Deck 6: Motivating Behavior with Work and Rewards

Question 1

Employee stock option plans are incentive programs in which employees are given stock in the company at no charge.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Appraising performance at the individual level is acceptable in the United States.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The purpose of reward systems in most organizations is to attract, retain, and motivate qualified employees.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In most measurement systems, the employee's primary evaluator is her supervisor's supervisor.

Question 5

The surface value of a reward to an employee is its objective meaning of worth.

Question 6

Base pay includes such compensation as gain-sharing and profit-sharing programs.

Question 7

An organization's social security, unemployment, and workers' compensation contributions are set by law.

Question 8

Performance measurement with a judgmental orientation focuses on the future and uses information to improve performance.

Question 9

Bonus systems and piecework programs are considered incentive-based compensation systems.

Question 10

For difficult goals to motivate behavior, they must be set at a reasonable level so they are possible to attain.

Question 11

A policy of pay secrecy can be expected to improve workers' motivation.

Question 12

Goal-setting theory assumes that individual behavior results from conscious goals and intentions.

Question 13

Goal difficulty is the clarity and precision of a goal.

Question 14

Expatriates should be paid differently from their domestic equivalent workers when there are cost-of-living differences in their host areas.

Question 15

Organizations can usually benefit from conducting performance appraisals on an annual basis.

Question 16

360-degree feedback includes evaluations from a boss and peers, but not from subordinates.

Question 17

An organization that uses a flexible reward system may allow employees to choose the combination of benefits they prefer, but not how they receive their pay.

Question 18

Individual performance measurement methods include behaviorally anchored rating scales and checklists.

Question 19

A performance management system comprises the processes and activities involved in performance appraisals.

Question 20

The IRS has begun to tax some perquisites given to employees.

Question 21

Self-efficacy, as it relates to goals, is the extent to which an individual

A) is willing to expend effort in order to attain a goal.
B) believes he or she can accomplish goals even if he or she failed to do so in the past.
C) is personally interested in reaching a goal.
D) accepts a goal as his or her own.
E) believes that a goal is worthwhile.

Question 22

Job enrichment involves giving employees more control over the tasks they perform on the job.

Question 23

Extended work schedules require employees to work extended periods of time followed by long periods of paid time off.

Question 24

Job rotation often produces narrowly-focused and routine jobs, which is a distinct limitation of the approach.

Question 25

Goal specificity has been shown to be consistently related to ____

A) job satisfaction.
B) company image.
C) performance.
D) social responsibility.
E) ethical behavior.

Question 26

According to goal-setting theory, actual performance is determined by the interaction of

A) organizational support, goal-directed effort, and individual abilities.
B) availability of resources, employee attitudes, and goal clarity.
C) goal-directed effort, employee motivation, and goal specificity.
D) goal difficulty, employee attitudes, and organizational support.
E) goal importance, goal attachment, and goal specificity.

Question 27

On the whole, job specialization has produced disappointing results in the corporate setting.

Question 28

Goal-setting theory has been tested in a variety of settings.Which of the following statements is not true regarding the findings of these studies?

A) Goal setting is an important way for managers to convert motivation into improved job performance.
B) Goal difficulty and goal specificity are closely related to performance.
C) Little is currently known about how individuals accept and become committed to goals.
D) Goal setting may focus too much on the short-term at the expense of long-term issues.
E) Goals set for organizations as a whole are typically more effective than goals set for individual employees.

Question 29

____ is defined as the extent to which a person is interested in reaching a goal.

A) Goal difficulty
B) Goal commitment
C) Goal acceptance
D) Goal attachment
E) Goal specificity

Question 30

A quality circle is a group of employees who are assigned to inspection teams that ensure production quality on an assembly line.

Question 31

Frederick Taylor's view of job specialization grew from the historical writing about division of labor advocated by Scottish economist Adam Smith.

Question 32

Job rotation and job enlargement were developed as alternative ways to design jobs instead of through job specialization.

