Chapter 07: Motivation
TRUE/FALSE
1. An attribution error occurs when people try to determine cause and effect in their lives and make
assumptions about what actions led to this situation.
2. Motivation is the driving force behind an individual’s actions that energizes and directs goal-oriented
behavior.
3. Most motivation theories recognize that motivation begins with people’s needs.
4. At the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of five basic needs is self-esteem, which can be attained both
through personal achievement and via recognition from others.
5. Gratification of one need level does not necessarily lead to increased motivation coming from the need
to satisfy the next item in the hierarchy, as proposed by Maslow.
6. Maslow’s model includes a frustration–regression process whereby those who are unable to satisfy a
higher need become frustrated and regress back to the next lower need level.
7. Maslow’s model allows for greater flexibility than Alderfer’s because it recognizes that people have
different needs and they do not move up in a rigid hierarchy.
8. In Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, motivators are positive influencers, such as job involvement,
that are intrinsic to a job and that can push employees to higher levels of performance.
9. When using the motivator-hygiene model, firms can assume that intrinsic items, such as employee
growth opportunities and interesting work, will have the same motivational effect internationally.
10. People with a high nAch prefer working in teams rather than alone and choose tasks with a moderate
degree of difficulty—challenging but achievable.
11. High-nAff employees tend to be more effective than those with a low nAff in coordinating roles, such
as helping diverse departments work on joint projects.
12. Research has found that executives with a low nAff tend to be indecisive and are perceived as less fair
in the distribution of resources.
13. McClelland argued that effective leaders should have a high need for personalized rather than
socialized power.
14. McClelland argued that achievement, affiliation, and power needs are learned rather than instinctive,
and are thus inculcated by cultures and societies.
15. Expectancy theory is a process-motivation theory based on the idea that work effort is directed toward
behaviors that people believe will lead to desired outcomes.
16. The effort-to-performance expectancy is developed from previous experience or social learning
derived from watching others.
17. Valence refers to one’s anticipated satisfaction or dissatisfaction with an outcome.
18. Because performance-to-outcome expectancies are based on self-esteem and previous experience,
employees should be given the necessary tools and competencies, clear role perceptions, and favorable
situational factors to reach the desired levels of performance.
19. In more collectivist cultures, especially those with higher risk avoidance, employees may believe that
being taken care of is an obligation of the company.
20. Equity theory states that we compare our situations with a ‘‘comparison other,’’ and go on to identify
the comparison other.
21. If an employee who is feeling inequity cannot seem to alter the outcome/input ratio, he/she might
justify the inequity by replacing the referent with someone having a more comparable outcome/input
ratio.
22. Distributive justice asserts that inequality is acceptable if employees have fair access to resources and
opportunities such that they recognize any inequality to be the result of their own effort and not
because of favoritism by management.
23. Entitleds might prefer equal outcome/input ratios, but do not mind if others receive more than they do
for the same inputs as long as they feel fairly treated.
24. Like Entitleds, Equity Sensitives generally do not scheme to get out of work and get by with minimal
input.
25. When employees set their own goals, rather than having the company set goals for them, goals tend to
be set somewhat higher.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following occurs when people try to determine cause and effect in their lives and make
assumptions about what actions led to this situation?
a.
Inferential analysis error
b.
Cognitive bias error
c.
Correspondent inferences error
d.
Attribution error
2. At the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is:
a.
physiological needs.
b.
belongingness.
c.
self-actualization.
d.
self-esteem.
3. According to Maslow:
a.
all people exhibit all five needs to the same extent.
b.
a person’s behavior is motivated primarily by the lowest unsatisfied need at that moment
in time.
c.
individual needs do not follow the same progression up the scale from lower to higher in
different parts of the world.
d.
safety needs are initially the most important and people are motivated to satisfy them first.
4. Which of the following statements about Maslow’s theory is true?
a.
It predicts that even if a person is unable to satisfy a higher need, he/she will be motivated
by the possibility of fulfilling it until it is satisfied.
b.
It allows for more complex models of compensation to be developed, which resulted in the
recognition that a mixture of needs must be addressed.
c.
It states that gratification of one need level does not necessarily lead to increased
motivation coming from the need to satisfy the next item in the hierarchy.
d.
It argues that an employee’s behavior is motivated simultaneously by more than one need
level.
5. _____ needs include a person’s physiological and physically-related safety needs, such as the need for
food, shelter and safe working conditions.
a.
Interaction
b.
Relatedness
c.
Growth
d.
Existence
6. According to the ERG theory:
a.
motivation is not just putting things in place to encourage behavior, it also is concerned
with removing things that could discourage desired behaviors.
b.
a person’s behavior is motivated primarily by the lowest unsatisfied need at that moment
in time.
c.
an employee’s behavior is motivated simultaneously by more than one need level.
d.
relatedness needs are initially the most important and people are motivated to satisfy them
first.
7. Which of the following statements about the ERG theory is true?
a.
It breaks the concept of motivation into factors that motivate to take action, and factors
that create dissatisfaction and might cause people to avoid doing certain things, but will
not motivate them.
b.
It includes a frustration–regression process whereby those who are unable to satisfy a
higher need become frustrated and regress back to the next lower need level.
c.
