Deck 14: Work Motivation

Question 1

Behavior modification, which focuses on the use of rewards and punishments to encourage or discourage behaviors, has its roots in the work of B. F. Goodrich.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Positive reinforcement is the preferred approach for decreasing undesirable behaviors.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Positive reinforcement is the preferred approach for increasing desirable behavior.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The usefulness of a behavior to obtain the desired outcome is referred to as valance.

Question 5

When monetary awards are attached to performance, expectancy theory states that it is a powerful way to change employee behavior.

Question 6

Individuals with a high growth need strength are likely to respond positively to job enrichment programs.

Question 7

It could be argued that some of the $40 billion lost annually in employee theft has its roots in feelings of inequity.

Question 8

Hygiene factors are the nontask characteristics of the work environment that create dissatisfaction.

Question 9

Motivational programs that satisfy higher level needs probably are less meaningful to employees in developing countries because their lower level needs have not been adequately satisfied.

Question 10

The satisfaction-progression hypothesis states that a need continues to be a motivator even after a level of satisfaction has been attained.

Question 11

Insufficient rewards actually motivate employees, causing them to do a little extra.

Question 12

When BMW made the decision to modernize their facilities, which of the following amenities created a more pleasant work environment?

A) addition of a work out facility
B) enhancement of the employee break area with a popcorn machine
C) creation of more appealing landscapes
D) improved lighting

Question 13

To motivate their employees and align their efforts with the needs of the business, BMW managers and union leaders designed a new pay system. Which of the following was a feature of the new system?

A) an account of overtime hours in lieu of overtime pay
B) an annual bonus based on a minimum of three ideas that actually produced cost savings
C) salary continuation when the plant is closed
D) all of the above

Question 14

Any influence that stimulates, directs, or maintains goal-directed behavior is known as __________.

A) reinforcement
B) individual differences
C) motivation
D) a goal stimulus

Question 15

Tyrone Reaves, a food-service manager for Hampton Corporation, sets goals for his employees including maintaining food portion sizes, ensuring dining room cleanliness, and improving cashier's speed. When employees reach their goals they receive rewards and when they don't, he discusses with the employees how they can improve their performance. What approach to understanding motivation is Reaves taking with his employees?

A) individual differences
B) job design
C) managerial approach
D) organizational design

Question 16

Victoria Lawrence is an oncology nurse specialist at a large medical clinic. She has become discouraged lately with the benefits given to recently-hired nurses, believing they are receiving much more of a generous package of bonuses, child care, training, and paid vacations than those nurses who have been at the clinic for many years. What approach to motivation should the physicians employ in order to retain Victoria?

A) managerial approach
B) organization approach
C) individual differences approach
D) job design approach

Question 17

NCCI developed a goal-setting system that includes which of the follow attributes?

A) linking goal achievement with salary increases
B) one set of goals was focused on job-specific productivity goals the employee needed to meet
C) one set of goals was focused on the extra contributions to the organization the employee needed to make
D) all of the above

Question 18

In addition to motivating employees, NCCI enjoyed all of the following benefits except:

A) lower employee turnover.
B) increased customer satisfaction.
C) an alignment of employee effort and the organization's business objectives.
D) higher employee productivity.

Question 19

Which of the following statements does not correctly describe goal-setting theory?

A) The theory focuses attention on the consequences of behavior.
B) Team goals can improve group performance.
C) If the goals are too easy or so difficult that employees reject them as impossible, the goals will have no motivational effects.
D) Goal setting works best when employees receive timely feedback about the progress they are making toward achieving their goals.

Question 20

Which of the following statements does not correctly describe reinforcement theory?

A) Reinforcement theory is a process by which rewards and punishments influence behavior.
B) Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement are consequences that strengthen or maintain behaviors.
C) Whether a consequence is pleasant or unpleasant is determined by two factors: the action that follows the behavior and the nature of the outcome.
D) The correct sequence of the reinforcement process is as follows: stimulus, consequences, response, future behavior.

Question 21

__________ relies on three basic principles: measurable behavior, types of consequences, and stimulus of reinforcement and punishment.

A) Job enrichment
B) Behavior modification
C) Equity
D) Goal congruence

Question 22

Corning Inc. motivated its employees during an industry downturn by setting business unit goals. Which of the following was not a component of their goalsharing program?

A) Specific performance goals for employees in each business unit were set.
B) A clear "line of sight" was created between the corporate goal and the employee.
C) The entire business unit had to achieve its goals for each individual to be rewarded.
D) Bonuses were tied to the overall performance of the company.

Question 23

Corning Inc. enjoyed all of the following benefits from its goalsharing program except:

A) hard-working employees no longer feeling discouraged because their reward was not tied to the company's overall financial performance, which is outside their control.
B) improved cash flow.
C) motivated employees that eventually succeeded in executing the company's turnaround strategy.
D) long-term success which is tied to employees' continuing improvement year after year.

Question 24

The management consulting group you contracted with to analyze how to increase productivity in your insurance company just suggested that one action you should take immediately is to try to determine the outcomes or rewards each one of your employees value. The consulting group is suggesting that you use the __________ theory (model) to motivate your employees to increased performance.