Question 33

Goal specificity is defined as

A) the extent to which a goal is challenging and requires effort.
B) the extent to which a person accepts a goal as her own.
C) the extent to which a person is personally interested in reaching the goal.
D) the justification for the goal's existence.
E) the clarity and precision of a goal.

Question 34

The foremost disadvantage of job specialization is the extreme monotony of highly specialized tasks.

Question 35

All of the following statements are true about MBO EXCEPT

A) It is a collaborative goal-setting process.
B) Goals systematically cascade down through the organization.
C) It is the same as the 360-degree feedback system.
D) Top managers establish overall goals.
E) The manager acts as a counselor.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOTpart of the performance measurement process?

A) Comparing an employee's work behavior with previously established standards
B) Communicating the results to the employee
C) Rewarding the employee according to his or her performance
D) Evaluating an employee's work behavior by measurement
E) Documenting the results

Question 37

Job design involves how organizations design work that is performed in a company, rather than how jobs are structured.

Question 38

Companies use job rotation as a training technique and rely on it to enhance employee motivation.

Question 39

The research of Edwin Locke assumes that behavior is a result of

A) the requirements established by the organization.
B) the organizational culture.
C) conscious goals and intentions.
D) the internal organizational forces to increase profits.
E) none of these

Question 40

Expansions on goal-setting theory argue that goal-directed effort is a function of four goal attributes: goal acceptance, goal commitment, goal specificity and

A) goal clarity.
B) goal prevalence.
C) goal importance.
D) goal difficulty.
E) goal attainability.

Question 41

Which of the following statements about performance measurement with a developmental orientation is true?

A) A developmental orientation entails a focus on past performance.
B) Developmental performance measurement focuses on the employees' growth since the last appraisal.
C) Developmental performance appraisals are used to determine wages and pay raises.
D) Performance appraisals with a developmental orientation provide information for future performance improvement.
E) A developmental orientation helps managers punish undesirable behaviors and demote low-performing employees.

Question 42

All of the following are true about employee benefits EXCEPT

A) some organizations pay the entire cost of benefits.
B) offering benefits became a standard component of compensation during World War II.
C) some employees demand benefits through union bargaining.
D) providing employee benefits is easier for firms in the United States than for firms in other countries.
E) organizations are required by law to offer certain benefits.

Question 43

The organization's compensation structure should be which of the following?

A) equitable.
B) open to the public.
C) established outside of legal constraints
D) below the external labor market.
E) be based on interview data.

Question 44

Which of the following is true about 360-degree feedback?

A) Very few companies have adopted 360-degree systems.
B) Traditional evaluations are usually more effective than 360-degree systems.
C) Evaluators in a 360-degree system tend to focus on objective performance.
D) Managers are likely to hear some personal comments on sensitive topics.
E) Using 360-degree feedback has several key advantages, and virtually no disadvantages.

Question 45

Which of the following distributes a portion of the company's profits to all employees at a predetermined rate?

A) Merit pay plan
B) Gain-sharing program
C) Profit-sharing program
D) Employee stock option plan
E) Piecework program

Question 46

The choice of which behaviors to reward is a function of the

A) compensation system.
B) performance measurement system.
C) performance management system.
D) managerial system.
E) total quality management system.

Question 47

Plans in which employees can earn additional compensation in return for certain types of performance are called

A) performance management systems.
B) performance appraisal systems.
C) incentive systems.
D) compensation packages.
E) base pay.

Question 48

In a highly collectivist culture such as Japan, performance appraisals almost always need to be focused more on

A) individual effort and results.
B) group performance and feedback.
C) competitive analysis with coworkers.
D) accurate collection of information.
E) 360-degree feedback.

Question 49

When a few employees are given a small reward to show that they are appreciated, the reward carries ____ value.

A) symbolic
B) tangible
C) surface
D) compensation
E) intangible

Question 50

What is the likely impact of perquisites on the employees who receive them?

