Deck 10: Motivating Employees

Question 1

The sense of satisfaction you get when you achieve an important goal is an intrinsic reward.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Extrinsic rewards are those that are given to a person by someone else.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Frederick Taylor believed that employees would be more productive if they were allowed to decide for themselves which methods at work to use.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Frederick Taylor's goal was to find ways to improve worker motivation by making work more interesting and challenging.

Question 5

Frederick Taylor believed that workers existed to make management's job easier and more efficient.He believed that workers were interested in one thing: good pay.If a business provided good pay,workers would provide the grueling labor necessary to get the job done.
Due to the fact that Taylor believed that good pay was the only thing that motivated employees,many firms today still operate with Taylor's rigid rules and expectations of conformity.

Question 6

The concept engagement is used to describe the level of passion and motivation that a person has about their work.

Question 7

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth developed the principle of motion economy,which said that every job could be broken down into a series of elementary motions.

Question 8

Motivation is the drive to satisfy a need.

Question 9

Frederick Taylor's ideas about improving worker productivity attracted a lot of attention at the time,but had little lasting significance.

Question 10

According to the Legal Briefcase,"Upset at UPS",companies that employ the principles of Scientific Management usually avoid costly lawsuits from unhappy employees.
According to the Legal Briefcase,"Upset at UPS",employees are looking for more than good wages and benefits when selecting a place to work.Workers are more educated and look for firms that are more flexible with work schedules and decision-making practices.UPS for one has found that expecting rigid time-motion requirements of their workers has become costly.They are now investing in adding new health and safety measures to their work environment.

Question 11

Frederick Taylor based his approach on the belief that each worker was an individual who should be treated as a unique asset to the firm.

Question 12

According to the Legal Briefcase,"Upset at UPS",companies are still transitioning from past practices of using scientific management principles when managing employees.UPS is hiring "thinking" workers who can make a variety of workplace decisions themselves and are less tolerant of companies that place rigid rules and physical requirements on employees.In the past,occupational safety issues have cost the company millions.
According to the Legal Briefcase,"Upset at UPS",employees are looking for more than good wages and benefits when selecting a place to work.Workers are more educated and look for firms that are more flexible with work schedules and decision-making practices.UPS for one has found that expecting rigid time-motion requirements of their workers has become costly.They are now investing in adding new health and safety measures to their work environment.

Question 13

When unhappy employees leave a company,the firm normally ends up benefiting financially.

Question 14

Elton Mayo conducted studies known as the Hawthorne Studies and became known as the father of scientific management.

Question 15

Frederick Taylor encouraged managers to make use of psychological techniques to improve worker motivation.
Taylor was the founder of scientific management,a school of thought that paid little attention to the human side of work.Scientific management viewed employees almost as if they were machines that could be programmed to work in the most efficient way.

Question 16

Scientific management became the dominant strategy for improving productivity during the early 1900s.

Question 17

Since motivation comes from within an individual,there is little that managers can do to help motivate employees.

Question 18

Three elements were basic to Taylor's approach: time,methods,and rules of work.

Question 19

According to the Legal Briefcase box in Chapter 10,scientific management is used successfully at UPS and UPS drivers have good wages and generous benefits.

Question 20

A key element of Frederick Taylor's approach was the time-motion study,which examined the tasks performed to complete a job and the time needed to complete each task.

Question 21

Mark successfully completed a very challenging assignment given to him by his supervisor at work.The feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction Mark experiences is an example of an extrinsic reward.
This is an intrinsic reward.An intrinsic reward is the personal satisfaction you feel when you perform well and complete goals.

Question 22

A major conclusion of the Hawthorne studies was that the best way to motivate employees is with monetary incentives such as pay raises and bonuses.

Question 23

The Hawthorne studies proved that the methods of scientific management were the best way to achieve maximum productivity among employees.

Question 24

The Hawthorne studies concluded that intrinsic rewards are always better than extrinsic rewards.
The Hawthorne studies did not conclude that one type of reward was more important than another.It did conclude that human and/or psychological factors may play into a worker's productivity level and that pay is not the only motivator.

Question 25

Andy is a supervisor at a web design company.Andy has observed that most employees he supervises are more productive if he lets them have some freedom and flexibility in how they go about their work.Andy's experience is consistent with the teachings of scientific management.
Scientific management emphasized that all employees should use the most efficient methods for performing tasks,as determined by time-motion studies.In this sense,scientific management viewed employees as if they were machines that could be programmed to complete a job as efficiently as possible.

