Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 12e (Robbins/Judge)
Chapter 7 Motivation Concepts
1) Motivation is one of the most frequently researched topics in OB. According to a study, by
workers’ own reports, they waste roughly 2 hours per day, not counting lunch and scheduled
breaks and the biggest time-wasters are Internet surfing and ________.
A) updating their skills
B) conversing with managers
C) talking with co-workers
D) simulating work environment
E) reading instructional books
2) ________ is defined as the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and
persistence of effort toward attaining a goal.
A) Leadership
B) Management
C) Selective perception
D) Emotional labor
E) Motivation
3) Motivation can be defined by three key elements. ________ is one of these three key elements
and it is the element most of us focus on when we talk about motivation.
A) Intelligence
B) Experience
C) Expertise
D) Intensity
E) Knowledge
4) Some researchers have attempted to revive components of the need hierarchy concept, using
principles from evolutionary psychology. Which of the following statements is true in this
regard?
A) Researchers propose that higher-level needs are the chief concern of immature animals or
those with primitive nervous systems.
B) Researchers observe: lower needs are more frequently observed in mature animals with more
developed nervous systems.
C) Researchers have noted distinct underlying biological systems for different types of needs.
D) Researchers observe that in time, these revisions to Maslow’s hierarchy will definitely be
useful to practicing managers.
E) Researchers have noted the presence of intricate social systems for different types of needs.
5) According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which of the following is a lower-order need?
A) social
B) safety
C) esteem
D) self-actualization
E) recognition
6) Which of the following statements is true regarding Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory?
A) “Social” needs relate to autonomy and achievement.
B) A substantially satisfied need no longer motivates.
C) “Esteem” needs relate to affection and friendship.
D) Social needs are lower-order needs.
E) Lower-order needs are satisfied internally.
7) According to Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y, a manager assumes that employees ________.
A) dislike work
B) need to be controlled
C) avoid responsibility
D) exercise self-direction
E) attempt to avoid work
8) Mariah is the manager in a restaurant. According to Douglas McGregor’s Theory X, which of
the following is a behavior she would most likely exhibit?
A) She would empower her subordinates.
B) She would trust her employees to use discretion in most matters.
C) She would strictly control all the details of any project she is managing.
D) She would delegate authority extensively to junior managers.
E) She would let her employees choose their own goals.
9) The ________ theory is also called motivation-hygiene theory.
A) hierarchy of needs
B) goal-setting
C) self-determination
D) cognitive evaluation
E) two-factor
10) Which of the following statements is true according to the two-factor theory?
A) The hygiene factors tend to be intrinsic factors.
B) Factors that lead to job satisfaction are extrinsic factors.
C) Adequate hygiene factors ensure that people are not dissatisfied.
D) Recognition is a hygiene factor.
E) Hygiene factors lead to job satisfaction.
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Your fellow employees have a terrible work situation. They work in an old, run-down building
with an antiquated heating system. The work itself is tedious and the supervisor is rarely
available and only shows up to give reprimands for production shortfalls. Nobody has received a
promotion in two years. The work is boring, repetitious, and unrewarding.
11) You are trying to improve this situation with the help of Herzberg’s two-factor theory. You
decide that your first job should be to improve the hygiene factors. Which of the following
would you consider a hygiene factor?
A) working conditions
B) training related to new skills
C) recognition
D) employee empowerment
E) promotion
12) According to the two-factor theory, which of the following statements would likely be true?
A) When the working conditions are comfortable, employees will be satisfied.
B) Quality of supervision is a motivation factor.
C) Fixing the conditions that make the employees dissatisfied will not make them satisfied.
D) Employees are dissatisfied due to lack of recognition.
E) The major reason for dissatisfaction is probably the lack of promotion.
13) According to the two-factor theory, which of the following factors is most likely to create job
satisfaction?
A) improving working conditions
B) assuring job security
C) appreciating a job well done
D) improving the quality of supervision
E) changing company policies
14) According to the two-factor theory, ________ is a motivating factor.
A) better company policy
B) quality of supervision
C) responsibility
D) job security
E) pay
15) According to the two-factor theory proposed by Herzberg, which of the following factors is
considered a hygiene factor?
A) promotional opportunity
B) quality of supervision
C) achievement
D) recognition
E) responsibility
16) Which of the following theories indicates the existence of a dual continuum?
A) hierarchy of needs theory
B) self-determination theory
C) two-factor theory
D) cognitive evaluation theory
E) theory of needs
17) The two-factor theory proposes that ________.
