Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 09-05 Explain why and how managers can use pay as a major motivation tool.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
82.
A worker who is paid on the basis of the number of computer components produced per
day is said to be paid on a(n) ________ basis.
A.
underpayment inequity
B.
overpayment inequity
C.
piece-rate
D.
equity
Using piece-rate pay, an individual-based merit plan, managers base employees’ pay on
the number of units each employee produces, whether televisions, computer components,
or welded auto parts.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-05 Explain why and how managers can use pay as a major motivation tool.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
83.
A real-estate agent, who is paid on the basis of the percentage of the sale price of a house
sold, is said to be paid on a(n) ________ basis.
A.
piece-rate
B.
equity
C.
commission
D.
underpayment inequity
Using commission pay, an individual-based merit pay plan, managers base pay on a
percentage of sales.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-05 Explain why and how managers can use pay as a major motivation tool.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
84.
A department store that pays its salespeople in the shoe department as a percentage of
the dollar value of shoes sold is said to be using a(n) ________ basis pay plan.
A.
commission
B.
equity
C.
underpayment inequity
D.
overpayment inequity
Using commission pay, an individual-based merit pay plan, managers base pay on a
percentage of sales.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
9-60
Learning Objective: 09-05 Explain why and how managers can use pay as a major motivation tool.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
85.
An organization focuses on cost-savings techniques and shares a percentage of the cost
savings resulting from these techniques with its employees. This is the idea behind the
________ plan.
A.
profit sharing
B.
Scanlon
C.
suggestion
D.
current-distribution
In a Scanlon plan, members of an organization are motivated to come up with and
implement cost-cutting strategies because a percentage of the cost savings achieved
during a specified time is distributed to the employees.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 09-05 Explain why and how managers can use pay as a major motivation tool.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
Essay Questions
86.
Explain how an employee can be intrinsically motivated, extrinsically motivated, or both,
depending on the factors in his or her job situation. Give one example of an employee who
exhibits each of these three possible work situations.
An employee may be intrinsically motivated when he or she works hard and long at a job
because it is interesting or challenging. An elementary school teacher who really enjoys
teaching children is intrinsically motivated. An employee may be extrinsically motivated
when he or she works hard at a job because of some external reward, such as money or
promotion. A car salesperson who is motivated by receiving a commission on all cars sold
is extrinsically motivated. Many people work hard at their jobs both because they enjoy
the work and because of the external rewards. A top manager who derives a sense of
accomplishment and achievement from managing a large corporation and strives to reach
year-end targets to obtain a hefty bonus is both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-01 Explain what motivation is and why managers need to be concerned about it.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
87.
Define prosocially motivated behavior. Can behavior be prosocially motivated in addition to
being extrinsically or intrinsically motivated? Give an example to support your answer.
Prosocially motivated behavior is behavior that is performed to benefit or help others.
Behavior can be prosocially motivated in addition to being extrinsically and/or intrinsically
motivated, such an elementary school teacher who not only enjoys the process of teaching
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-01 Explain what motivation is and why managers need to be concerned about it.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
88.
In the context of motivation theory, what is an output? What is an input? Give examples of
each.
An outcome is anything a person gets from a job or an organization. Some outcomes, such
as autonomy, responsibility, a feeling of accomplishment, and the pleasure of doing
interesting or enjoyable work, result in intrinsically motivated behavior. Outcomes such as
improving the lives or well-being of other people and doing good by helping others result
in prosocially motivated behavior. Other outcomes, such as pay, job security, benefits, and
vacation time, result in extrinsically motivated behavior.
Organizations hire people to obtain important inputs. An input is anything a person
contributes to the job or organization, such as time, effort, education, experience, skills,
knowledge, and actual work behaviors. Inputs such as these are necessary for an
organization to achieve its goals. Managers strive to motivate members of an organization
to contribute inputs—through their behavior, effort, and persistence—that help the
organization achieve its goals. Managers ensure that members of an organization obtain
the outcomes they desire when they make valuable contributions to the organization.
Learning Objective: 09-01 Explain what motivation is and why managers need to be concerned about it.
89.
Discuss the three major factors in expectancy theory and explain their possible impact on
the motivation of a worker.
The three major factors of expectancy theory are expectancy (the extent to which a
manager feels that his or her effort will result in a certain performance level),
instrumentality (the extent to which a certain level of performance will result in the
attainment of certain outcomes), and valence (the desirability of each of the outcomes
available from a job or an organization to a person).
According to expectancy theory, high motivation results from high levels of expectancy,
instrumentality, and valence. If any one of these factors is low, motivation is likely to be
low.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-02 Describe from the perspectives of expectancy theory and equity theory what managers should
do to have a highly motivated workforce.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
90.