Question 26

Janis works for a local bakery.At one time,she loved the idea of becoming a head pastry chef,but now she is not sure that this is how she would like to spend her working career.Her current supervisor does not believe in breaks.And,lately,he stands next to her and instructs her as to how to roll out the bread dough and ice the cupcakes,as though she never learned these basic skills in culinary school.Just this morning,he commented loudly from the other side of the room,"You should be able to ice five cupcakes in a minute! Time yourself!" Frederick Taylor would have approved of Janis' supervisor.
Frederick Taylor's research involved time-motion studies,where he believed that if you studied the motions that workers created in performing tasks,you could learn to improve each task and increase productivity.

Question 27

Elton Mayo's researchers concluded that worker motivation improved when managers listened to worker's ideas and suggestions.

Question 28

Marissa works for a large pharmaceutical company in the greater Chicago area.Last week she visited with an advisor at the nearby university because her employer encourages workers to continue their education and gives them time off to go to academic related appointments,even during regularly scheduled work hours.One would assume that management at Marissa's company values the results of the Hawthorne studies,more so than traditional scientific management principles.
The Hawthorne studies changed the current thought of the day that employees were motivated by higher pay and physical climate and conditions at work.Employees who viewed themselves as belonging to an elite group of human subjects did their best to develop ways to increase their productivity.Scientific management focused on satisfying the needs of management,often at the expense of employee needs.

Question 29

The results of the Hawthorne studies encouraged researchers to begin studying human motivation and managerial styles that lead to higher productivity.

Question 30

One of the original objectives of the Hawthorne studies was to determine the degree of lighting needed in the workplace to enable employees to achieve optimum productivity.

Question 31

The tendency of employees to behave differently when they know they are being studied is known as the Taylor effect.

Question 32

Harrison is a manager at the local post office.He wants to find ways to improve worker motivation,and has read about the Hawthorne studies conducted by Elton Mayo and his colleagues.He believes these studies offer important insights into what motivates employees.Harrison is not likely to support the methods and ideas associated with scientific management.
Scientific management had little concern for how "human factors" could motivate employees.In the Hawthorne studies,however,Mayo and his colleagues showed that human factors could have a major influence on worker productivity.They concluded that the reason productivity increased no matter how physical working conditions were changed was that the employees who participated in the experiment felt special,and developed a sense of camaraderie that made their work more enjoyable.This improved their job satisfaction,leading to higher productivity.

Question 33

Although Elton Mayo originally intended to collect data for a traditional scientific management study,his break-through research led to further research on the kinds of things that drive employees to successfully meet and exceed productivity goals at work.
Mayo concluded that workers who perceived that they were a special,elite group who were specifically chosen for an experiment and permitted to provide input into the experiment became motivated to perform better.

Question 34

Greg is a small business owner who wants to find a way to increase the productivity of his employees.He has just finished reading a book on worker motivation,and found the book's discussion of the Hawthorne studies particularly relevant.Based on his reading,Greg is likely to view pay increases as the best way to improve employee motivation.
The Hawthorne studies showed that motivation improved when employees felt special and believed their work was interesting and important.These results suggest that pay raises are not necessarily the best way to motivate his employees.

Question 35

The Green Velvet Lawn Care Company teaches all of its employees specific methods for fertilizing and seeding lawns.The methods are designed to ensure adequate lawn coverage with a minimum of time and effort.All employees are expected to follow these methods precisely.Green Velvet's approach to lawn care is consistent with the ideas of scientific management.
Scientific management focused on finding the most efficient way to perform tasks and teaching these methods to employees.

Question 36

Abraham Maslow believed that motivation arises from the desire to satisfy unmet needs.

Question 37

Bianca is conducting an experiment to determine how temperatures affect the productivity of employees.She has just completed the first phase of her experiment,in which she had a group of employees perform job related tasks in a special room where the temperature was 10 degrees cooler than on the factory floor.The employees in the experimental group consistently outperformed employees in the factory.The Hawthorne effect suggests that the most likely reason for this improvement in performance is that the cooler working conditions allowed the employees in the experiment to work harder without getting tired.
The Hawthorne effect refers to the tendency of people to behave differently when they know they are being studied.Thus,the improvement in productivity may have resulted from psychological factors associated with participating in the experiment rather than the change in temperature.

