Deck 5: Motivation in Action

Question 1

Studies have shown that the most powerful workplace motivator is

A)a company dinner.
B)promotion.
C)time in lieu.
D)money.
E)recognition.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

According to expectancy theory, for employees to be motivated

A)performance must be directly linked to rewards.
B)their compensation must be incremental.
C)they can expect to work less but still find financial benefits.
D)rewards are irrelevant and performance is the key driver for motivation.
E)performance must be indirectly linked to rewards.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Terry likes to see a direct connection between her performance and the compensation she receives each year.Terry prefers a

A)merit-based pay program.
B)seniority-based pay program.
C)inflation-based pay program.
D)variable pay program.
E)profit sharing pay program.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Pay for performance means employees must

A)share only in the rewards of a company.
B)share in the risks as well as the rewards of their employer's business.
C)share in the risks at the expense of the rewards of their employer's business.
D)share all aspects of a company's business.
E)share very little yet gain from any success the company might achieve.

Question 5

Money is probably the most emotionally meaningful object in contemporary life.Only

A)sex and ambition are its close competitors.
B)ego and ambition are its close competitors.
C)shelter and ambition are its close competitors.
D)food and sex are its close competitors.
E)food and shelter are its close competitors.

Question 6

When using bonuses, managers should be mindful of

A)the amount, so that the bonus does not negatively effect the profits of the company.
B)not recognizing friends within the company.
C)the size of the bonus in relation to the event recognized.
D)potential unexpected behaviours arising when employees try to ensure they will receive bonuses.
E)very little, the bonus is just so effective.

Question 7

Profit sharing plans

A)focus on past financial results.
B)are company-established benefit plans in which employees acquires stock as part of their benefits.
C)give employees the right to buy stock in the company at a later date for a guaranteed price
D)focus on future financial results.
E)give employees the right to buy stock in the company at a later date for the market price at that time.

Question 8

Thinking of money as a motivator, expectancy theory mainly suggests that

A)money plays no part in motivating employee behaviour.
B)money is the only extrinsic motivator.
C)individuals need to value the reward, whether it is money or something else, or it won't be motivational.
D)individuals care little about the value of the reward but appreciate the gesture.
E)the mere suggestion of more money will motivate employees.

Question 9

Taylor Inc.has different benefits plans for employees who are single parents as compared to those for single employees with no dependents.Specifically, single parents get additional disability insurance as well as life insurance.This type of benefit plan is known as

A)core-plus.
B)modular.
C)flexible spending.
D)cafeteria.
E)secondary.

Question 10

One weakness of skill-based pay programs is that

A)employees may "top out", or learn all the skills available.
B)team performance can be difficult to evaluate.
C)earnings vary from year to year.
D)individuals do not always have control over factors that affect productivity.
E)equity problems could arise if all members are paid equally.

Question 11

The financial meltdown of September 2008 may have been related to

A)a failing global stock market.
B)lack of proper accounting procedures within mortgage lending.
C)bonus compensation strategies in mortgage lending.
D)too few regulatory managers.
E)an unrealistic need for profit.

Question 12

Profit-sharing plans share company profit based on

A)past financial results.
B)monthly expectations.
C)individual performance results.
D)future financial results.
E)projected financial results.

Question 13

Gainsharing is a variable-pay program that is an incentive plan for

A)individuals, where improvements in an individual's productivity, from one period to another, determine the amount awarded.
B)all employees of the company, where employees gain when the company gains market share.
C)workplace groups or departments, where improvements in group productivity, from one period to another, determine the amount shared.
D)all employees of the company, where every employee gains when the company increases productivity.
E)individuals, where an individual who accomplishes specific goals, receives a percentage of company profit.

Question 14

One strength of a variable-pay program is that it

A)encourages individuals to work together effectively.
B)increases the skill levels of employees.
C)motivates task performance.
D)can reduce the number of employees needed.
E)can cause unhealthy competition among employees.

Question 15

If managers at Walmart pressure workers to work extra hours for free because the managers must keep payroll costs below fixed targets or risk demotion, these managers are faced with

A)an ethical dilemma.
B)a gainsharing program.
C)a business decision.
D)an advancement opportunity.
E)intrinsic motivation.

