Deck 11: Motivating Employees

Question 1

The objective of motivating employees is to

A) lead them to perform in ways that meet the goals of the department and the organization.
B) get as much work out of them as possible to maximize company profits.
C) justify their positions, especially during a layoff, so they do not lose their jobs.
D) help them believe that they can attain desired incentives.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

When a person does not feel valued by his or her company, the person's ________ needs are most likely to be unfulfilled.

A) esteem
B) social
C) physiological
D) self-actualization

Answer 2

A

Question 3

McClelland's theory is based on which of the following needs?

A) Physiological, social, and self-actualization
B) Achievement, power, and affiliation
C) Reward, power, and social
D) Esteem, social, and security

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Alan, a stockbroker, did well in the commodities market and decided to buy a Ferrari. According to Maslow's motivational theory, Alan is most likely fulfilling his

A) esteem need.
B) physiological need.
C) safety need.
D) self-actualization need.

Question 5

Which of the following is true about Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory?

A) Security needs include the desire for love, friendship, and companionship.
B) Maslow argues that needs are organized into a hierarchy, and the most basic needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy.
C) People seek and aim to meet only one category of needs at a time.
D) The needs that motivate people fall into three basic categories.

Question 6

Brian is the manager of a sales office. His company has not been doing well lately, and all his employees are demotivated because of that. Which of the following needs must Brian try to satisfy in order to motivate his employees?

A) Spiritual
B) Security
C) Physiological
D) Self-actualization

Question 7

Anna goes on a meditation retreat in India to develop herself spiritually. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which need is she trying to satisfy?

A) Physiological need
B) Social need
C) Self-actualization need
D) Esteem need

Question 8

Emma applies for medical insurance. Which hierarchical need is she trying to satisfy?

A) Physiological need
B) Social need
C) Self-actualization need
D) Security need

Question 9

Applied to a work situation, Maslow's theory means a supervisor must

A) recognize that employees are only motivated by money.
B) be aware of the current needs of particular employees.
C) actively try to eliminate the Pygmalion effect.
D) always use the piecework system for providing financial incentives.

Question 10

Edgar, a student at New York University, goes to Luanda every summer to teach poor kids. He volunteers with an Angolan government agency for two months every year for this purpose. Which of the following needs categorized by Maslow's theory does Edgar want to satisfy?

A) Power
B) Security
C) Self-actualization
D) Expectancy

Question 11

A policy that grants employees some leeway in choosing which 8 hours a day or which 40 hours a week to work is called

A) job sharing.
B) gainsharing.
C) flextime.
D) a compressed workweek.

Question 12

The theories of motivation that focus on what things motivate workers are called

A) content theories.
B) process theories.
C) expectancy theories.
D) equity theories.

Question 13

Giving people incentives that cause them to act in desired ways is known as ________.

A) consideration
B) bribery
C) motivation
D) punishment

Question 14

Which of the following is true according to McClelland's achievement-power-affiliation theory?

A) The need for affiliation is the desire to do something better than it has been done before.
B) People with a high need for power desire close and friendly relationships and don't like to be responsible for other people.
C) People with a high need for achievement prefer unchallenging goals as they are easier to achieve.
D) The nature of a person's early life experiences can influence the person's needs.

Question 15

Cathy, an employee, has to take leave on Monday. So, in order to compensate, she takes her company laptop home to work. This is an example of ________.

A) job sharing
B) telecommuting
C) flextime
D) a compressed workweek

Question 16

Which of the following is a shortcoming of Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory?

A) It is only applicable to work settings.
B) It cannot be applied to the piecework system.
C) It was not tested for relevance to the work settings.
D) It relies heavily on the Pygmalion effect.

Question 17

According to Maslow, a man who has met his security needs is most likely to also have satisfied his ________ needs.

A) physiological
B) social
C) esteem
D) self-actualization

Question 18

According to Maslow, a man will satisfy his ________ needs before he attempts to satisfy his social needs.