A) within every human being, there exists a hierarchy of five needs and as each of these needs
becomes substantially satisfied, the next one becomes dominant
B) employees inherently dislike work and must therefore be directed or even coerced into
performing it
C) employees can view work as being as natural as rest or play, and therefore the average person
can learn to accept, and even seek, responsibility
D) the factors that lead to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from those that lead to job
dissatisfaction
E) achievement, power, and affiliation are three important needs that help explain motivation
18) McClelland’s theory of needs concentrates on which three needs?
A) achievement, growth, and security
B) achievement, power, and affiliation
C) self-actualization, stability, and affiliation
D) affiliation, control, and security
E) control, status, and affiliation
19) Jasmine wants to become head of her department. Although she will be greatly compensated
if she achieves this aim and will gain control over many subordinates, the main reason she is
pursuing this position is that she thinks she can do the job better than anyone else and wants
people to know this. According to the McClelland’s theory of needs, which of the following
needs primarily drives Jasmine in this case?
A) the need for stability
B) the need for achievement
C) the need for growth
D) the need for affiliation
E) the need for power
20) Which of the following statements is true according to McClelland’s theory of needs?
A) People with a high achievement need prefer doing tasks that involve a very high level of risk.
B) People with a high achievement need prefer jobs that have a low degree of personal
responsibility.
C) Best managers tend to have a high need for affiliation.
D) People with a high achievement need tend to be successful managers, especially in large
organizations.
E) Best managers tend to have a high need for power.
21) Which of the following theories proposes that people prefer to feel they have control over
their actions, so anything that makes a previously enjoyed task feel more like an obligation than
a freely chosen activity will undermine motivation?
A) theory of needs
B) motivation-hygiene theory
C) two-factor theory
D) self-determination theory
E) goal setting theory
22) Which of the following statements is true regarding the cognitive evaluation theory?
A) This theory proposes that employees inherently dislike work and must therefore be directed or
even coerced into performing it.
B) This theory hypothesizes that extrinsic rewards will reduce intrinsic interest in a task.
C) This theory is also called motivation-hygiene theory.
D) This theory is based on three needs: need for achievement, need for power, and need for
affiliation.
E) This theory states that the factors that lead to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from
those that lead to job dissatisfaction.
23) The concept of self-concordance proposes that ________.
A) the factors that lead to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from those that lead to job
dissatisfaction
B) employees inherently dislike work and must therefore be directed or even coerced into
performing it
C) individuals who pursue goals because of an intrinsic interest are more likely to attain their
goals
D) people with high achievement need tend to be the best general managers
E) extrinsic rewards will reduce intrinsic interest in a task
24) ________ indicates how strongly peoples’ reasons for pursuing goals are consistent with their
interests and core values.
A) Selective perception
B) Positivity offset
C) Cognitive dissonance
D) Emotional contagion
E) Self-concordance
25) Goals seem to have a more substantial effect on performance when the ________.
A) goals are generalized (like “Do your best”) rather than specific
B) tasks are complex rather than simple
C) tasks are novel rather than well learned
D) goals are easy rather than difficult
E) tasks are independent rather than interdependent
26) Which of the following statements is true regarding goals?
A) Goal commitment is most likely to occur when the individual has an external locus of control.
B) Generalized goals produce a higher level of output as compared to specific goals.
C) People do better when they get feedback on how well they are progressing toward their goals.
D) If factors such as acceptance of the goals are held constant, the more simple the goal, the
higher the level of performance.
E) Assigned goals appear to generate greater goal commitment in lower rather than higher
power-distance cultures.
27) What sort of goals does Management by Objectives (MBO) emphasize?
A) tangible, verifiable, and measurable
B) achievable, controllable, and profitable
C) inspirational, verifiable, and creative
D) challenging, rewarding, and measurable
E) profitable, attainable, and verifiable
28) ________ involves translating the organization’s overall objectives into specific objectives
for each succeeding level in the organization.
A) Strategic planning
B) Management by objectives
C) Representative participation
D) Management buy-out
E) Management by exception
29) Which of the following is not an ingredient common to all MBO programs?
A) an explicit time period
B) participative decision making
C) interdependence of tasks
D) performance feedback
E) specification of the goal
30) Many elements in management by objectives (MBO) programs match propositions of
________ theory.
A) motivation-hygiene
B) cognitive evaluation
C) goal-setting
D) self determination
E) hierarchy of needs
31) Which of the following statements is true regarding a management by objective (MBO)
program?
A) Many elements in MBO programs match propositions of cognitive evaluation theory.