Question 16

A $5 employee bonus at the National Bank, awarded every time employees referred clients, was abandoned because

A)it was too expensive.
B)it was too difficult to track.
C)it caused colleagues to compete against one another.
D)there was not enough money.
E)employees made too much money.

Question 17

Paying a data entry clerk an hourly rate plus bonus per page is an example of a

A)variable-pay plan.
B)modified piece-rate plan.
C)teamwork incentive plan.
D)gainsharing plan.
E)piece-rate plan.

Question 18

Variable-pay or pay-for-performance programs operate reward programs at three levels

A)individual, group and organizational.
B)individual, departmental and organizational.
C)individual, departmental and community.
D)individual, group and community.
E)individual, group and managerial.

Question 19

If an organization wants a group of individuals to function as a team, emphasis needs to be on

A)individual rewards, rather than team-based awards.
B)team-based performance, rather than team-based rewards.
C)individual rewards, rather than team-based rewards.
D)a sense of company loyalty.
E)team-based rewards, rather than individual rewards.

Question 20

Frito-Lay Corporation ties its compensation for frontline operations managers to developing their skills in leadership, workforce development, and functional excellence.This is known as

A)gainsharing.
B)profit sharing.
C)skill-based pay.
D)merit-based pay.
E)bonuses.

Question 21

Bonuses reward _________ behaviour, rather than historical performance and are ________ rewards rather than ongoing entitlements.

A)intrinsic, current
B)recent, one-time
C)extrinsic, one-time
D)innovative, current
E)innovative, intrinsic

Question 22

Employees in a country that values individualism would likely prefer the reward of

A)stock options.
B)maternity leave programs.
C)career-break schemes.
D)flexible benefit.
E)skill-based pay.

Question 23

In a piece-rate pay plan, employees are paid

A)a piece of company profits equal to their production quota.
B)a piece of their salary and increases when specific targets are met or surpassed.
C)a fixed hourly rate and a bonus for achieving targets.
D)a fixed sum for each unit of production completed.
E)a fixed sum based on their performance appraisal.

Question 24

Personally congratulating an employee in private for a good job is an example of

A)managerial effectiveness.
B)Maslow's hierarchy theory.
C)employee recognition.
D)Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory.
E)expectant behaviour.

Question 25

Expectancy theory tells us that a key component of motivation is

A)the link between satisfaction and compensation.
B)the link between seniority and compensation.
C)the link between productivity and compensation.
D)the link between performance and reward.
E)the link between profit and compensation.

Question 26

Last month a company produced 1000 items/10,000 person hours and this month they produced 1000 items/9,000 person hours.Dividing the productivity savings between company and employees is an example of

A)gainsharing.
B)profit sharing.
C)a piece-rate plan.
D)a variable-pay plan.
E)recognition program savings.

Question 27

Two specific forms of individual-based pay-for-performance programs

A)stock options and gainsharing.
B)piece-rate wages and gainsharing.
C)profit-sharing and gainsharing.
D)variable-pay programs and piece-rate wages.
E)piece-rate wages and bonuses.

Question 28

An example of a country that generally prefers certainty in compensation system rewards is

A)Greece.
B)Sweden.
C)United States.
D)United Kingdom.
E)Australia.

Question 29

In a country with a high uncertainty avoidance, it would prefer the reward of

A)pay for performance.
B)individual incentives.
C)flexible benefits.
D)seniority-based pay.
E)workplace child-care programs.

Question 30

The research on ESOP's indicates

A)CEO's with ESOP plans are more likely to lie to affect stock price.
B)ESOP's positively affect employee satisfaction but the effect on performance is unclear.
C)ESOP's positively affect profit growth for a company, but don't necessarily improve net profit.
D)ESOP's negatively affect employee satisfaction but positively effect performance.
E)ESOP's positively affect revenues per employee but have a negative affect on job satisfaction on employees.

Question 31

Variable-pay programs are consistent with expectancy theory predictions; expectancy theory perceives a strong relationship between performance and

A)rewards.
B)productivity.
C)stock options.
D)salary.
E)seniority.

