Deck 8: Motivation: From Concepts to Applications

Question 1

Explain how participative management can enhance skill variety, task identity, and autonomy as described in the Job Characteristics Model (JCM).

Answer 1

Skill variety, the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities so the worker can use a number of different skills and talent, can be enhanced by participative management because it helps the employees view their tasks from a different perspective. It helps them understand why the management requires high productivity and efficiency from them. By learning to think differently, the employees learn different skills at the mental and relational levels.
Task identity, the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work, can be enhanced by participative management by allowing employees to make decisions on the spot without management approval. For example, the woman at the Wegman's bakery that convinced management to let her include a traditional family recipe in the product line will feel a much stronger sense of task identity.
Autonomy, which is the freedom in determining work procedures and carrying them out, is enhanced by participative management because the employee is able to participate in the decision-making process. Having a voice in the process increases the sense of autonomy and control.

Question 2

Which of the following series of dimensions of the job characteristics model (JCM) combine to create meaningful work?

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

Answer 2

E
Explanation: The first three dimensions in JCM, skill variety, task identity, and task significance, combine to create meaningful work that the worker will view as important, valuable, and worthwhile.

Question 3

According to the job characteristics model, task significance is the degree to which ________.

A) a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work
B) a job generates direct and clear information about performance
C) a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling work and determining its procedure
D) a job bears an impact on the lives or work of other people
E) a job requires a variety of different activities

Answer 3

D
Explanation: Task significance is the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people.

Question 4

Adam Sears is an assembly line employee with Swenson Motors. Though Adam is popular among his supervisors and colleagues, Adam experiences low morale and lack of motivation. He feels frustrated that his job is restricted to fixing nuts and bolts on the car parts. He fears that he has no chances of advancing in his career as he cannot completely assemble a car. Which of the following is true with regard to Adam?

A) Adam's job has high task complexity.
B) Adam's job has a high span of control.
C) Adam's job has low role definition.
D) Adam's job has low task identity.
E) Adam's job has high task significance.

Question 5

The core dimensions of the job characteristics model can be combined into a single predictive index called ________.

A) extrinsic motivation score
B) personal outcome score
C) job diagnostic score
D) motivating potential score
E) potential development score

Question 6

Describe the five core job dimensions of the job characteristics model.

Question 7

Job design is defined as the ________.

A) degree to which the job rewards competence
B) way the elements in a job are organized
C) degree to which the job contributes to profit margins
D) degree of decision-making power with the immediate superiors
E) way the job is evaluated in terms of its relative worth to other jobs

Question 8

What are the various dimensions of the job characteristics model?

Question 9

According to the job characteristics model, autonomy is defined as the degree to which ________.

A) a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work
B) a job generates direct and clear information about performance
C) a job provides the worker freedom, independence, and discretion
D) a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people
E) a job requires a variety of different activities

Question 10

Which of the following statements best describes the concept of autonomy in the job characteristics model?

A) The degree to which carrying out the work activities required by a job results in the individual obtaining direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his performance.
B) The degree to which a job provides substantial freedom and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out.
C) The degree to which a job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people.
D) The degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work.
E) The degree to which a job affects the lives or work of other people.

Question 11

The job characteristics model describes any job in terms of five core job dimensions, and these five dimensions are skill variety, task significance, recognition, reward, and feedback.

Question 12

Feedback is the degree to which carrying out work activities generates direct and clear information about one's own performance.

Question 13

With reference to the job characteristics model, which of the following defines task identity?

A) the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work
B) the degree to which work activities generate direct and clear information about performance
C) the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling and procedure
D) the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people
E) the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities

Question 14

How would you relate skill variety and job rotation?

Question 15

With reference to the job characteristics model, which of the following defines skill variety?

A) the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work
B) the degree to which work activities generate direct and clear information about performance
C) the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling and procedure
D) the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people
E) the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities tapping different abilities

Question 16

John Dunker is one of the best firefighters in his squad, and he recently received an award for his outstanding performance. From this information, it may be concluded that John's job has low task significance.

Question 17

According to the job characteristics model, ________ indicates the degree to which carrying out work activities generates direct and clear information about your own performance.

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

Question 18

Andrew is a software tester. He runs through the same types of programs day after day looking for bugs and reporting them. He is taking night classes on programming. Often, he knows the best solution to many of the bugs, but he is still learning to code. Describe two job characteristics that Andrew is striving to improve, and explain two ways that Andrew's manager can redesign his current job to help him reach his goals.