A) A lowered sense of commitment toward the organization
B) An elevated sense of status in the organization
C) A perceived leveling out of special privileges among employees
D) Increased turnover due to lower restrictions on travel
E) Reduced job satisfaction since perquisites can be taxed

Question 51

Two of the most important issues regarding how to conduct a performance appraisal are

A) whether the appraiser takes a judgmental or developmental orientation and whether pay is linked to performance.
B) where the appraisal takes place and who is present at the time.
C) who does the appraisal and the frequency of the appraisal.
D) how long the appraisal lasts and how often it occurs.
E) whether the appraisal uses past or current information and whether one or many raters are used.

Question 52

In exchange for employee contributions, an organization provides rewards such as pay and insurance benefits.These kinds of rewards are combined to create

A) compensation packages.
B) intangible compensation.
C) symbolic rewards.
D) system rewards.
E) resource exchanges.

Question 53

Which of the following reasons explains why 360-degree feedback is very beneficial to managers?

A) It gives managers a much wider range of feedback than traditional performance appraisals do.
B) This type of feedback is performed more frequently than traditional methods of feedback.
C) This form of feedback is the easiest to administer and is the most cost-efficient form of appraisal.
D) It helps managers to be more aware of their employees' day-to- day performance.
E) The feedback focuses on objective performance criteria.

Question 54

What can supervisors do to avoid measurement problems when they have only limited knowledge of the employee's performance?

A) Prevent the employee from working with the supervisor in the appraisal
B) Avoid allowing employees to evaluate themselves
C) Use a multiple-rater system
D) Perform the evaluation with the information currently available to the supervisor
E) Plan training programs to improve observation and categorization skills

Question 55

Alfredo was one of many employees who received a generous Christmas bonus, which carried ____ value for Alfredo.

A) symbolic
B) tangible
C) surface
D) compensation
E) intangible

Question 56

What is the primary use of performance appraisal information?

A) To provide job performance feedback
B) To develop training and development programs
C) To provide support for human resource decision making
D) To provide human resource planning information
E) To allocate organizational rewards

Question 57

The courts and Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines have mandated that performance measurements be based on

A) age and sex.
B) race and national origin.
C) industry standards.
D) job-related criteria.
E) competitive benchmarks.

Question 58

Organizations typically conduct performance appraisals

A) when the employee asks for one.
B) when the manager asks for one.
C) quarterly.
D) once a year.
E) more frequently for older employees than for younger ones.

Question 59

One of the most popular methods for evaluating individual performance involves

A) graphic rating scales.
B) bell curve ratings.
C) forced distributions.
D) rankings.
E) paired comparisons.

Question 60

Which of the following ties a worker's earnings to the number of units produced?

A) Merit pay plan
B) Gain-sharing program
C) Profit-sharing program
D) Employee stock option plan
E) Piecework program

Question 61

Which of the following methods can be used to enhance individual performance at work?

A) job design
B) employee participation
C) goal setting
D) performance management
E) all of these

Question 62

One of the earliest alternatives to job specialization used by managers was

A) automation.
B) autonomous work groups.
C) job expectancy.
D) job loading.
E) job rotation.

Question 63

The problems encountered when implementing job rotation in the workplace include all of the following EXCEPT

A) it is ineffective for training purposes
B) it doesn't increase workers' motivation
C) its increases in workers' interest are short-lived
D) it reduces efficiency
E) it maintains narrowly defined and routine work

Question 64

Which one of the following statements has been cited as a weakness of the job characteristics theory?

A) Guidelines for implementation are too specific.
B) All changes to a job must occur simultaneously.
C) The role of individual differences frequently has not been supported by scientific research.
D) The theory assumes that job characteristics are unpredictable and inconsistent.
E) One application of the theory found that absenteeism and turnover actually increased.

