Deck 11: Motivating Employees

Question 1

How does McClelland's theory differ from Maslow's theory?

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

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Courtney is the sales manager of a company manufacturing office equipment.She believes that it is possible to increase sales by using reinforcement theory.If Courtney wants to use positive reinforcement to increase sales,she should:

A) end all sales contests and their corresponding awards.
B) allow flextime for all salespeople.
C) stop displaying the "top salesperson of the month" results on the company bulletin board.
D) increase sales commissions.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

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

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

Answer 3

A

Question 4

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) compressed workweek.

Question 5

Kevin,a stockbroker,made a killing in the commodities market (insider trading was not a factor here)and decided to buy a Ferrari.According to Maslow's motivational theory,Kevin is fulfilling his:

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

Question 6

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 7

Matthew 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 Harry tried to motivate Matthew by telling him about the new employee benefit plans that the company would be coming out with in the next quarter.Harry also told Matthew about the new building that they were going to move to next month.Using Herzberg's two-factor theory,which type of factor was Harry using to motivate Matthew?

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

Question 8

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) An employee's cell phone starts ringing during an important meeting and he is reprimanded by the manager for not turning it off before the meeting.
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 9

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

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

Question 10

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 11

Dorothy and Linda 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 five 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 12

Kenneth Turner is a manager at Global Gains,an advertising firm.Kimberley works as a sales executive in Global Gains.Kenneth has been reducing Kimberley's incentives for three successive months after repeatedly warning her of her incompetence.Kimberley 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 Kimberley's situation?

A) Behavior modification
B) Instrumentality
C) Expectancy-valence
D) Affirmation

Question 13

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

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

Question 14

Which of the following is true about Maslow's 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) According to Maslow's theory, the needs that motivate people fall into three basic categories.

Question 15

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 will not lose their jobs.
D) help them believe that they can attain desired incentives.

Question 16

You are a supervisor wanting to use Maslow's theory to motivate an individual at the level of social needs.Which reward should you choose to motivate that person?

A) A new project requiring an informal work group
B) A gift voucher/coupon
C) A new fancy, job title
D) A new separate cabin

Question 17

Repeated punishment or failure can lead to an unhappy consequence called:

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

Question 18

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 19

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

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

Question 20

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

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

Question 21

Whatever rewards the supervisor uses,they should be linked to the employee's:

A) seniority in the company.
B) informal leadership abilities.
C) level of participation in meetings.
D) performance.

Question 22

In order to 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 23

Select the correct statement about 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 notice board.
D) Supervisors do not know what their subordinates earn.

Question 24

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) payment for suggestion.
B) production bonus system.
C) piecework system.
D) commission.

Question 25

A Theory Y manager:

A) focuses on developing the potential of employees.
B) believes that people wish to avoid responsibility and would prefer to be directed.
C) adopts an autocratic leadership role.
D) assumes that the primary need of people is security.

Question 26

Content theories are focused on what things motivate workers.

Question 27

Nicole,a manager at Biskin,clearly lays out the targets for her team members.She has high expectations of her team members.She constantly motivates them and keeps reinstating what the team members are capable for,which eventually leads to high performances.Which of the following indicates this relationship?

A) The Pygmalion effect
B) The Hawthorne effect
C) The Galatea effect
D) The placebo effect

Question 28

Acceptance and praise are two ways security needs are met.

Question 29

Training in the skills required to perform more than one job is known as:

A) job sharing.
B) specialization.
C) job enrichment.
D) cross-training.

Question 30

Maslow's theory argues that needs are organized into a hierarchy and the most basic needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Question 31

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

A) Gainsharing plan
B) Employee stock ownership plan
C) Profit-sharing plan
D) Defined benefit pension plan

Question 32

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

A) piecework system.
B) payment for suggestion.
C) group incentive plan.
D) commission.

Question 33

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

A) Piecework system
B) Production bonus system
C) Profit sharing
D) Payments for suggestions

Question 34

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

A) A teacher acknowledging a student's hard work
B) A supervisor spending time helping an employee sort out a personal problem
C) A mother praising a child for mowing the lawn
D) A manager giving an "Employee of the month" award with a certificate and gift vouchers

Question 35

What compromise have organizations developed to maintain the secrecy of individual salaries,yet provide enough salary information 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 the company's notice board

Question 36

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

A) commissions.
B) piecework.
C) bonus.
D) suggestions.