Question 19

Samantha Barnes is an emergency medical technician. Recently, during an emergency call, she was able to resuscitate a man who had a cardiac arrest. Subsequently, she spent some time calming the 12-year-old daughter of the patient and looked after her until the rest of the patient's family arrived at the hospital. Based on this description, it can be concluded that Samantha's job is high in ________.

A) task identity
B) feedback
C) extrinsic rewards
D) task significance
E) job rotation

Question 20

Jobs with high autonomy give workers a feeling of personal responsibility for the results.

Question 21

Personal contacts with beneficiaries is a required component of relational job design.

Question 22

Which of the following statements is true regarding job sharing?

A) It expands jobs by increasing the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution, and evaluation of the work.
B) It is also called cross-training.
C) It allows two or more individuals to split a traditional 40-hour-a-week job.
D) It involves periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level.
E) Job sharing is a method of job enrichment.

Question 23

Beyond redesigning the nature of the work itself and involving employees in decisions, another approach to making the work environment more motivating is to alter work arrangements to meet employee needs. Which of the following is designed to give employees greater control of their schedule?

A) flextime
B) employee recognition programs
C) job rotation
D) job enlargement
E) job enrichment

Question 24

________ is not a benefit of flextime.

A) Reduced absenteeism
B) Decreased work/life balance
C) Increased productivity
D) Reduced tardiness
E) Increased autonomy

Question 25

What is job enrichment? Describe how enriching a job is different from enlarging a job.

Question 26

One way to possibly make jobs more ________ would be to connect employees with the beneficiaries of their work or service that they provide.

A) task significant
B) prosocially motivating
C) job relational
D) task oriented
E) enriching

Question 27

An arrangement that allows two or more individuals to split a traditional 40-hour-a-week job is called ________.

A) flextime
B) job sharing
C) gainsharing
D) telecommuting
E) job rotation

Question 28

Which of the following statements is true regarding job rotation?

A) It decreases the flexibility with which an organization can adapt to a change.
B) It decreases employee motivation.
C) It decreases productivity in the short run.
D) It decreases supervisory workload.
E) It decreases the flexibility in scheduling work.

Question 29

Job enrichment improves employees' skills by periodically shifting an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level.

Question 30

CalTrack Services has been facing employee-related issues like decreased productivity, low morale, and poor organizational commitment in recent times. At a meeting to discuss strategies to address these issues of immediate concern, Joe McEnroe, the production manager, proposed that the roles of employees working on key projects be enhanced to increase autonomy. He felt that this would enhance productivity, motivation, and accountability. Taking a cue from McEnroe, Paul Wilbur suggested job rotation as a solution to the problem they were facing. Wilbur felt that a change of job roles would make the employees keener to learn and perform. He emphasized that job rotation would help management create a larger skill base to choose from, depending on the needs of specific projects.
Which of the following, if true, would strengthen the argument in favor of adopting job rotation?

A) The company is currently facing numerous budget constraints.
B) The company can enhance productivity of existing employees in various areas for different projects.
C) Two front-level managers have resigned in the last quarter as they were not promoted.
D) The company has launched a new brand which is cannibalizing one of its existing products.
E) The company has recently given employees new responsibilities by combining their routine tasks into natural work units.

Question 31

Managers at Flavors, a restaurant chain, train their employees such that in the absence of employees, someone trained in the same skills can step in and do the job equally well. Thus, many modules in training are extensive as they provide employees with details of the skill sets required for different jobs. In practice, this lengthy training program does help the company as a well-trained and flexible workforce is at their disposal at all times. The managers at Flavors use ________.

A) job rotation
B) vertical enhancement
C) telecommuting
D) job sharing
E) flextime

Question 32

Employees who use the flextime option have to ________.

A) work from the office for three days of the week
B) work from home on a relatively permanent basis
C) work from the office based on a schedule fixed with the compatible partner they function with
D) work from the office during the common core period and put in the extra hours per their convenience
E) work from home only two days a week

Question 33

________ has a focus on prosocial motivation and is especially salient for organizations with corporate social responsibility.

A) Relational job design
B) Job rotation
C) Flextime
D) The job characteristics model
E) Telecommuting

Question 34

Job rotation can be applied in any setting where cross-training is feasible, from manufacturing floors to hospital wards.

Question 35

Relational job design relates to ________.

A) periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level
B) expansion of jobs by increasing the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution, and evaluation of the work
C) redistribution of power within the organization through work councils and board representations
D) distribution of a significant degree of power between subordinates and supervisors
E) design of jobs and work so employees are motivated to promote the well-being of an organization's beneficiaries

Question 36

The periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level is defined as ________.

A) job enlargement
B) job analysis
C) job rotation
D) job sharing
E) job enrichment

Question 37

Nora Elm is a newly-appointed HR manager at Seven Oaks, a famous PR firm that is not doing too well at present. As she assumed the post of the HR manager, everyone impressed upon her the need to energize the employees and motivate them to give their best to the job. After she met with the employees and managers, she felt that many employees were demotivated because they had attained their maximum potential in their current job roles. Additionally, she felt that though the management believed strongly in its employee-friendly nature, this nature was not manifested in its actions. Those employees who were on the board had begun to mimic the management's action of attributing the lack of any constructive change to company policies. Describe any two changes that Nora should propose at the meeting with a rationale for each.

Question 38

A prerequisite condition for job rotation is the ________.

A) presence of high level of autonomy among workers
B) presence of high need for affiliation among workers
C) presence of employees with similar skill sets and requirements
D) presence of alternative work arrangements for employees to avail
E) presence of employee involvement programs

Question 39

CalTrack Services has been facing employee-related issues like decreased productivity, low morale, and poor organizational commitment in recent times. At a meeting to discuss strategies to address these issues of immediate concern, Joe McEnroe, the production manager, proposed that the roles of employees working on key projects be enhanced to increase autonomy. He felt that this would enhance productivity, motivation, and accountability. Taking a cue from McEnroe, Paul Wilbur suggested job rotation as a solution to the problem they were facing. Wilbur felt that a change of job roles would make the employees keener to learn and perform. He emphasized that job rotation would help management create a larger skill base to choose from, depending on the needs of specific projects.
Which of the following, if true, would weaken the argument of adopting job rotation?

A) The employees of the company have similar skill sets which are suited to transfer of learning.
B) The company has been conducting professional training programs to keep all employees up-to-date with the developments in the field.
C) AmWeb, one of the major rival firms, witnessed a substantial rise in profits following its cross-training program for employees.
D) The research evidence favoring job rotation has rarely used samples from the service industry.
E) The company is now entering its busiest business season with multiple project deadlines.

Question 40

Janice and Shane are both senior software analysts. They have worked together on projects for six years and get along very well. Janice is anticipating the arrival of her first child and will not be able to work on a full-time basis in the future. Shane is contemplating opening his own business as a home media installation consultant and does not want to continue to work full time. They both need some income. Which of the following alternative job structures would be best for Janice and Shane?

A) job enlargement
B) telecommuting
C) job rotation
D) job sharing
E) job enrichment

Question 41

The major advantage of flextime is that it can be used for all categories of jobs.

Question 42

Which of the following is the distinct characteristic of participative management programs?

A) joint decision making
B) representative participation
C) performance norms
D) establishment of work councils
E) autocratic decision making

Question 43

Describe telecommuting as an alternative work arrangement.

Question 44

________ is a participative process that uses employees' input to increase their commitment to the organization's success.

A) Job enrichment
B) Employee involvement
C) Vertical integration
D) Groupshifting
E) Job sharing

Question 45

People with more education are more apt to work from home.

Question 46

A sales associate working from home is telecommuting; another sales associate traveling and working from her car on a business trip is not.

Question 47

The option of working at home at least two days a week on a computer linked to the employer's office is termed as ________.

A) job sharing
B) social loafing
C) offshoring
D) telecommuting
E) alternative worksharing

Question 48

To be effective, an employee involvement program must ________.

A) eliminate obsolete positions in order to save other positions
B) be tailored to local and national norms
C) mandatorily establish work councils in the company
D) eliminate the influence of employees in managerial decision making
E) implement autocratic ways of handling its employees

Question 49

Which of the following alternative work arrangements enables the organization to draw on the talents of more than one individual in a given job?