A) physiological
B) spiritual
C) esteem
D) self-actualization

Question 19

Vinita and Lilly work on the same projects in Cyber Max Company. They both manage the duties of a single position in the company. They only work for 5 hours every day as both of them have six-month-old babies. What type of work arrangement does this exemplify?

A) Flextime
B) Job sharing
C) Telecommuting
D) Staggered shifts

Question 20

Jim was praised by his manager for his work. In this case, according Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Jim's ________ needs have been met.

A) physiological
B) social
C) self-actualization
D) esteem

Question 21

A family-friendly policy that allows employees to work more hours on fewer days, allowing more days off, is called ________.

A) a compressed workweek
B) part-time work
C) telecommuting
D) flextime

Question 22

Frederick Herzberg found that employees are most productive when organizations

A) provide "family-friendly" policies, which typically include flexible work arrangements.
B) stop the use of telecommuting.
C) eliminate the Pygmalion effect.
D) provide a combination of desirable hygiene factors and motivating factors.

Question 23

In the context of David McClelland's theory of motivation, the need for achievement refers to the desire to ________.

A) maintain close and friendly personal relationships
B) be responsible for other people
C) control and influence other people
D) do something better than it has been done before

Question 24

Jina works as an accountant for a small manufacturing company. She works from home on weekdays so that she can keep an eye on her ailing father. The company has provided her with a computer that allows her to keep in touch via e-mail. Which of the following flexible work arrangements is exemplified in this scenario?

A) Compressed workweek
B) Telecommuting
C) Job sharing
D) Part-time work

Question 25

Frederick Herzberg's research led to the conclusion that

A) dissatisfaction results from the presence of hygiene factors.
B) employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction stem from different sources.
C) money is the only motivator for employees.
D) organizations that provide only motivating factors ensure optimum productivity.

Question 26

Which assumption did Vroom make when he set out to explain what determines the intensity of motivation?

A) Money is the only motivator for all employees.
B) People act as they do to satisfy their needs.
C) The Pygmalion effect applies to all situations.
D) Dissatisfaction arises from the lack of hygiene factors.

Question 27

A person with a strong need for achievement

A) is more motivated by success than by money.
B) tries to influence others.
C) seeks out advancement and responsibility.
D) seeks approval and acceptance.

Question 28

Which of the following is true about Vroom's expectancy-valence theory?

A) It is based on employees' perceptions of rewards and whether they are able to achieve them.
B) According to this theory, dissatisfaction results from the absence of hygiene factors and satisfaction results from the presence of motivating factors.
C) It focuses on three needs, namely power, achievement, and affiliation.
D) It argues that needs are organized into a hierarchy and the most basic needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Question 29

Michael was an engineer in a large aerospace company. He was unhappy with his job, and it was beginning to show in terms of his work performance. His supervisor, Nick, tried to motivate Michael by telling him about the new employee benefit plans that the company would be coming out with within the next quarter. Nick also told Michael about the new building that they were going to move to next month. According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, which type of factor was Nick using to motivate Michael?

A) Motivating factors
B) Hygiene factors
C) Reinforcement factors
D) Affiliation factors

Question 30

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, dissatisfaction results from the

A) absence of hygiene factors.
B) presence of motivating factors.
C) Pygmalion effect.
D) lack of the need for affiliation.

Question 31

According to David McClelland, a person with a strong need for achievement tends to

A) set challenging but achievable goals.
B) assess risk carelessly.
C) actively avoid work.
D) be more motivated by money than success.

Question 32

In the context of Frederick Herzberg's two-factor theory, which of the following is categorized as a hygiene factor?

A) Working conditions
B) Work in itself
C) The opportunity for achievement
D) The opportunity for recognition

Question 33

Which of the following is a statement that both McClelland's theory and Maslow's theory agree upon?