Question 38

According to Maslow,it is impossible to rank human needs in any logical order.

Question 39

The Hawthorne studies concluded that productivity at work seldom changed,but an employee's attitude could show significant improvement if he/she were given the opportunity to think critically at work.
The Hawthorne studies indicated that there were special motivators besides higher wages that motivated employees to be more productive.Mayo concluded that workers who perceived that they were a special,elite group who were specifically chosen for an experiment and permitted to provide input into the experiment became motivated to perform better.

Question 40

The original results of the Hawthorne studies proved that employees were much more productive when they worked in well-lit areas than when they worked in poorly lit areas.

Question 41

Jon earns a decent salary and is on friendly terms with the other employees in his department.Lately,he is frustrated because they don't recognize or appreciate some of his accomplishments.According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory,Jon will have a desire to satisfy his self-esteem needs before his self-actualization needs.
Because Jon earns a decent salary,he should be able to meet physiological and safety needs,which are basic survival needs and is accepted at work by others in his department satisfying social needs.However,since he is frustrated by a lack of recognition and appreciation,he appears to be motivated by the desire to meet his esteem needs,which reflect the desire to be acknowledged and respected by others.

Question 42

In Maslow's view,social needs include the need to feel loved and accepted.

Question 43

Safety needs are placed at the lowest level in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Question 44

Maslow referred to the needs people had for recognition and acknowledgement from others as esteem needs.

Question 45

Herzberg's study showed that pay was the job characteristic that ranked highest as a motivator.

Question 46

In order to motivate their employees,managers in less-developed nations should establish working conditions that focus on meeting their employees' self-actualization needs.
In less-developed nations,most employees struggle just to get enough food,clothing and shelter to satisfy their physiological needs,which are at the lowest level of Maslow's hierarchy.Self-actualization needs are at the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy.According to Maslow,fulfilling these higher-level needs will not become a primary source of motivation until lower-level needs are met.

Question 47

Jimmy is a talented musician,and has already won a number of awards.Still,he practices about two hours every day,trying to reach his highest potential.Jimmy is motivated by self-actualization needs.
Self-actualization needs include the need to reach one's fullest potential.

Question 48

Talk about "shell-shock"! Two nights ago,Adam was living in a tent with thirty other Marines in the hills of Afghanistan.Today he is waking up to the smell of fresh linen,in a king-sized bed,in his very own room in DeKalb,Illinois.Three days ago,his first priority was the welfare of his battle buddies.This morning,his first priority (according to his family)is not wasting anytime and getting back into College.Although he has always believed in the importance of school and the respect that comes with achieving a degree,right now he is not quite in the frame of mind.His first desire is to spend time renewing old friendships,including organizing a couple of float trips and ball game nights with the group of friends he left behind.According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs,Adam has a strong desire to satisfy his self-esteem needs.
Adam would satisfy self-esteem needs if he were ready to start the journey of going back to school and earning a degree that he believes is important for self-recognition and respect from his peers and family.At this moment,he is driven to satisfy a need that according to Maslow falls below self-esteem.He desires to satisfy his social needs.

Question 49

Herzberg's research focused on determining which management style achieved the highest level of worker motivation.

Question 50

According to Maslow,a satisfied need is no longer a motivator.

Question 51

Often times,we hear that teenagers have unmet social needs.According to Maslow,their desire to become socially accepted will consume them,at the expense of reaching for higher goals,such as developing to their fullest potential.
According to Maslow,lower order needs must be satisfied first,before turning one's attention to higher order needs.If relying on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid,social needs will be satisfied before self-actualization needs.

Question 52

Maslow believed that lower-level needs may emerge at any time when they are not met and take our attention away from higher-level needs.

Question 53

According to Maslow,people will try to satisfy lower order needs before they turn their attention to higher order needs.

Question 54

Herzberg found that the factors associated with job content ranked high as employee motivators.

Question 55

Millie recently accepted a new job with better pay and a high degree of job security.She is now able to live in a nicer apartment and maintain a fairly comfortable life style.However,she still feels like an "outsider" at work,and does not yet perceive that her fellow employees have accepted her into their group.According to Maslow's theory,Millie is driven by a desire to satisfy her social needs.
Maslow classified the need to feel accepted and part of a group as social needs.He felt that people who have met their physiological and safety needs,as Millie apparently has done,would be motivated by the desire to meet social needs.

Question 56

Herzberg's research examined how conditions related to the job itself affected the motivation of employees.