A) telecommuting
B) flextime
C) gainsharing
D) profit sharing
E) job sharing

Question 50

After the training and development manager at Add Worth, Nicole Hayes, resigned, the CEO has made it a priority that the position be filled soon by someone of equal expertise and experience as Nicole. To locate the right candidate, Jennifer Ray, the HR manager, has been contacting recruitment firms, checking job sites, and pushing for referrals from the employees. However, she has only found candidates with little or no experience in the field who were willing to work full time for the position. At the next meeting with the CEO, Jennifer proposes an alternative strategy; she suggests hiring two experienced candidates who are open to the idea of handling the training needs on a part-time basis as a team. The CEO listens to her proposal but is not too convinced by it. Which of the following, if true, would strengthen Jennifer's proposal to use job sharing for the vacant position?

A) Trainers are exempted from the requirement of being at the office throughout the common core period of the workday.
B) The employees of the company on the work council have planned to demand the flextime option.
C) A good proportion of the company's prized workforce comprises employees from the baby boomer generation who are set to retire in the impending future.
D) The headhunting firms that Jennifer contacted are usually helpful in generating a good pool of potential candidates.
E) A rival firm recently adopted telecommuting to reduce administrative costs cutting into its bottom line.

Question 51

A flextime arrangement requires all employees to be at their jobs during the common core period.

Question 52

An MNC in a developing country is operating amidst severe space constraints, and the infrastructural conditions in the city are bad, causing a lot of lost man-hours. Anticipating rapid growth in the months to come, the company has created a recruitment plan based on its revenue expectations. However, it wants to manage this expansion without undertaking an expensive physical expansion. Which of the following could be a solution for the company?

A) profit sharing
B) groupshifting
C) telecommuting
D) gainsharing
E) codetermining

Question 53

Telecommuting is an option that suits professionals like ________.

A) trainers
B) nurses
C) analysts
D) receptionists
E) sales representatives

Question 54

Which of the following tends to be a major downside of employees telecommuting for managers in an organization?

A) Feelings of isolation
B) Reduced job satisfaction
C) Dull, repetitive work
D) Reduced innovation
E) Demotivation

Question 55

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of flextime.

Question 56

Which of the following is true about flextime in regard to different cultures?

A) Flextime tends to be viewed similarly in cultures throughout the world.
B) Flextime is only available in the U.S., not in other cultures.
C) In some countries, employers cannot refuse reasonable request for flextime.
D) Collectivist cultures offer flextime at high rates since autonomy is valued and expected.
E) Collectivist cultures do not offer flextime.

Question 57

Amanda McPherson is a working mother with one child and an ailing parent to look after in addition to her duties as a wife and job responsibilities as a legal consultant. Since Amanda always feels pressed for time, the news that the consultancy she works for would allow her to work from home two days a week came as a great relief to her. She now feels more motivated to work for the company, as the company has taken into account her personal and professional needs. The company has allowed Amanda to use the option of ________.

A) gainsharing
B) offshoring
C) telecommuting
D) homeshoring
E) job sharing

Question 58

Which of the following is the major drawback of job sharing from management's perspective?

A) increase in supervisory workload
B) increased costs for providing supporting infrastructure (such as desk and computer) to two employees instead of one
C) difficulty in finding compatible partners
D) difficulty in designing the reward structure
E) difficulty in coordinating schedules

Question 59

For management, a major downside of telecommuting is ________.

A) decreased productivity
B) increased turnover
C) reduced morale
D) difficulty in scheduling work
E) decreased collaboration

Question 60

Discuss how an individual can convince her employer to give her flextime?

Question 61

Representative participation is characterized by ________.

A) joint decision making by employees and management
B) autocratic leadership behaviors
C) one-way management decision making
D) only nonunion employees making the primary decisions in an organization
E) redistribution of power within an organization

Question 62

The ________ pay plan has long been popular as a means of compensating production workers by paying a fixed sum for each unit of production completed.

A) competency-based
B) gainsharing
C) piece-rate
D) profit-sharing
E) merit-based

Question 63

Participative management is characterized by the symbolic representation of employees in work councils and board meetings.

Question 64

What is an advantage of bonuses over merit-based pay plan?

A) Employees don't view bonuses as a part of their salary.
B) Bonuses improve flexibility of the workforce.
C) Bonuses are paid based on a formula.
D) Bonuses improve performance of the group as a whole.
E) Employees are rewarded for recent performance.

Question 65

Employee involvement and participation (EIP) is a process that uses employees' input to increase their commitment to organizational success.

Question 66

Which of the following represents a pay plan that rewards employees for recent performance rather than historical performance?