Question 32

Which is true of autonomy and the perception of autonomy

A)It makes a clear link between organizational goals and individual rewards.
B)It is valued in cultures high in individualism.
C)All cultures value autonomy that gives complete freedom of choice to employees.
D)All cultures value autonomy but each culture and perhaps each organization must adjust how the autonomy is applied.
E)Autonomy promotes team work and collaboration.

Question 33

Organizations hoping for improved teamwork and collaboration should reward

A)individual team members for individual productivity.
B)individual team members who mentor good group relationships.
C)team leaders who direct the team
D)team members equally for team productivity.
E)only after training in teamwork in provided.

Question 34

Motivation theories are culturally sensitive and managers should be sensitive to national differences.In India, a study found that managers who empowered their employees were given

A)higher productivity.
B)greater innovation and self-efficacy.
C)weaker productivity and increased absenteeism.
D)low ratings by their employees.
E)continuance commitment.

Question 35

Strategies for authentic motivation, according to Alfie Kohn, include

A)communicating to employees the company viewpoint.
B)setting goals and explaining to employees the outcomes if goals are not achieved.
C)focusing on what the employee is doing wrong and how that affects the company.
D)providing choice to employees over how they do the task.
E)helping employees rather than putting them under surveillance.

Question 36

When skill variety, task identity and task significance are all present in a job they create

A)autonomy.
B)self-efficacy.
C)distributive justice.
D)continuance commitment.
E)meaningful work.

Question 37

An example of a country where employees would prefer social benefits as rewards is

A)Greece.
B)the Netherlands.
C)United Kingdom.
D)Australia.
E)Portugal.

Question 38

A spontaneous and private "thank you," or a "bragging board," are examples of

A)employee recognition programs.
B)intrinsic employee reward systems.
C)union-sponsored recognition programs.
D)gainsharing and profit-sharing programs.
E)motivation theories.

Question 39

Jace is foreman of a team of welders; the team meets at the beginning of each shift to discuss what work tasks must be completed, decides how the work will be processed and assigns roles to each worker.Of Alfie Cohen's recommendations, this style represents

A)incentive pay.
B)authentic motivation.
C)cooperative process.
D)providing choice.
E)technical achievement.

Question 40

Some studies suggest that money is a better motivator in the short-term, but in the long-term,

A)recognition in the workplace mattered more.
B)promotion in the workplace mattered more.
C)accomplishments in the workplace mattered more.
D)non-financial incentives in the workplace mattered more.
E)benefits in the workplace mattered more.

Question 41

Nursing the sick in a hospital intensive care unit is an example of

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

Question 42

Job rotation is defined as

A)changing jobs every month so as to keep the newness level high.
B)changing jobs every week so as to keep the newness level high.
C)an opportunity for employees to change jobs when they feel the need.
D)the systematic removal of employees and their replacement by new, energetic employees.
E)the periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another.

Question 43

Jobs that are high on motivating potential must be high on both

A)creativity and responsibility.
B)autonomy and feedback.
C)compensation and responsibility.
D)variety and potential.
E)idealism and responsibility.

Question 44

Kerry was happy with recent changes to her job.She now has more freedom, independence, and responsibility, as she now is able to complete all seven steps of assembly by herself.She also inspects her product to ensure it is functioning.This is an example of

A)job rotation.
B)job enrichment.
C)job security.
D)job sharing.
E)job evaluation.

Question 45

The JCM is well researched and evidence supports that there is a multiple set of

A)task variety.
B)job characteristics.
C)task identity.
D)task significance.
E)skill variety.

Question 46

Sweeping hospital floors is an example of

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

Question 47

A home security system installer who schedules work for the day, makes visits without supervision, and decides the most effective system and techniques for each installation has a job that has

A)high autonomy.
B)high significance.
C)high identity.
D)high variety.
E)high feedback.

Question 48

A call center operator who must answer calls as they come according to routine, highly scripted procedures is an example of low

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

Question 49

Flex time and telework grant employees

A)low task identity.
B)high task significance.
C)high autonomy.
D)low skill variety.
E)low feedback.

