies particularly relevant.Based on his reading,Greg is likely to view pay increases as the best way to improve employee motivation.

Question 33

The Hawthorne studies proved that the methods of scientific management were the best way to achieve maximum productivity among employees.

Question 34

Safety needs are placed at the lowest level in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Question 35

According to Maslow,people will try to satisfy lower order needs before they turn their attention to higher order needs.

Question 36

Elton Mayo's researchers concluded that worker motivation improved when managers listened to worker's ideas and suggestions.

Question 37

According to Maslow,a satisfied need is no longer a motivator.

Question 38

Bianca is conducting an experiment to determine how temperatures affect the productivity of employees.She has just completed the first phase of her experiment,in which she had a group of employees perform job related tasks in a special room where the temperature was 10 degrees cooler than on the factory floor.The employees in the experimental group consistently outperformed employees in the factory.The Hawthorne effect suggests that the most likely reason for this improvement in performance is that the cooler working conditions allowed the employees in the experiment to work harder without getting tired.

Question 39

The results of the Hawthorne studies encouraged researchers to begin studying human motivation and managerial styles that lead to higher productivity.

Question 40

The Hawthorne studies concluded that intrinsic rewards are always better than extrinsic rewards.

Question 41

Talk about "shell-shock"! Two nights ago,Adam was living in a tent with thirty other Marines in the hills of Afghanistan.Today he is waking up to the smell of fresh linen,in a king-sized bed,in his very own room in DeKalb,Illinois.Three days ago,his first priority was the welfare of his battle buddies.This morning,his first priority according to his family)is not wasting anytime and getting back into College.Although he has always believed in the importance of school and the respect that comes with achieving a degree,right now he is not quite in the frame of mind.His first desire is to spend time renewing old friendships,including organizing a couple of float trips and ball game nights with the group of friends he left behind.According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs,Adam has a strong desire to satisfy his self-esteem needs.

Question 42

Herzberg's research examined how conditions related to the job itself affected the motivation of employees.

Question 43

Referring to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory,one would agree that U.S.workers are more often interested in satisfying their physiological and safety needs,as opposed to their self-esteem needs.

Question 44

According to Herzberg,when a hygiene factor is not fulfilled,employees will become dissatisfied.

Question 45

The late famous broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite said that one of his regrets in life was not actively participating in the space program as an astronaut.Back in the 1980's,he was selected as a candidate to be the first journalist to fly into space,but NASA decided to take a teacher instead.In some ways,this may appear as though Cronkite was pursuing a self-esteem need;however,having already achieved celebrity status,for Cronkite,his was the pursuit of a self-actualization need.

Question 46

In order to motivate their employees,managers in less-developed nations should establish working conditions that focus on meeting their employees' self-actualization needs.

Question 47

In Maslow's view,social needs include the need to feel loved and accepted.

Question 48

In Maslow's hierarchy,self-actualization needs are those needs associated with basic survival,such as the need for food and shelter.

Question 49

Herzberg's research found that improvements in the work environment were a more effective way to motivate employees than improvements in job content.

Question 50

Herzberg found that the factors associated with job content ranked high as employee motivators.

Question 51

Maslow believed that lower-level needs may emerge at any time when they are not met and take our attention away from higher-level needs.

Question 52

Herzberg's study showed that pay was the job characteristic that ranked highest as a motivator.

Question 53

Jimmy is a talented musician,and has already won a number of awards.Still,he practices about two hours every day,trying to reach his highest potential.Jimmy is motivated by self-actualization needs.

Question 54

Jon earns a decent salary and is on friendly terms with the other employees in his department.Lately,he is frustrated because they don't recognize or appreciate some of his accomplishments.According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory,Jon will have a desire to satisfy his self-esteem needs before his self-actualization needs.

Question 55

Herzberg's research focused on determining which management style achieved the highest level of worker motivation.

Question 56

Herzberg used the term hygiene factor to refer to an element of job content that was most important as a source of worker motivation.

Question 57

Often times,we hear that teenagers have unmet social needs.According to Maslow,their desire to become socially accepted will consume them,at the expense of reaching for higher goals,such as developing to their fullest potential.

Question 58

Millie recently accepted a new job with better pay and a high degree of job security.She is now able to live in a nicer apartment and maintain a fairly comfortable life style.However,she still feels like an "outsider" at work,and does not yet perceive that her fellow employees have accepted her into their group.According to Maslow's theory,Millie is driven by a desire to satisfy her social needs.

Question 59

According to Maslow,if you have a self-esteem problem,you probably will not be able to concern yourself with developing to your fullest potential.

Question 60

Herzberg found that the sense of achievement employees experienced when they performed their jobs was an important motivator.

Question 61

Theory Z calls for the creation of a sense of participation and cooperation within an organization.

Question 62

According to McGregor,Theory X managers assume that employees dislike work,and will avoid it if possible.

Question 63

According to William Ouchi,two of the main features of the Japanese approach to management are individual decision-making and rapid promotions.

Question 64

Managers who make Theory X assumptions about employees tend to watch their subordinates very closely and provide detailed instructions to employees about how they should do their jobs.

Question 65

Recent economic problems as well as demographic and social changes in Japan have led some Japanese firms to seek new approaches to management.

Question 66

Herzberg's findings suggest that many U.S.firms can help workers satisfy higher order needs by identifying those things that motivate inspire)them to work at their fullest potential.

Question 67

Douglas McGregor observed that all managers tend to share common assumptions about employees.

Question 68

William Ouchi concluded that culture should not be a factor in one's management style.

Question 69

Herzberg's research identified the key factors that motivate workers,including company policies and administration,wage rates,interpersonal relations with co-workers,and physical environment at work.

Question 70

According to McGregor,Theory X-type managers motivate employees by giving them a great deal of freedom and responsibility.

Question 71

Maslow identified and categorized basic needs that most persons would like to satisfy,while Herzberg's research identified motivators and hygiene factors that inspire employees to fulfill their needs.

Question 72

Theory Y managers assume that the main factor that motivates most employees is the desire to earn more money.

Question 73

Theory X management has essentially disappeared from the real world workplace.

Question 74

Theory Y managers adhere to the principle that most people do not work to their fullest intellectual potential.

Question 75

Theory Z emphasizes reliance on individual creativity and initiative rather than collective decision-making.

Question 76

Herzberg's findings suggest that the best way for firms to increase worker motivation is to focus on improving pay and making working conditions more pleasant.

Question 77

Theory Y managers are likely to use empowerment to motivate employees.

Question 78

Ouchi's Theory Z is a blend of Type A and Type J business cultures.

Question 79

Theory Y managers assume that most people are capable of using a relatively high degree of imagination and creativity to solve problems.

Question 80

Since hygiene factors do not motivate workers toward high achievement at work,managers can safely ignore these factors when trying to develop an effective work environment.