A) Money is the only motivating factor for all employees.
B) All people have the same pattern of needs.
C) Supervisors must remember that employees are motivated by a variety of possibilities.
D) Different people have different patterns of needs.

Question 34

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

A) Personal growth
B) Advancement
C) Responsibility
D) Supervision

Question 35

In the context of Frederick Herzberg's two-factor theory, which of the following is categorized as a motivating factor?

A) Relationship with subordinates
B) Personal growth
C) Company policy
D) Supervision

Question 36

Which of the following theories maintains that people keep doing things that have led to consequences they like, and people avoid doing things that have had undesirable consequences?

A) Skinner's reinforcement theory
B) Vroom's expectancy-valence theory
C) Herzberg's two-factor theory
D) McClelland's achievement-power-affiliation theory

Question 37

Catherine attends high school during the day and works as a childcare provider in the evening. She saves most of the money she makes and intends to use it to travel the country. Which of the following flexible work arrangements is exemplified in this scenario?

A) Job sharing
B) Telecommuting
C) Part-time work
D) Compressed workweek

Question 38

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, satisfaction results from the

A) presence of hygiene factors.
B) presence of motivating factors.
C) Pygmalion effect.
D) fulfilment of security needs.

Question 39

The factor that differentiates McClelland's theory from Maslow's theory is that McClelland's theory:

A) considers group differences rather than individual differences.
B) assumes the same pattern of needs for all people.
C) implies that supervisors must remember that employees are motivated by a variety of possibilities.
D) assumes different people have different patterns of needs.

Question 40

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, which of the following is included in hygiene factors?

A) Salary and benefits
B) Personal growth
C) Work in itself
D) Opportunity for recognition

Question 41

Both Vroom's and Skinner's process theories both state that supervisors motivate most effectively when they

A) only provide extrinsic rewards.
B) eliminate the Pygmalion effect.
C) place less emphasis on punishing infractions.
D) use more punishment than reinforcement.

Question 42

Which of the following is an example of an extrinsic reward?

A) An employee experiencing a sense of increased self-esteem after accomplishing a challenging task
B) A supervisor spending time helping an employee sort out a personal problem
C) A human resource executive being satisfied with his job, which fulfills his esteem needs
D) A manager giving an "employee of the month" award with a certificate and gift vouchers

Question 43

Which of the following is an example of reinforcement?

A) A service waiter being fired for being rude to customers
B) An employee getting demoted for never coming in to work on time
C) A truck driver getting a bonus for making deliveries on time
D) An employee being paid his severance package

Question 44

Which of the following is an intrinsic reward?

A) The happiness one experiences while gardening
B) The recognition one gets for breaking a world record
C) The pay bonus an employee receives for a job well done
D) The trophy a boxing champion gets for winning a tournament

Question 45

According to the ________ Act, organizations with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius must give employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn, adopted, or foster child within one year of the child's arrival.

A) Uniform Adoption
B) Family and Medical Leave
C) Pregnancy Discrimination
D) Occupational Safety and Health

Question 46

According to Vroom's expectancy-valence theory, instrumentality is

A) a measure of the impact of the Pygmalion effect.
B) a measure of the usefulness of an employee.
C) the perceived probability that a promised reward will actually be received.
D) the perceived likelihood that a behavior will lead to an outcome.

Question 47

In order to successfully implement behavior modification programs in organizational settings, a supervisor should consider

A) offering all employees similar types of rewards regardless of the quality of their performance.
B) giving feedback to employees by telling them only about what they are doing right and not what they are doing wrong.
C) punishing an employee in the presence of other employees.
D) providing rewards and punishments that are substantial.

Question 48

Ted is a manager at Global Gains, an advertising firm. Kim works as a sales executive in Global Gains. Ted reduced Kim's incentives for three successive months after repeatedly warning her of her incompetence. Kim started having a passive approach toward her job as she believed that she would fail no matter what. She was convinced that she would never be able to achieve what was expected of her. Which of the following describes Kim's situation?