Question 50

Alfie Kohn, in his book Punished by Rewards, proposes that we re-evaluate evaluation and, as a result, the performance evaluation system might be structured

A)around the employee listening better.
B)more on what you are doing poorly.
C)more on who is performing poorly.
D)more like a two-way conversation.
E)more on who gets raises or promoted.

Question 51

A cabinet maker who designs a piece of furniture, selects the wood, builds the object and finishes it to perfection is an example of high

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

Question 52

If a hard-working athlete or student with modest abilities consistently outperforms a more gifted, but lazy student, this indicates that

A)if both ability and motivation are inadequate, performance will be negatively affected.
B)if either ability or motivation is inadequate, performance will be negatively affected.
C)if either ability or compensation is inadequate, performance will be negatively affected.
D)if either ability or motivation is inadequate, performance will be positively affected.
E)if both ability and motivation are inadequate, performance will be positively affected.

Question 53

As Gail has gained more experience as a customer service representative in a bank, she has been given more freedom to complete transactions for clients by herself and she has been given more responsibilities for planning her training courses and skill development.Gail is experiencing

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

Question 54

Sam periodically shifts his employees from one task to another in order to give them some variety and the opportunity to learn new skills.This practice is known as

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

Question 55

A factory worker who assembles microchips but passes quality control inspections to another department has a job with

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

Question 56

Carefully matching people to their jobs and giving them the opportunity to try new jobs is an example of creating a more motivating work environment by

A)encouraging collaboration
B)enhancing content
C)providing the opportunity to perform
D)providing choice
E)enhancing autonomy.

Question 57

"We are most likely to become enthusiastic about what we are doing-and all else being equal, to do it well-when we are free to make decisions about the way we carry out a task." This speaks to which of the following approaches to creating a motivating work environment

A)establish incentive pay
B)encourage collaboration
C)enhance content
D)provide choice
E)provide the conditions for authentic motivation.

Question 58

The JCM allows us to make this statement with relative confidence

A)People who work on jobs with high core job dimensions are generally more motivated, satisfied and productive than are those who do not.
B)People who work on jobs with low core job dimensions are generally more motivated, satisfied and productive than are those who do.
C)People who work on jobs with high core job dimensions are generally less motivated, satisfied and productive than are those who do not.
D)People who work on jobs with high core job dimensions cannot be motivated, satisfied and productive.
E)People who work on jobs with high core job dimensions are generally motivated through salary and recognition.

Question 59

When Carol walked out of her annual performance review, she felt good.She felt that the meeting was fair and constructive, and that the manager who did the review was sincere.There is no financial component to Carol's performance review, it is just an open discussion.This form of review can be described as

A)peer-based.
B)360.
C)modular.
D)effective.
E)a waste of time.

Question 60

If a country put a high value on humane orientation, its reward preference would be

A)stock options.
B)individual incentives.
C)pay for performance.
D)skill-based pay.
E)workplace child-care programs.

Question 61

Telework is defined as

A)conducting business via technology.
B)conducting job through smartphone outreach in your community.
C)an arrangement where employees are encouraged to meet with clients via technology, rather than make face-to-face visits.
D)an arrangement where employees work away from an office, connecting to work and office via technology.
E)an arrangement where employees fax documents from home to office.

Question 62

Participative management includes

A)workers setting targets with co-workers.
B)subordinates reporting to supervisors.
C)workers participating as team leaders.
D)subordinates sharing decision-making with immediate superiors.
E)workers sitting on the board of directors.

Question 63

The three categories of jobs identified as most appropriate to telecommuting are

A)routine information-handling tasks, public relations tasks, and repetitive tasks
B)routine information-handling tasks, intricate tasks, and repetitive tasks
C)routine information-handling tasks, mobile activities and professional/knowledge-related tasks
D)routine information-handling tasks, managerial tasks, and service-related tasks
E)routine information-handling tasks, routine tracking tasks, and routine organizational tasks

Question 64

Job enrichment is

A)giving an employee more tasks while paying at the same level.
B)expanding a job horizontally.
C)a result of downsizing, as employees must cover the duties of the departed employee.
D)giving an employee a title which suggest he or she has more responsibility, but in fact does not.
E)expanding a job vertically.

