Deck 10: Motivation and Coaching Skills

Question 1

Companies with less money to compensate employees should invest in coaching and development as a way to boost employee retention.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Coaches should ask closed-ended, yes-or-no questions to keep subordinates focused on one concept at a time during a conversation.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The motivational value of a recognition award is likely to be higher if it helps a worker attain personal goals.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Expectancy theory is particularly useful to leaders because it emphasizes the emotional and passionate side of people.

Question 5

Feedback of a general nature is most effective in bringing about improvements in performance.

Question 6

Motivation increases when a person has high self-efficacy with respect to the task being performed.

Question 7

To avoid getting too emotionally involved with group members, the effective coach minimizes building personal relationships with them.

Question 8

To act as a strong motivator, big comprehensive goals should be broken down into smaller steps.

Question 9

To appeal to the recognition need of others, it is important to identify a meritorious behavior, and then recognize that behavior with an oral, written, or material reward.

Question 10

In the context of the implications of the expectancy theory, a task must generally be perceived as attainable to be motivational.

Question 11

A major advantage of using goals to motivate executive leaders is the guarantee that unethical means will not be used to achieve goals.

Question 12

An implication of expectancy theory is that leaders should reassure their group members that performances will lead to specific rewards.

Question 13

Giving recognition for a job well done is useful in satisfying a worker's desire to feel proud.

Question 14

The term engagement refers to :

A) employees limiting themselves to those tasks that are specific to their roles.
B) high levels of personal investment in the tasks performed on a job.
C) serving a one-month notice period in the organization.
D) avoiding offering a reward for a good performance.

Question 15

Rewarding people for reaching goals is a widely accepted principle of management.

Question 16

A potential ethical problem noted with executive coaching is that an executive might become too dependent upon the coach for making decisions.

Question 17

The question, "If I get the job done, will I really get my reward?" illustrates the _____ aspect of expectancy theory.

A) valence
B) effort-to-performance expectancy
C) instrumentality
D) open-book management

Question 18

The most effective goals, according to goal theory, are those that encourage a worker to "do your best."

Question 19

Listening is an essential ingredient in any coaching session.

Question 20

The question, "If I work hard, what will I get in return?" illustrates the _____ aspect of expectancy theory.

A) instrumentality
B) valence
C) goal
D) expectancy

Question 21

The sets of goal characteristics that will probably lead to higher levels of performance are:

A) easy and specific.
B) easy and general.
C) difficult and specific.
D) difficult and general.

Question 22

An active listener attempts to:

A) speak continuously in a coaching session.
B) react to each statement made by the other person.
C) grasp both facts and feelings.
D) tries to remember, word by word, every word that is being coached.

Question 23

An essential part of coaching is to:

A) use an autocratic leadership style.
B) build formal relationships with the person being coached.
C) manipulate the person being coached.
D) help remove obstacles for the person being coached.

Question 24

An important implication of expectancy theory for leadership is that:

A) a manager must assign valences to group members.
B) workers must develop their own links between rewards and performance.
C) out-groups and in-groups should be avoided.
D) leaders must clearly understand individual differences in valences.

Question 25

A study showed that workers who perceive themselves to have a technical orientation tend to prefer being praised in a manner that:

A) focuses on how their work made a contribution.
B) makes a general statement such as "Awesome."
C) could be interpreted negatively.
D) focuses on their personal characteristics.

Question 26

Recognition is a strong motivator because:

A) it brings in an element of uniformity among employees.
B) it conceals bad performances.
C) it is an unattainable need.
D) it is a normal human need.

Question 27

Jodie has high self-efficacy, meaning that she:

A) gets discouraged when faced with obstacles.
B) is highly confident that she can perform a particular task.
C) has a generalized sense of self-confidence.
D) perceives herself to be more effective than most people.

Question 28

The feeling of being proud is essentially a(n):

A) external motivator.
B) internal motivator.
C) weak motivator for professional staff.
D) weak motivator for leaders.

Question 29

Effective coaches focus on the growth and development of those being coached by:

A) telling them what to do in every situation.
B) giving them the resources they need to make their own decisions.
C) only providing feedback once they have become discouraged.
D) always assuming an authoritative pose.

Question 30

Which one of the following is considered an important coaching technique?

