1
Contemporary Organizational Behavior (Elsbach)
Topic Summary 6 Motivation
1) Which of the following is not one of the three primary factors organizations should consider
when motivating employees?
A) Factors related to the job
B) Factors related to the environment
C) Factors related to employee social interactions
D) Factors internal to the individual
2) Upon graduation, you get your dream job at a firm making $500k annually which is highly
motivating and extraordinarily satisfying to you. Basing your prediction entirely on your
maintaining your current salary level, what will happen to your satisfaction and motivation in 5
years’ time? Explain.
2
3) When motivation changes from intrinsic to extrinsic, performance ________.
A) Increases
B) Decreases
C) Remains constant
4) Someone with ________ is likely to excel at certain tasks, but they don’t make the best
managers because they focus on attaining their goals instead of the team or organization’s goals,
they tend to take personal credit for achievements instead of celebrating team success, they
micromanage, and they don’t involve or inspire others.
A) An introverted personality
B) A high need for power
C) A high need for achievement
D) A type A personality
5) Which behavior is least likely to be exhibited by a highly-rated manager with a high need for
power working in a hierarchical organization with clear lines of authority?
A) They are able to delegate easily
B) They network to gain favor with subordinates and colleagues
C) They place priority on organizational goals instead of their individual agendas
D) They make fair but sometimes unpopular decisions
3
6) Which theorist developed the theory of motivation based on internal needs?
A) McClelland
B) Herzberg
C) McGregor
D) All of the above are based on internal factors
7) At which motivational level does Alderfer’s ERG theory function?
A) Internal
B) Incentive
C) Individual
8) Which of the following is the most significant difference between theories of motivation
developed by Maslow and Alderfer?
A) Maslow’s theory has more categories than Alderfer’s
B) Alderfer’s theory contains more details about how to motivate using the theory than Maslow’s
C) Regression is possible in Alderfer’s theory but not in Maslow’s
Difficulty: Medium
4
9) Which researcher’s theory included the concept of concurrent motivational drivers?
A) Alderfer
B) McClelland
C) Maslow
D) All of these researchers included this component in their respective theories
10) Which tenet of Maslow’s theory has been refuted by modern research?
A) Fulfilling lower order needs is required for the pursuit of higher order needs
B) Everyone is driven to achieve self-actualization
C) Once met, lower goals cease to motivate
D) Lower needs must be satisfied externally
11) Maslow’s theory is now used ________.
A) By managers wanting to motivate without the need for tangible rewards
B) To motivate employees quickly with minimal effort
C) In public, but not private, organizations
5
12) According to expectancy theory, which of these situations would fail to motivate employees?
A) The employee doesn’t value the reward
B) Increased effort doesn’t result in increased performance
C) High performance is not rewarded
13) Which theory of motivation is based in large part on the perception and evaluation of
yourself and others?
A) Equity theory
B) Social exchange theory
C) Two factor theory
14) What is the common component driving equity theory and all dimensions of justice?
A) The organization’s incentive program
B) The individual’s perceptions
C) The referent other(s)
6
15) An organization can increase employee motivation using which of the following
interventions/actions?
A) Providing positive recognition
B) Setting challenging but achievable goals
C) Empower employees by adding responsibility
16) Jason doesn’t think it’s fair that everyone gets the same annual raise as he does because he
has been there longer and works harder. Jason is likely to perceive injustice on which of the four
dimensions of justice?
A) Distributive justice
B) Procedural justice
C) Interpersonal justice
D) Informational justice
17) When would your motivation for a task be the highest?
A) Working under a Theory X manager
B) Working under a Theory Y manager
C) You are in flow
D) You perceive equity
7
18) What happens when skill variety, task identity, and task significance are present in a job?
A) Increased organizational commitment
B) Personal skill development leads to higher performance
C) Rewards need to increase to maintain current motivation
D) Intrinsic motivation results from the meaningful work
Difficulty: Medium
8
20) A manager who adheres to ________ chooses to micromanage to ensure his employees stay
motivated and on task. A manager believing in ________ would increase motivation through
adding responsibilities to challenge her employees. While both managers may initially see an
increase in motivation and performance, the strategy taken by the ________ manager is likely to
result in employees who are more motivated for a longer period of time and consistently deliver
higher performance.
A) Theory X; Theory Y; Theory X
B) Theory X; Theory Y; Theory Y
C) Theory Y; Theory X; Theory Y
21) When does the strategy of talent management influence employees?
A) Before a candidate applies
B) Through employment branding media campaigns
C) Throughout their career with the company
9
22) Instead of motivating with monetary incentives, some organizations award points that
employees can use to “buy” things they find desirable from numerous choices with various point
values. The incentive an employee wants to earn will drive their efforts, resulting in higher
performance. What theory of motivation best describes this method of motivation?
A) Choice theory
B) Expectancy theory
C) Equity theory
D) Cognitive evaluation theory
23) An organization wants to increase the motivation and performance of their front-line
workers. They have arranged the office space to facilitate frequent communication between
employees, all supervisors have completed leadership training, and each week the company has
lunch catered so supervisors and subordinates can mingle together. What does Herzberg’s theory
predict motivation will do after these changes are implemented?
A) Motivation will increase
B) Motivation will remain the same
C) Motivation will decrease
D) Herzberg’s theory is not helpful in this situation
10
24) An organization gives a 1% raise to everyone annually, and many employees are upset by
this practice, so they have no motivation to work hard. Why are employees upset and
unmotivated?
A) The practice is not consistent with an optimal experience
B) The amount of the raise is too small; a raise of at least 3% is needed to motivate
C) Everyone is treated the same; no distinction is made based on performance
25) While an organization expects performance to increase after a new rewards program begins,
they may see performance decrements compared to pre-incentive levels. Why?