B) MBO strongly advocates that the goals should be assigned by the managers without the
employees participating in the goal setting process.
C) MBO programs set generalized rather than specific goals.
D) MBO programs involve explicit time periods.
E) MBO programs strongly discourage providing performance feedback because it can have
negative effects on employee motivation.
32) The ________ theory is also known as the social cognitive theory or the social learning
theory.
A) two-factor
B) self-determination
C) goal-setting
D) self-efficacy
E) hierarchy of needs
33) ________ refers to an individual’s belief that he or she is capable of performing a task.
A) Emotional contagion
B) Affect intensity
C) Self-efficacy
D) Cognitive dissonance
E) Need for power
34) The Pygmalion effect is also called the ________ effect.
A) Self-efficacy
B) Self-concordance
C) Galatea
D) Self-determination
E) Pseudocertainty
35) The researcher who developed self-efficacy theory, Albert Bandura, proposes four ways self-
efficacy can be increased. Which of the following is one of these four ways that involves
becoming more confident because you see someone else doing the task?
A) arousal
B) enactive mastery
C) focused training
D) vicarious modeling
E) verbal persuasion
36) Which of the following is one of the four ways of increasing self-efficacy that involves
gaining relevant experience with the task or job?
A) verbal persuasion
B) enactive mastery
C) vicarious modeling
D) arousal
E) focused training
37) ________ is a form of self-fulfilling prophecy in which believing something can make it
true.
A) The confirmation bias
B) The Pygmalion effect
C) The anchoring bias
D) The framing effect
E) The distinction bias
38) With reference to the four ways of increasing self-efficacy as proposed by Albert Bandura,
verbal persuasion involves becoming more confident ________.
A) because you gain relevant experience with the task or job
B) because you see someone else doing the task
C) because someone convinces you that you have the skills necessary to be successful
D) because you get rewarded for performing a similar task well
E) because you get energized or “psyched up” for performing the task
39) Which of the following ways of increasing self-efficacy is generally used by motivational
speakers?
A) arousal
B) enactive mastery
C) focused training
D) vicarious modeling
E) verbal persuasion
40) Joanna watches her friend Sharon slim down. This increases her confidence that she can lose
weight too. Which of the following ways of increasing self-efficacy is represented by this
example?
A) enactive mastery
B) vicarious modeling
C) arousal
D) verbal persuasion
E) focused training
41) In equity theory, individuals assess the ________.
A) cost-benefit ratio
B) efficiency-effectiveness trade-off
C) quantity-quality trade-off
D) outcome-input ratio
E) quality of outcome
42) According to the equity theory, there are four referent comparisons. One of these four
referent comparisons known as other-inside refers to ________.
A) an employee’s experiences in a different position inside the employee‘s current organization
B) an employee’s experiences in a different position outside the employee’s current organization
C) another individual or group of individuals inside the employee’s organization
D) another individual or group of individuals outside the employee’s organization
E) an employee’s experiences in a similar position outside the employee’s current organization
43) Self-inside is one of the four referent comparisons mentioned in the equity theory and it
refers to ________.
A) an employee’s experiences in a different position inside the employee‘s current organization
B) an employee’s experiences in a different position outside the employee’s current organization
C) another individual or group of individuals inside the employee’s organization
D) another individual or group of individuals outside the employee’s organization
E) an employee’s experiences in a similar position outside the employee’s current organization
44) Other-outside is a referent comparison that refers to ________.
A) an employee’s experiences in a similar position outside the employee’s current organization
B) another individual or group of individuals inside the employee’s organization
C) an employee’s experiences in a different position inside the employee’s current organization
D) another individual or group of individuals outside the employee’s organization
E) an employee’s experiences in a different position outside the employee‘s current organization
45) The equity theory ________.
A) discusses three important needs: achievement, power, and affiliation
B) suggests that employees inherently dislike work and must therefore be directed or even
coerced into performing it
C) proposes that extrinsic rewards will reduce intrinsic interest in a task
D) discusses four referent comparisons self-inside, self-outside, other-inside, other-outside
E) suggests that the factors that lead to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from those that
lead to job dissatisfaction
46) James is a salaried employee whose job is to proofread legal documents. He discovers that he
is paid substantially more than his colleagues, even though their jobs and performances are very
similar. What is likely to be his reaction to this discovery according to the equity theory?
A) He will feel a sense of achievement.
B) He will expect to be promoted shortly.
C) He will increase the quantity or the quality of documents he proofreads.
D) He will seek a position within the company commensurate with his pay.
E) He will begin to look for a better position outside of the company.