A) Maslow's needs hierarchy
B) equity
C) Herzberg's two-factor
D) expectancy

Question 25

Examples of behavioral choices that are related to work performance include all of the following except:

A) whether to go to work or call in sick.
B) whether to leave work at the official quitting time or stay late.
C) whether to exert a great deal of effort or to work at a more relaxed pace.
D) All are examples of behavioral choices.

Question 26

To find solutions to troublesome theft behavior problems, Northwest interviewed its employees. Based on the interview results, management took which of the following actions?

A) offered rewards to employees for whistle-blowing on their coworkers
B) installation of video surveillance
C) declared an amnesty day for anyone returning stolen merchandise
D) hired a private detective to work incognito as an employee

Question 27

Whole Foods Markets has grown significantly since it opened. Which of the following statements does not correctly characterize how the owners have used their strategic action competency to achieve this growth?

A) The company uses a democratic style of management.
B) The employees get so much financial information that they are "insiders" according to the SEC's definition.
C) Strong guidance from the owners, issued in the form of mandates, assures consistency in the product line.
D) Jobs are organized around self-managed teams.

Question 28

Knowledge of results __________.

A) provides feedback from the task itself
B) provides employees with information, or feedback, about how well they are doing
C) can come from from other sources, such as customer satisfaction surveys
D) all of the above

Question 29

The __________ theory is concerned with how employees make judgements about whether the organization is treating them fairly.

A) expectancy
B) reinforcement
C) equity
D) learned needs

Question 30

Ryan feels he is paid too little for the hours and effort he puts into his job. Which of the following actions is not a potential behavior suggested by the equity model?

A) Ryan can take more coffee breaks and slow down his performance.
B) Ryan can continue as before, while convincing himself that this is an easy job and that he really isn't working very hard.
C) Ryan can work harder.
D) All of the above

Question 31

Bill Frost owns and operates a small industrial supply company. Bill uses a merit pay system to reward employees. If employees do not feel motivated, it could be said that the__________ model of motivation explains this poor performance.

A) content
B) hierarchy of needs
C) disequilibrium
D) equity

Question 32

There are alternatives available to employees who want to reduce their feeling of inequity. Which of the following is not considered an acceptable response to inequity?

A) leave the situation (quit the job) if the inequities can't be resolved
B) distort reality by rationalizing that the inequities are justified
C) modify their comparisons by choosing another person to compare themselves against
D) all of the above

Question 33

Over 70% of managers from 34 organizations agreed that __________.

A) providing nonmonetary recognition can actually improve employee performance
B) there should be equal pay for equal education levels
C) feature-rich employee benefit plans motivate employees
D) open door policies provide dissatisfied employees an avenue to get even

Question 34

Psychologist Abraham Maslow believed people have five types of needs, which he arranged in a hierarchy of needs. Why did Maslow arrange these needs in this manner?

A) Maslow believed needs are met in a chronological order, starting with infancy to old age.
B) Maslow suggested that, as a person satisfies each level of needs, motivation shifts to satisfying the next higher level of needs.
C) Maslow hypothesized that our needs are met over the years as we progress academically.
D) All of the above are among Maslow's conclusions.

Question 35

A recent study in a Bangladesh cotton mill showed that financial rewards were a greater motivator and raised performance more than did recognition and praise. Which one of the following statements might best explain this response?

A) Applying U.S. management practices to people from different cultures is useless.
B) Motivational programs should be geared to simultaneously satisfying lower and higher level needs.
C) Motivational programs that satisfy higher level needs are less meaningful if lower level needs have not been satisfied.
D) This behavior is typical of employees from all cultures.

Question 36

Frank Gotti, an employee in Random Engineering company, has been periodically asking for a promotion. He has not received one because none have been available. His performance is tops, and his boss intends to keep it that way. According to the frustration-regression hypothesis, his boss should __________.

A) tell him to wait until a higher position becomes available
B) assure him of promotion when it is available, and meanwhile provide him with some job-related material incentive
C) create a higher symbolic, but necessary, position for Frank
D) listen and be sympathetic

Question 37

Evidence indicates that enriched jobs tend to be more satisfying than unenriched jobs and redesigning those jobs might enhance employee motivation. All of the following are factors that a manager must consider when redesigning jobs except:

A) jobs that involve repetitive tasks requiring few skills might need to be redesigned.
B) jobs requiring employees to be personally responsible for their work tend to make the work environment too stressful and therefore might need to be redesigned.
C) managers should assess the degree to which employees experience their work as meaningful.
D) all of the above

Question 38

Amber Washington had worked at the local hospital for close to five years without receiving a Christmas bonus. When management made the surprise announcement that each employee would receive a turkey for the holidays, she joined with many hospital employees expressing anger concerning the gesture. Motivation for many fell drastically. All of the following are likely explanations why management erred in the eyes of the employees with this policy except:

A) Washington wanted specific and appropriate feedback on how she was performing her job, not a turkey.
B) many employees believed that the emergency room nurses should receive more than the outpatient surgery nurses.
C) many were disappointed that an inexpensive turkey represented the thanks for a year's worth of hard work.
D) all of the above

Question 39

Explain how management at Corning used their strategic action competency to develop an effective goalsharing program.