Berman, Bowman, West, & Wart, Human Resource Management in Public Service, Sixth Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Study Questions
Chapter 6: Employee Motivation: Possible, Probable, or
Impossible?
1. What is motivation? (209)
2. Why does employee motivation matter? (209)
3. How does HRM affect employee motivation? (209)
4. What percentage of employees are motivated? (210)
5. What does empirical data show about motivation in the workplace? What is the 25–
50–25 rule? (210)
6. What are different factors that motivation theories emphasize? (211)
7. What is Maslow’s “hierarchy of needs?” How does it relate to motivation? (211)
8. What is Theory X? (212)
9. What is Theory Y? (212)
10. What is the basic principle of Vroom’s theory? (213)
11. How does MBO further motivation? (214)
12. What is employee engagement? (215)
13. What are some drivers of employee engagement? (215)
14. What role does money play in motivation? (216)
15. What factor has become important in determining motivation in recent years? (217)
16. How do younger employees differ in motivations from older workers? (217)
17. What is the “climate for motivation?” (218)
18. From the perspective of managers and their organizations, what factors constitute a
general climate for worker motivation? (218–220)
•
19. List some motivational needs not included in the Maslow hierarchy. (218–220)
• Nonwork needs.
20. What is a psychological contract? (222)
21. What are some ways in which psychological contracts can increase motivation? (222)
22. What factors make a psychological contract effective as a motivational tool? (223–
224)
23. What does a psychological contract assume about people? (224)
24. What is feedback? Why do you think it is important? (226–227)
25. What problems does feedback help minimize? (229)
26. Give some examples of how inadequate feedback can be detrimental. (226–228)
Own answer (but some examples can be found in book)
27. What is the basic strategy for dealing with “difficult people” What are some ways
difficult employees avoid being disciplined. (228–229)
28. What is being a good manager about? What are some of the mistakes management
can make? (Exhibit 6.6; 229)