Question 65

Bill Leung is the HR Director for Copper Inc., a mining firm.The business has been losing money over the past three years due to a worldwide slump in copper prices, and no end is in sight.The pressure is on to reduce labour costs and increase productivity.Bill must recommend a plan for the research department staff.It's difficult to assess researchers' performance because of the kind of work they do.Recently, a number of researchers have been laid off because of the company's losses, and so each staff member must get involved in new kinds of projects.Flexibility and communication between project team members is very important.What kind of incentive plan would meet Bill's needs best

A)skill-based pay
B)piece rate
C)profit sharing
D)ESOP
E)gainsharing

Question 66

If jobs score high on motivating potential, the MPS model predicts improved

A)teamwork, collaboration and achievement.
B)responsibility, growth and commitment.
C)empowerment, involvement and development.
D)teamwork, performance and satisfaction.
E)motivation, performance and satisfaction.

Question 67

When an organization has employees who sit on the company's board of directors the company is increasing employee involvement through

A)participative management.
B)collaborative labour relations.
C)representative participation.
D)hierarchical participation.
E)high power distance.

Question 68

When a manager located in Vancouver reports to an executive in Toronto regarding work being done in Calgary, this is an example of

A)job sharing.
B)telework.
C)job enriching.
D)job friendly.
E)satellite communication.

Question 69

The major difficulty of job sharing is

A)finding a compatible pair of employees who can successfully coordinate the demands of the job.
B)finding a clear and concise job description to share.
C)finding enough employees to fill the position.
D)finding a job where the manager can deal with this recent phenomenon.
E)finding a job with a clear division of labour.

Question 70

Jason was a unique employee.He has a wide range of skills and gets frustrated when he doesn't get a chance to utilize them on the job.To motivate Jason, it is important that his job reflect

A)autonomy.
B)skill variety.
C)security.
D)teamwork.
E)gainsharing.

Question 71

Job enrichment increases the degree to which workers control the

A)number of motivational incentives in the workplace.
B)hours and pay of their job.
C)ability to communicate with managers within the workplace.
D)planning, motivation and incentives of their work.
E)planning, execution and evaluation of their work.

Question 72

Job enrichment refers to

A)the vertical expansion of jobs.
B)the horizontal expansion of jobs.
C)both vertical and horizontal expansion of jobs.
D)the complexity of motivational incentives being offered in the workplace.
E)the relationship between motivation and bonuses.

Question 73

Participative management is linked to

A)Herzberg's hygiene.
B)Herzberg's dissatisfaction scale.
C)Theory X.
D)Theory Y.
E)McClelland's need for power.

Question 74

Within the JCM, core job dimensions can be combined into a single predictive index called the

A)motivating polarized score.
B)motivating positive self-esteem.
C)motivating positive score.
D)motivating potential score.
E)motivating predictive score.

Question 75

When two or more people split a 40 hour a week job it is called

A)job compression.
B)job sharing.
C)job rotation.
D)telework.
E)job expansion.

Question 76

Flextime is short for

A)flexible time off
B)flexible employee schedules
C)flexible work hours
D)flexible variations at work
E)flexible break times

Question 77

According to the JCM, any job can be described in terms of five core dimensions

A)motivational factors, performance outcomes, satisfaction, activities, and growth.
B)skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback.
C)meaningfulness, experience, outcomes, tasks, skill acquisition.
D)collaboration, choice, evaluation, motivation and opportunity.
E)skill variety, collaboration, outcomes, satisfaction and feedback.

Question 78

Nunavut has had great difficulty finding doctors willing to commit to serving the territory for more than short periods of time.This problem could be solved by

A)job enrichment.
B)job redesign.
C)job enlargement.
D)job sharing.
E)gainsharing.

Question 79

Job sharing is defined as the practice of

A)having an employee share his or her experience with other employees.
B)having two or more people split a 40-hour-a-week job.
C)having an employee work at home for a portion of the week.
D)having an employee report on the effectiveness of his or her performance.
E)having two or more people working at the same time.

Question 80

Jessica works from her home via her computer, which is linked to her office.This is an example of

A)telework.
B)job sharing.
C)job enlargement.
D)flextime.
E)job rotation.