Explain equity theory. What does equity theory suggest people do when they feel they are
not being treated fairly? Give an example of a situation from your own experience where a
person felt he/she was being treated inequitably and explain it using equity theory.
Equity theory is a theory of motivation that concentrates on people’s perceptions of the
fairness of their work outcomes relative to, or in proportion to, their work inputs.
Underpayment inequity exists when a person’s own outcome-input ratio is perceived to
be less than that of a referent. In comparing yourself to a referent, you think that you are
not receiving the outcomes you should be, given your inputs.
Equity theory suggests when people perceive underpayment inequity that they (a) change
their “referent,”; (b) change their perceptions of their own and their referents’ inputs and
outcomes, and/or (c) reduce their inputs or decrease their outputs.
Students can give examples from their own experiences of people who experienced
underpayment inequity.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 09-02 Describe from the perspectives of expectancy theory and equity theory what managers should
do to have a highly motivated workforce.
Topic: Equity Theory
91.
Define distributive justice, procedural justice, interpersonal justice, and informational
justice. Describe the influence of these perceptions on the motivation of employees in an
organization.
“Distributive justice” refers to an employee’s perception of the fairness of the distribution
of outcomes (such as promotions, pay, job assignments, and working conditions) in an
organization. Employees are more likely to be highly motivated when they perceive
distributive justice to be high rather than low.
“Procedural justice” refers to an employee’s perception of the fairness of the procedures
used to determine how to distribute outcomes in an organization. If important outcomes
are distributed based on performance appraisals and an employee perceives that the
procedure used is unfair, then procedural justice is low. Motivation is higher when
procedural justice is high rather than low.
“Interpersonal justice” refers to an employee’s perception of the fairness of the
interpersonal treatment he or she receives from whoever distributes outcomes to him or
her. This justice is high when managers treat subordinates with dignity and respect and
92.
Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs model of motivation. Discuss the
different kinds of needs in this model and give one specific example of each of these types
of needs in terms of a worker’s behavior.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model includes physiological needs, safety needs,
belongingness needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.
Physiological needs are basic needs for things such as food, water, and shelter that must
be met in order for a person to survive. Safety needs are needs for security, stability, and a
safe environment. Belongingness needs are needs for social interaction, friendship,
affection, and love. Esteem needs are the needs to feel good about oneself and one’s
capabilities, to be respected by others, and to receive recognition and appreciation. Self–
actualization needs are the needs to realize one’s full potential as a human being.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-03 Explain how goals and needs motivate people and what kinds of goals are especially likely to
result in high performance.
Topic: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
93.
Discuss the concepts of Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory. How does it differentiate
between motivation needs and hygiene needs of workers?
According to Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory, people have two sets of needs or
requirements: motivator needs and hygiene needs.
Motivator needs are related to the nature of the work itself and how challenging it is.
Outcomes such as interesting work, autonomy, responsibility, being able to grow and
develop on the job, and a sense of accomplishment and achievement help to satisfy
motivator needs. Hygiene needs are related to the physical and psychological context in
which the work is performed. Hygiene needs are satisfied by outcomes such as pleasant
and comfortable working conditions, pay, job security, good relationships with coworkers,
and effective supervision. When hygiene needs are not met, workers are dissatisfied, and
when hygiene needs are met, workers are not dissatisfied.
Satisfying hygiene needs, however, does not result in high levels of motivation or even
high levels of job satisfaction. For motivation and job satisfaction to be high, motivator
needs must be met.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 09-03 Explain how goals and needs motivate people and what kinds of goals are especially likely to
result in high performance.
Topic: Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory
94.
Psychologist David McClelland extensively researched the needs for achievement,
affiliation, and power. Give an account of these needs and their influence in the
workplace.
The need for achievement is the extent to which an individual has a strong desire to
perform challenging tasks well and to meet personal standards for excellence. People with
a high need for achievement often set clear goals for themselves and like to receive
performance feedback. The need for affiliation is the extent to which an individual is
concerned about establishing and maintaining good interpersonal relations, being liked,
and having the people around him or her get along with each other. The need for power is
the extent to which an individual desires to control or influence others.
Their importance in the workplace depends on the position one occupies. Research
suggests that high needs for achievement and for power are assets for first-line and
middle managers and that a high need for power is especially important for upper
managers. U.S. presidents with a relatively high need for power tended to be especially
effective during their terms of office. A high need for affiliation may not always be
desirable in managers and other leaders because it might lead them to try too hard to be
liked by others (including subordinates) rather than doing all they can to ensure that
performance is as high as it can and should be.
95.
Specific, difficult goals have been found to increase both motivation and performance in
some types of work situations. However, they have also been found to decrease both
motivation and performance in some other types of work situations. Discuss both of these
possibilities and explain the factors that are likely to produce each of these two results.