Question 57

The late famous broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite said that one of his regrets in life was not actively participating in the space program as an astronaut.Back in the 1980's,he was selected as a candidate to be the first journalist to fly into space,but NASA decided to take a teacher instead.In some ways,this may appear as though Cronkite was pursuing a self-esteem need;however,having already achieved celebrity status,for Cronkite,his was the pursuit of a self-actualization need.
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs,the next level of higher order needs (after self-esteem needs)is self-actualization needs.According to Maslow,a self-actualization need involves the need to develop to your fullest potential.

Question 58

Referring to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory,one would agree that U.S.workers are more often interested in satisfying their physiological and safety needs,as opposed to their self-esteem needs.
Physiological needs refer to the need for food,clothing,shelter,and other needs associated with basic survival.Safety needs refer to the need for security and safety at home and at work.These are the two lowest levels of needs in Maslow's hierarchy.In developed countries such as the United States,most employees have already satisfied these lower-level needs.According to Maslow,when needs are satisfied,they are no longer sources of motivation.

Question 59

In Maslow's hierarchy,self-actualization needs are those needs associated with basic survival,such as the need for food and shelter.

Question 60

According to Maslow,if you have a self-esteem problem,you probably will not be able to concern yourself with developing to your fullest potential.
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs,one must satisfy lower order needs first,before satisfying a higher order need.Satisfying esteem needs must be met before satisfying self-actualization needs.

Question 61

According to Herzberg,when a hygiene factor is not fulfilled,employees will become dissatisfied.

Question 62

According to William Ouchi,two of the main features of the Japanese approach to management are individual decision-making and rapid promotions.

Question 63

Theory Y managers adhere to the principle that most people do not work to their fullest intellectual potential.

Question 64

Since hygiene factors do not motivate workers toward high achievement at work,managers can safely ignore these factors when trying to develop an effective work environment.
Although hygiene factors (which include working conditions,job security,and pay)do not increase motivation,they can be responsible for dissatisfaction among employees if they are not maintained at an adequate level.To avoid dissatisfaction,managers must make sure that these hygiene factors are maintained at acceptable levels.

Question 65

Herzberg's research identified the key factors that motivate workers,including company policies and administration,wage rates,interpersonal relations with co-workers,and physical environment at work.

Question 66

The trend in many U.S.businesses is toward a Theory Y approach to management.

Question 67

Herzberg's findings suggest that many U.S.firms can help workers satisfy higher order needs by identifying those things that motivate (inspire)them to work at their fullest potential.
Herzberg's findings suggest that worker motivation can be triggered by giving employees more interesting and challenging work,by recognizing worker contributions to the success of the firm,and by giving employees the chance for growth and advancement within the firm.All of these job characteristics would help employees achieve their higher order needs as Maslow identified them.

Question 68

Herzberg's findings suggest that the best way for firms to increase worker motivation is to focus on improving pay and making working conditions more pleasant.
Herzberg found that pay,working conditions,and other aspects of the job environment were hygiene factors,not motivators.The best motivators all involve job content.Thus,to improve motivation,firms should focus their efforts on making the work itself more interesting and rewarding.

Question 69

Theory Y managers assume that the main factor that motivates most employees is the desire to earn more money.

Question 70

Theory X management has essentially disappeared from the real world workplace.

Question 71

Maslow identified and categorized basic needs that most persons would like to satisfy,while Herzberg's research identified motivators and hygiene factors that inspire employees to fulfill their needs.

Question 72

Douglas McGregor observed that all managers tend to share common assumptions about employees.

Question 73

Herzberg used the term hygiene factor to refer to an element of job content that was most important as a source of worker motivation.

Question 74

Managers who make Theory X assumptions about employees tend to watch their subordinates very closely and provide detailed instructions to employees about how they should do their jobs.

Question 75

Theory Y managers assume that most people are capable of using a relatively high degree of imagination and creativity to solve problems.

Question 76

Herzberg found that the sense of achievement employees experienced when they performed their jobs was an important motivator.

Question 77

According to McGregor,Theory X-type managers motivate employees by giving them a great deal of freedom and responsibility.

Question 78

Herzberg's research found that improvements in the work environment were a more effective way to motivate employees than improvements in job content.

Question 79

Theory Y managers are likely to use empowerment to motivate employees.

Question 80

According to McGregor,Theory X managers assume that employees dislike work,and will avoid it if possible.