Question 65

Vertical job loading differs from job enlargement in that

A) the employee has more control over the job.
B) the employee's job satisfaction receives more attention.
C) more tasks are added to a job.
D) workers feel as though they are doing something worthwhile.
E) managers strive to motivate employees by maximizing intrinsic factors.

Question 66

Which of the following best describes a reward system that involves employees in its design and administration?

A) Open pay system
B) Bonus systems
C) Participative pay system
D) Merit pay plans
E) Flexible reward system

Question 67

Which of the following best describes the current view of job enrichment?

A) Job enrichment continues to be a highly successful job design.
B) Nearly all Fortune 500 companies use some form of job enrichment program.
C) Job enrichment has been proven to increase performance, but at the cost of lower satisfaction.
D) Job enrichment has been proven to increase satisfaction, but at the cost of lower performance.
E) Job enrichment has recently fallen into disfavor among managers.

Question 68

All of the following statements about the key outcomes expected to result from the psychological states detailed in the job characteristics theory are true EXCEPT

A) low absenteeism and turnover.
B) high satisfaction with work.
C) high-quality work performance.
D) high profits for stockholders.
E) high internal work motivation.

Question 69

Job enlargement involves the process of horizontal job loading, meaning that

A) the employee is assigned more tasks to perform.
B) the jobs are broken into small, component parts.
C) each employee is given a specialized task to perform.
D) the employee is assigned less monotonous and routine tasks.
E) the employee is assigned tasks with more responsibility.

Question 70

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently upheld a decision regarding pay secrecy that states that

A) discussion of salaries is not a right protected under the National Labor Relations Act.
B) employers cannot enforce a rule that forbids employees from discussing their salaries.
C) state governments may not publicize the salaries of their employees.
D) employers must keep all salary information secret.
E) employers but not employees may openly discuss salary information.

Question 71

Why are flexible reward systems becoming an increasingly popular form of compensation systems?

A) Employees value flexible reward systems and may develop strong loyalty and attachment to an employer who provides them.
B) The flexible reward system allows the organization to trade off salary increases for benefit increases as ways of rewarding the employee.
C) Flexible reward systems allow the organization to standardize the benefits package for all employees.
D) Organizations get fewer benefits for their dollar than they do with standard approaches, but their employees are more satisfied.
E) Flexible systems require less administrative time to develop and maintain than do conventional approaches.

Question 72

The degree to which the job activities give a person information about the effectiveness of performance is called

A) skill variety.
B) feedback.
C) task identity.
D) skill identity.
E) task variety.

Question 73

The first widespread model of how individual work should be designed was

A) job enrichment.
B) job rotation.
C) job enlargement.
D) motivational design.
E) job specialization.

Question 74

In the job characteristics theory, which of the following is not a factor presumed to cause the emergence of psychological states?

A) Task identity
B) Experienced responsibility
C) Task significance
D) Feedback
E) Autonomy

Question 75

The critical psychological states of the job characteristics theory include all of the following EXCEPT

A) knowledge of results.
B) individual perceptions that the job is valuable and worthwhile.
C) experienced meaningfulness of the work.
D) individual perceptions of accountability and responsibility.
E) recognition for work outcomes.

Question 76

Which theory serves as the basis for job enrichment?

A) Equity theory
B) Need theory
C) Expectancy theory
D) Maslow's hierarchy of needs
E) None of these

Question 77

____ is the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work.

A) Task identity
B) Task meaningfulness
C) Task visibility
D) Task recognition
E) Task significance

Question 78

The degree to which the job allows an individual substantial freedom and independence is called

A) autonomy.
B) task significance.
C) feedback
D) job integration.
E) job description.

Question 79

Which of the following is the primary problem associated with the specialization of jobs?

A) Involvement in too much of the production cycle
B) Slow pace of work
C) Boredom
D) Lower efficiency
E) Frequent social interaction with others

Question 80

Which of the following is an example of a job design technique?

A) job enlargement
B) job realization
C) job creation
D) job equity
E) job expectancy