A) Learned helplessness
B) Instrumentality
C) Cognitive dissonance
D) Affirmation

Question 49

An intrinsic reward is

A) only achievable when money is not a motivator.
B) a compensation that is extraneous to the task accomplished.
C) the personal satisfaction that comes directly from performing a task.
D) determined solely by the Pygmalion effect.

Question 50

Greta, the manager of a company, has implemented a payments-for-suggestions plan whereby employees get paid for providing valid suggestions that can help the company. She found that not many employees came forward with suggestions. Upon further investigation, she found out that employees did not think that they would actually be paid for making suggestions. So, she made the payments-for-suggestions plan part of their work contract, which guaranteed that they would be paid. According to Vroom's expectancy-valence theory, Greta has increased the ________ of her plan to motivate her employees.

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

Question 51

Which of the following is an example of punishment?

A) Certain police officers are given favored assignments when the department receives compliments on those police officers' work.
B) Employees who meet the sales target are not required to work on weekends.
C) An assembly-line worker is docked if he gets to work late.
D) A nurse is given the day shift after working six months in the night shift without any patient and/or doctor complaints.

Question 52

Reinforcement differs from punishment in that it is

A) more effective in the long term.
B) less effective in the short term.
C) less effective in the long term.
D) more effective in the short term.

Question 53

________ theory says that the strength of motivation equals the perceived value of the outcome of a particular behavior times the perceived probability that the behavior will result in the outcome.

A) Vroom's expectancy-valence
B) Herzberg's two-factor
C) McClelland's achievement-power-affiliation
D) Alderfer's ERG

Question 54

According to Vroom's expectancy-valence theory, valence is

A) an unpleasant consequence of an undesirable behavior.
B) the perceived probability that a promised reward will actually be received.
C) the value a person places on the outcome of a particular behavior.
D) the cause for all types of dissatisfaction.

Question 55

Reinforcement theory implies that supervisors can

A) encourage or discourage a particular kind of behavior by the way they respond to the behavior.
B) only use money as a motivating factor.
C) use the piecework system to punish workers effectively.
D) rely on the Pygmalion effect to accurately determine an employee's motivation levels.

Question 56

An extrinsic reward

A) is a compensation that is extraneous to the task accomplished.
B) is the personal satisfaction that comes directly from performing a task.
C) is given only to executives who do extra work.
D) is never given in the form of money.

Question 57

According to Vroom's expectancy-valence theory, expectancy is

A) a measure of the impact of the Pygmalion effect.
B) the deciding factor used in the piecework system.
C) the value a person places on the outcome of a particular behavior.
D) the perceived likelihood that a behavior will lead to an outcome.

Question 58

________ theory maintains that people's behavior is influenced largely by the consequences of their past behavior.

A) Valence-expectancy
B) Reinforcement
C) Alderfer's ERG
D) Herzberg's two-factor

Question 59

Repeated punishment or failure can lead to an unhappy consequence called

A) loss aversion.
B) repression.
C) learned helplessness.
D) self-serving bias.

Question 60

The content theories of motivation imply that money

A) is the only expectation that employees have from a job.
B) motivates people when it exceeds their needs.
C) motivates employees to work toward meeting organizational goals.
D) cannot be given as an extrinsic reward.

Question 61

Profit-sharing plans and gainsharing plans are types of

A) group incentive plans.
B) innovation plans.
C) piecework plans.
D) payments-for-suggestions plans.

Question 62

What do organizations do to maintain the secrecy of individual salaries yet provide enough information on salary to motivate employees?

A) Do not publish any wage or salary information whatsoever
B) Publish pay ranges, showing the lowest and highest wage or salary for each position
C) Publish selective salary details of all employees
D) Post the information only on their company's noticeboard

Question 63

People such as independent contractors, seamstresses, farm workers, and so on, are often paid by

A) commissions.
B) the piecework system.
C) the production bonus system.
D) profit-sharing plans.