Question 37

Profit-sharing plans and gainsharing plans are types of:

A) group incentive plans.
B) innovation plans.
C) piecework plans.
D) commissions.

Question 38

According to the ____,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 Act
B) Family and Medical Leave Act
C) Pregnancy Discrimination Act
D) Occupational Safety and Health Act

Question 39

Applied to a work situation,Maslow's theory means the supervisor must be aware of the future needs of particular employees.

Question 40

The objective of motivating employees is to lead them to perform in ways that meet the goals of the department and the organization.

Question 41

Money is important not only as a means to pay the bills but also as a signal of one's value to the organization.

Question 42

According to Herzberg's two-factor theory,relationships with supervisors and peers are examples of hygiene factors.

Question 43

Maslow's theory assumes that different people have different patterns of needs.

Question 44

An example of an extrinsic reward would be a sense of increased self-esteem after accomplishing a challenging task.

Question 45

A real estate agent who receives 2 percent of the sale price for selling a house is being paid according to a piecework system.

Question 46

Today,a common view among people studying management is that Theory X is appropriate for many situations.

Question 47

The need for affiliation is the desire to do something better than it has been done before.

Question 48

Job enlargement is training in the skills required to perform more than one job.

Question 49

Commissions are most commonly paid to salespeople.

Question 50

For long-term results,punishment is more effective than reinforcement.

Question 51

In some organizations,the supervisor faces a significant challenge in planning and scheduling because of employees' leaves.

Question 52

Vroom's theory is based on employees' perceptions of rewards and whether they are able to achieve them.

Question 53

Skinner's theory is based on the two-factor theory.

Question 54

Theory Z supervisors assume that people can learn to seek responsibility and to be creative in solving organizational problems.

Question 55

Publishing pay ranges is not a good idea for companies to do,because wages and salaries are a private matter.

Question 56

Supervisors must consider individual differences in designing rewards.

Question 57

Under a gainsharing plan,the company sets aside a share of its profits earned during a given period,such as a year,and divides these profits among the employees.

Question 58

The perceived probability that the behavior will lead to the outcome is known as expectancy.

Question 59

Supervisors and other managers who adhere to Theory X focus on developing the potential of their employees.

Question 60

McClelland's and Herzberg's theories are process theories,since they deal with specific motivators.

Question 61

Compare and contrast McClelland's theory to Vroom's theory.

Question 62

Employees seldom see a clear link between good job performance and higher pay.

Question 63

A supervisor who wishes to succeed at motivating should expect that everyone will be excited equally about cross-training or overtime pay.

Question 64

Why is reinforcement more effective than punishment in the long term?

Question 65

As much as possible,a supervisor should respond to individual differences.

Question 66

The content theories of motivation indicate that a variety of rewards may motivate but that not all employees will value the same rewards at the same time.

Question 67

Employees who have a high need for achievement or are trying to meet esteem or self-actualization needs may appreciate opportunities for additional training.

Question 68

Harold 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 Jack tried to motivate Harold by telling him about the new company benefits plan coming out this fall and the new building they were going to move to next month.If Harold felt that opportunities for achievement,recognition,advancement,and personal growth were the most important aspects in a job,would Jack's motivation strategy work.Why or why not?

Question 69

Does money motivate you? Explain why or why not.

Question 70

Explain the significance of relating rewards to performance.

Question 71

Employees are likely to cooperate better when they feel like part of a team.

Question 72

When the supervisor tells employees that they are exceeding objectives,the employees know they are doing something right.

Question 73

What types of financial incentive pay plans covered in the text,could be used in a computer manufacturing operation,which sells to both retailers and wholesalers?

Question 74

Describe the relationship between motivation and performance.

Question 75

Job rotation involves moving employees from job to job to give them more variety.

Question 76

Describe the differences between content theories and process theories.List theories for each type.

Question 77

Discuss two pros and two cons of keeping pay information secret.What can a company do to offset the cons?

Question 78

There are no limits to a supervisor's discretion in giving rewards.

Question 79

Does a starving artist contradict Maslow's theory? Why or why not?

Question 80

In monitoring employees,a supervisor should look for signs of excellent performance and let the employees know,in specific terms,that the good work is appreciated and that it benefits the organization.