A) Restrict oneself from asking questions to the coach.
B) Resist change in all possible ways.
C) Model desired performance and behavior.
D) Create more obstacles for the person being coached.

Question 31

Mindi has a learning goal orientation. While she is competing in a national sales contest, she is strongly motivated to:

A) develop new skills during the process of competing.
B) make the other competitors look good.
C) examine if her efforts would result in the desired outcome.
D) impress other people with her skills.

Question 32

An example of a second-level outcome in expectancy theory would be a:

A) promotion stemming from a good performance appraisal.
B) praise from two levels of management.
C) punishment for having violated company policy.
D) salary increase twice the average size.

Question 33

Which of the following statements is true of coaching skills and techniques?

A) Give positive feedback alone, and stick to appreciatory comments.
B) Give overrated comments and scores to members of a team.
C) Build personal relationships with team members.
D) Make the communication strategy more generic and less specific.

Question 34

Recognition is an effective motivator is because:

A) it is closely linked to company strategy.
B) most employees feel they do not receive enough recognition.
C) most workers have become bored with financial incentives.
D) it is extremely expensive to implement.

Question 35

An important implication of expectancy theory for leaders is that:

A) the link between rewards and performance should be made explicit.
B) workers should encourage and train themselves.
C) people in the same work unit will usually have the same valences.
D) an average worker should not be able to attain the majority of work goals.

Question 36

A major concern about using goals to boost performance is that some workers, including leaders, will:

A) use dysfunctional methods to attain goals.
B) quit rather than pursue goals.
C) set too many difficult goals.
D) pursue goals rather than do their own work.

Question 37

Feedback in coaching should be:

A) on specific areas which need improvement.
B) overrated and exaggerated.
C) confined to the first coaching session.
D) avoided unless requested.

Question 38

An effective coaching technique to achieve enthusiasm and high performance is for a leader/manager to:

A) suspend team members who do not display enthusiasm or high performance.
B) give gentle advice and guidance to team members.
C) use a detached, permissive style.
D) keep elevating goals as workers perform well.

Question 39

An advantage of a goal related to a noble cause is that it:

A) gives workers step-by-step guidance.
B) is likely to inspire workers.
C) is geared toward a short range.
D) has a relatively low valence.

Question 40

A barrier buster is a manager who:

A) sets unrealistically high goals for group members.
B) uses rewards and punishments frequently.
C) removes obstacles that hinder work accomplishment.
D) lobbies for business contracts from external agencies.

Question 41

Roshan, an operations manager in a firm, is asked to apply the best practices of both the expectancy theory and the goal theory to improve the performance of his team. What options would Roshan have in this regard?

Question 42

The employees of a team are offered a direct incentive hike of 5 percent if they improve their performance two-fold. In the context of the expectancy theory, the additional amount the team members will receive as incentive is known as _____.

A) performance
B) valence
C) effort
D) instrumentality

Question 43

Jonathan is asked to coach a batch of new employees. Before this, his superior outlines a number of suggestions for how Jonathan can best approach coaching and improve the performance of his group. List and briefly explain three of these suggestions.

Question 44

A recommended way of giving advice to an employee is to:

A) wait until the employee has a good day.
B) put your advice in the form of a question.
C) first make the employee feel guilty.
D) offer only general suggestions for improvement.

Question 45

Who among the following is likely to give the best performance in the context of the goal theory?

A) An employee who is given instructions so that the net sales revenue becomes $30 million and his individual contribution is worth $1 million
B) A member of the sales team who is asked to give his best, so that the overall performance of the team increases
C) A member of the sales team who performs below the standards set being subjected to a performance improvement program
D) An employee who is encouraged and shown a clear path towards achieving his everyday target, with just a vague idea on the overall target to be achieved.

Question 46

A worker receiving a floor clock for having saved the company thousands of dollars in shipping costs is an example of:

A) workers experiencing pride in relation to recognition symbols.
B) workers being underrated on account of their productivity.
C) employers unnecessarily ingratiating the workers.
D) employers trying to lobby their employees.