Question 64

Which of the following methods is often used to pay independent contractors, that is, people who are self-employed and perform work for an organization?

A) Group incentive plans
B) Payments-for-suggestions plans
C) Production bonus system
D) Piecework system

Question 65

Arax Group of Companies (AGC) has a group incentive plan for its employees. Under this plan, the company sets aside a portion of its profits and divides it among employees. Which of the following plans has the company adopted?

A) A gainsharing plan
B) An employee stock ownership plan
C) A profit-sharing plan
D) A defined-benefit pension plan

Question 66

According to William Ouchi, which of the following statements is true about Theory Z managers?

A) They give employees relatively great freedom in carrying out their duties.
B) They fail to consider long-term goals when making plans.
C) They assume that people wish to avoid responsibility and prefer to be directed.
D) They are not likely to adopt a democratic leadership role.

Question 67

A financial incentive plan that rewards a team of workers for meeting or exceeding an objective is called a

A) piecework system.
B) payments-for-suggestions plan.
C) group incentive plan.
D) commission.

Question 68

Identify the correct statement about the wage and salary information of private (nongovernment) workers.

A) Employees' earnings are public information.
B) Employees usually do not know one another's earnings.
C) Employees' earnings are published on the company's noticeboard.
D) Supervisors do not know what their subordinates earn.

Question 69

An increasing number of companies are adopting a ________, under which a company encourages employees to participate in making suggestions and decisions about improving the way the company or work group operates.

A) group incentive plan
B) payments-for-suggestions plan
C) gainsharing program
D) production bonus system

Question 70

Who among the following is most likely to work solely for intrinsic rewards?

A) A single mother living in Mexico
B) A college student studying economics
C) A retired accountant with a pension
D) A man who has to support a family of five

Question 71

Which of the following is a true statement about financial incentives?

A) They are only given when objectives are exceeded.
B) They can be given for acquiring additional skills.
C) They are decided by supervisors.
D) They are only given in the form of intrinsic rewards.

Question 72

The structure of a pay plan

A) determines the extent to which the Pygmalion effect affects employees' motivation.
B) enables supervisors to rate employee performance.
C) influences the degree to which employees are motivated to perform well.
D) decides the specific roles of a supervisor.

Question 73

Which of the following is a true statement about the wage and salary information of government workers?

A) Employees' earnings are public information.
B) Employees do not know one another's earnings.
C) Salary information can only be accessed in case of a national emergency.
D) Salary information is only available to politicians.

Question 74

Which financial incentive pay plan involves companies paying employees for offering ideas on how to cut costs or improve quality?

A) A piecework system
B) A production bonus system
C) Profit sharing
D) Payments for suggestions

Question 75

If money is to work as a motivator, it should

A) be seen as achievable by employees.
B) be used only as an intrinsic reward.
C) not serve to signal one's worth to his or her organization.
D) circumvent the Pygmalion effect.

Question 76

Payments for meeting or exceeding objectives are known as ________.

A) financial incentives
B) scale economies
C) intrinsic rewards
D) basic wages

Question 77

The piecework system

A) moves employees from job to job to give them more variety.
B) provides training in the skills required to perform more than one job.
C) pays people according to how much they produce.
D) adds more duties to a job to make it more interesting.

Question 78

According to Douglas McGregor, Theory X managers assume that

A) people can learn to seek responsibility.
B) people will work hard to achieve objectives to which they are committed.
C) many people are able to be creative in solving organizational problems.
D) people's primary need is for security.

Question 79

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a production bonus system?

A) It relies heavily on the Pygmalion effect.
B) It doesn't encourage high-quality work.
C) It assumes that money is not an important motivation tool.
D) It involves excessive behavior modification.

Question 80

Employees in a production department may receive a basic wage or salary plus a bonus that consists of a payment for each unit produced. This is called a

A) payments-for-suggestions plan.
B) production bonus system.
C) piecework system.
D) commission.