Regardless of whether specific, difficult goals are set by managers, workers, or teams of
managers and workers, they lead to high levels of motivation and performance. When
managers set goals for their subordinates, their subordinates must accept the goals or
agree to work toward them; also, they should be committed to them or really want to
attain them. Having subordinates participate in the actual setting of goals boosts their
acceptance of and commitment to the goals. In addition, organizational members need to
receive feedback about how they are doing. Specific, difficult goals (a) motivate people to
contribute more inputs to their jobs and (b) affect motivation by helping people focus their
inputs in the right direction. The fact that the goals are specific and difficult frequently
causes people to develop action plans for reaching them.
Specific, difficult goals may detract from performance under certain conditions. When
people are performing complicated and challenging tasks that require them to focus on a
considerable amount of learning, specific, difficult goals may impair performance. Striving
to reach such goals may direct some of a person’s attention away from learning about the
task and toward trying to figure out how to achieve the goal. Additionally, for work that is
96.
Operant conditioning theory presents four major techniques that managers can use to
influence the behavior of subordinates. Discuss each of these techniques and give a
specific example of how a manager could use each of these techniques in attempting to
change a subordinate’s behavior.
Operant conditioning theory provides four tools that managers can use to motivate high
performance and prevent workers from engaging in absenteeism and other behaviors that
detract from organizational effectiveness. Managers can use positive reinforcement,
negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction in an attempt to influence the
behavior of subordinates in the work setting.
Positive reinforcement gives people outcomes they desire when they perform
organizationally functional behaviors. These desired outcomes, called positive reinforcers,
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 09-04 Identify the motivation lessons that managers can learn from operant conditioning theory and
social learning theory.
Topic: Reinforcement
97.
Discuss the pros and cons of using punishment. If managers use punishment, how should
they minimize the negative side effects?
Punishment is good at stopping an undesired behavior quickly. However, it may cause
resentment, loss of self-respect, and retaliation. To avoid negative side effects, managers
should
• Downplay the emotional element by focusing on the person’s performance, not the
person himself or herself
• Try to punish as soon as possible, and let people know why they are being punished.
• Not punish in front of others, but do let people know that offenders are punished.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-04 Identify the motivation lessons that managers can learn from operant conditioning theory and
social learning theory.
Topic: Reinforcement
98.
Vicarious learning is one of the most important concepts in social learning theory. Discuss
the steps to be taken by managers to promote vicarious learning.
Vicarious learning (also called observational learning) occurs whenever a manager learns
by observing the behavior and its positive or negative consequences of another manager in
the organization. New managers learn management techniques, in part, by observing
experienced members of an organization performing the behavior and being positively
reinforced for doing them. In general, people are more likely to be motivated to imitate the
behavior of models who are highly competent, are experts in the behavior, have high
status, receive attractive reinforcers, and are friendly or approachable. To promote
vicarious learning, managers should strive to have the learner meet the following
conditions:
• The learner observes the model performing the behavior.
• The learner accurately perceives the model’s behavior.
• The learner remembers the behavior.
• The learner has the skills and abilities needed to perform the behavior.
• The learner sees or knows that the model is positively reinforced for the behavior.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Understand
99.
Explain what is meant by a “merit pay plan” and discuss the use of piece-rate pay,
commission pay, the Scanlon plan, and a profit sharing plan.
A merit pay plan is a compensation plan that is based on performance.
Using piece-rate pay, an individual-based merit plan, managers base employees’ pay on
the number of units each employee produces, whether televisions, computer components,
or welded auto parts.
Using commission pay, another individual-based merit pay plan, managers base pay on a
percentage of sales.
Examples of organizational-based merit pay plans include the Scanlon plan and profit
sharing. The Scanlon plan focuses on reducing expenses or cutting costs; members of an
organization are motivated to propose and implement cost-cutting strategies because a
percentage of the cost savings achieved during a specified time is distributed to the
employees. Under profit sharing, employees receive a share of an organization’s profits.
Regardless of the specific kind of plan that is used, managers should always strive to link
pay to the performance of behaviors that help an organization achieve its goals.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-05 Explain why and how managers can use pay as a major motivation tool.
Topic: Expectancy Theory
100.
Discuss the differences in impact on motivation of a bonus versus a salary increase of the
same amount of money.
Bonuses tend to have more effect for three reasons:
• Salary levels are typically based on performance levels, cost–of-living increases, and so
forth from the day people start working in an organization, which means the absolute level
of the salary is based largely on factors unrelated to current performance. The amount as
a percent of salary may seem relatively small.
• Often, salary increases reflect nonperformance factors such as cost–of-living or
marketing adjustments.
• Bonuses give managers more flexibility in distributing outcomes, because salaries rarely
go down, while bonuses are expected to vary from one period to another.
AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 09-05 Explain why and how managers can use pay as a major motivation tool.
Topic: Expectancy Theory