Question 47

Helen receives a wristwatch from the company as a compliment for her value-adding service to the organization for the past 10 years. This can be considered an act that:

A) excites Helen and makes her work on weekends, too.
B) ingratiates Helen so that she continues to be paid less.
C) appeals to her pride and thereby motivates her further.
D) lobbies Helen toward committing an illegal act for the management.

Question 48

Rohan, the production manager of a firm, is asked to provide a one-to-one developmental program to Milan, who is an assistant production manager. The program covers aspects like total sales revenue to be achieved for the month, and the individual numbers that Milan will have to contribute. This program is an example of a(n) _____.

A) performance improvement program
B) induction program
C) executive training program
D) offsite training program

Question 49

Craig decides to increase the performance bonus of his team from $5,000 to $10,000. In the context of the expectancy theory, this will result in:

A) increased productivity, as the team members would put in greater efforts in view of the reward they expect.
B) decreased productivity, as the team members would be too distracted to work toward the set goal.
C) the same productivity, as studies have found that rewards do not affect employee efforts in any manner.
D) an initial decrease in productivity, followed by an increase in productivity of the employees.

Question 50

A refinement of the individual approach to executive coaching is for a coach to:

A) work with a group of leaders with the same developmental needs.
B) conduct videoconferences with several leaders from different locations at the same time.
C) collaborate with the leader's group members.
D) get the group members to report on the leader's mistakes.

Question 51

Which of the following is an example of using recognition to motivate others?

A) Tina is selected from her team to be coached and mentored by a panel of industry experts.
B) Richard, who has taken the maximum number of vacation days, becomes the best performer in his team, much to the teammates' awe.
C) Alan receives a congratulatory email from his team manager for settling a deal with a vendor.
D) George, who is the team manager of the sales department, takes his team out for an offsite training program.

Question 52

George, a manager, is advised by the top management to apply the expectancy theory to his team. What would be the basic data that George requires to put the theory into practice?

Question 53

An effective way of using modeling in coaching is for a manager to:

A) set high standards of performance.
B) challenge a group member's ethical models.
C) sketch a mathematical model of business strategy.
D) demonstrate how a task should be done correctly.

Question 54

Donna wants to lead as an effective coach. So, with respect to the people she coaches, Donna should minimize:

A) active listening.
B) bringing forth restrictions to the workers.
C) giving emotional support.
D) giving too much gentle advice and guidance.

Question 55

Martin, the marketing manager of a company, is very knowledgeable in his particular role, but he often has trouble coaching new employees. Of the following, which is most likely affecting Martin's ability to coach well?

A) His inability to give emotional support when a new employee struggles
B) How he listens actively in almost every conversation
C) His removing obstacles to help employees perform their best
D) The way he applauds good results

Question 56

Ronnie plans to work on Sunday so that the project she is involved in does not get delayed. She also plans to cancel her weekend plans so she can invest even more time in the project. This behavior reflects Ronnie's _____.

A) engagement
B) resistance
C) debasement
D) congruence

Question 57

Which of the following is true of the motivational use of recognition and praise?

A) Motivation has to be linked to corporate values to minimize its impact.
B) It is important that meritorious behavior is kept confidential within the team.
C) It is important to praise so that the employees are set against each other.
D) An individual's preference for the type of praise should be taken into account.

Question 58

A major role of an executive coach is to:

A) help the person being coached find new employment.
B) help uncover strengths of the person being coached.
C) give top management a report about the capabilities of the person being coached.
D) help the person being coached become a better coach themselves.

Question 59

Ryan's team has performed beyond the performance standard set for the team in the previous financial year. This makes the team eligible for additional incentives, and the improved performance will also make them eligible for a promotion in a few months. In the context of the expectancy theory, which of the following statements is true in this case?

A) The team being considered eligible for promotion is a second-level outcome.
B) The team receiving an outstanding performance review is a second-level outcome.
C) The performance of each team member denotes the instrumentality.
D) The performance of each team member is known as the expectancy.

Question 60

Which of the following statements by the members of a team depicts self-efficacy at its peak? Answer the question in the context of the expectancy theory.

A) "I may or may not achieve the target; it's impossible to predict the results now."
B) "I won't be able to achieve the target without a little bit of support from my superior."
C) "I am 100 percent sure that I will be able to achieve the target before the due date."
D) "I suppose the target is quite attainable, but I can't give an assurance."