A) bonus
B) flexible benefits
C) modular plans
D) cafeteria plans
E) base salary

Question 67

Woodworth & Baines is a retail chain that has taken up numerous measures to improve employee attitude, motivation, and organizational performance. New training programs, employee engagement initiatives, and an employee welfare council were the three main strategies implemented as part of the employee empowerment program. Norman Kilner was one of twenty employees nominated to the employee welfare council where they were required to interact with the management to promote the interests of the employees. Additionally, the job roles of these twenty employees were vertically enhanced to give them more autonomy in the organization. However, six months into the employee empowerment program, a survey by HR revealed no actual change in employee attitudes. Similarly, a survey conducted by the production manager revealed that work productivity had not increased by any substantial measure either. Which of the following, if true, would best explain this outcome?

A) Management strengthened the regulations relating to employee absenteeism in this period.
B) Management retained the degree of control they had in the organizational affairs.
C) The company moved from a merit-based to a piece-rate pay system in the last quarter.
D) The employees performed poorly because of the lack of training and development programs.
E) Management implemented a 360-degree feedback system for performance appraisals.

Question 68

________ bases a portion of an employee's pay on some individual and/or organizational measure of performance.

A) Guaranteed pay program
B) Variable-pay program
C) Flexible benefits program
D) Modular plans program
E) Base pay program

Question 69

The two most common forms of representative participation are ________ and board representatives.

A) quality circles
B) works councils
C) employee unions
D) task teams
E) cross-functional teams

Question 70

In participative representation, what are board representatives?

A) Board representatives are employees who participate on a company's board of directors.
B) Board representatives are management that participate in decision making for the company.
C) Board representatives is another name for a company's board of directors.
D) Board representatives are the management team that sits on the board of directors.
E) Board representatives are employees that hire other employees for the company.

Question 71

Which of the following is an example of a piece-rate plan?

A) $20 for each hour of work
B) $2 for each unit produced
C) stock options at cheaper prices
D) straight commission plan
E) spot bonuses

Question 72

The external competitiveness of an organization's pay relative to elsewhere in the industry is measured by its ________.

A) external benefit
B) external rotation
C) external costs
D) external equity
E) external liability

Question 73

Internal equity refers to the ________.

A) list of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required in a particular job
B) arrangement of the elements of different jobs in the organization
C) worth of the job to the organization
D) organization's pay relative to pay elsewhere in its industry
E) framework of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that the job involves

Question 74

Employee involvement and participation (EIP) management is a method of management where ________.

A) representatives of workers form work councils and these councils must be consulted when management makes decisions about employees
B) few representatives of workers sit on a company's board of directors
C) subordinates share a significant degree of decision-making power with their immediate superiors
D) low-level workers meet occasionally with the CEO to discuss problems within their department
E) low-level workers are responsible for making corporate policy decisions

Question 75

A(n) ________ pay plan pays for individual performance based on performance appraisal ratings.

A) piece-rate
B) merit-based
C) employee stock ownership
D) profit-sharing
E) gainsharing

Question 76

________ are groups of nominated or elected employees who must be consulted when management makes decisions about employees.

A) Team representatives
B) Board representatives
C) Works councils
D) Representative participants
E) Telecommuters

Question 77

What is employee involvement and why is it important? What are the two major forms of employee involvement?

Question 78

Daichi Inc. is a Japanese software development firm known for its high quality products. Recently, the company held its annual conference and awarded all those employees who were in the top five percent with substantial monetary rewards. Their performance was evaluated on the basis of target achievement, client feedback, and quality ratings. Employees whose performance had not changed drastically were given a minor raise and those who fared badly received no incentives. Many employees blamed the company for creating differences among employees because they felt that it would harm the company in the long run, but Daichi Inc. truly believes that to retain and motivate its best performers, a large incentive is a good step. Daichi Inc. is using a(n) ________ here.

A) piece-rate plan
B) employee stock ownership plan
C) modular plan
D) merit-based plan
E) flexible benefits plan

Question 79

Which of the following statements is true regarding a merit-based pay plan?

A) It bases pay levels on how many skills employees have or how many jobs they can do.
B) It is also called competency-based pay plan.
C) High performers can get bigger raises.
D) It distributes compensation based on an established formula designed around a company's profitability.
E) A typical merit-based pay plan provides no base salary and pays the employee only for what he or she produces.

Question 80

The two major forms of employee involvement are participative management and ________.

A) organizational restructuring
B) job sharing
C) representative participation
D) job rotation
E) job enlargement