Intrinsic motivators include achievement, recognition for achievement, the work itself,
responsibility, and growth or advancement.
d.
When using this theory, firms cannot assume that intrinsic items, such as employee growth
opportunities and interesting work, will have the same motivational effect internationally.
8. In Herzberg’s _____ theory, there are positive influencers, such as job involvement, that are intrinsic
to a job and that can push employees to higher levels of performance.
a.
motivation-hygiene
b.
ERG
c.
hierarchy of needs
d.
thematic aptitude test
9. In Herzberg’s formulation, which of the following is an intrinsic motivator?
a.
Security
b.
Status
c.
Interpersonal relationships
d.
The work itself
10. People with a high nAch:
a.
try to build a favorable image of themselves and take steps to get others to like them.
b.
tend to have better attendance records and tend to be better at mediating conflicts.
c.
want to accomplish reasonably challenging goals through their own efforts.
d.
prefer working in teams rather than alone and choose tasks with a moderate degree of
difficulty.
11. Which of the following statements about nAff is true?
a.
Generally, employees with high nAff prefer working alone.
b.
The need for affiliation is instinctive rather than learned.
c.
Research has found that executives with a high nAff tend to be indecisive.
d.
People with a high nAff tend to be less effective at allocating scarce resources.
12. People with a high _____ frequently rely on persuasive communication, make more suggestions in
meetings, and tend to publicly evaluate situations more frequently.
a.
nPow
b.
nAff
c.
nAch
d.
nAut
13. _____ theory is a process-motivation theory based on the idea that work effort is directed toward
behaviors that people believe will lead to desired outcomes.
a.
Motivator–hygiene
b.
Equity
c.
Learned-needs
d.
Expectancy
14. Which of the following statements about the expectancy theory is false?
a.
The effort-to–performance expectancy is an individual’s perception that his/her effort will
result in a particular level of performance.
b.
The perceived probability in the performance-to-outcome expectancy is developed from
previous experience.
c.
Expectancy is defined as a probability, and therefore ranges from -1.0 to +1.0.
d.
Your motivation depends on the probability that a behavior will result in the outcome that
you anticipate.
15. Valence:
a.
is the perceived probability that a specific behavior level will lead to specific outcomes.
b.
refers to one’s anticipated satisfaction or dissatisfaction about an outcome.
c.
is defined as a probability and ranges from 0.0 to 1.0.
d.
occurs when people try to determine cause and effect in their lives and make assumptions
about what actions led to this situation.
16. Which is the most obvious way to improve performance-to-outcome expectancies?
a.
To measure employee performance accurately.
b.
Properly matching employees to jobs based on their abilities and their job interests.
c.
Clearly communicating the tasks required for the job.
d.
Providing sufficient resources for employees to accomplish their tasks.
17. In individualistic cultures:
a.
employees believe that being taken care of is an obligation of the company.
b.
employees will be motivated by the offer of additional job security.
c.
firms reward employees partly through company social activities.
d.
outcomes are typically focused on monetary rewards.
18. In collectivist cultures, especially those with higher risk avoidance:
a.
employees have a need for achievement and are motivated by calculated outcomes.
b.
the outcomes are typically focused on monetary rewards.
c.
employees may believe that being taken care of is an obligation of the company.
d.
employees do not value group activities very highly.
19. Which of the following is a concept in China that the state, through the state-owned enterprises, would
meet all of the workers’ needs, including food, schooling for children, healthcare, and even recreation
and holiday facilities for workers?
a.
MITI
b.
Iron Rice Bowl
c.
Guanxi
d.
Keiretsu
20. Which theory explains how people develop perceptions of fairness in the distribution and exchange of
resources?
a.
Equity theory
b.
Expectancy theory
c.
Goal-setting theory
d.
Attribution theory
21. Which of the following statements about equity theory is false?
a.
It recognizes that people value outcomes differently because they have different needs.
b.
It is criticized for being mostly relevant to Anglo-American settings.
c.
It explains what employees are motivated to do when they feel inequitably treated.
d.
It has been approved for not being calculative or material-achievement focused.
22. Which of the following states that people who knew they were getting paid more than the going
market rate would work harder to try to justify that additional pay?
a.
Fair wage-effort hypothesis
b.
Expectancy theory
c.
Efficiency-wage hypothesis
d.
Social exchange theory
23. _____ asserts that inequality is all right if employees have fair access to resources and opportunity in
the firm so that any inequality is the result of effort.
a.
Fundamental justice
b.
Distributive justice
c.
Due process
d.
Procedural justice
24. Benevolents:
a.
usually like to see an equal workload, but are more accepting of unequal compensation.
b.
may try very hard to work less while still getting paid.
c.
often talk about what other people get in terms of salary and benefits and whether they are
worth it.
d.
often feel that they are unappreciated and underpaid and are willing to share their feelings.
25. What is the limitation of goal setting?
a.
When the company sets goals for employees, rather than having employees set their own
goals, the goals tend to be set somewhat higher.
b.
Employees report low levels of motivation when they have set difficult but achievable
goals.
c.
Self-set goals have the effect of decreasing employees’ acceptance of the goal.
d.
This theory cannot be applied to every performance dimension of every task.
ESSAY
1. Write an explanatory note on the needs theory.
ANS:
2. How does the ERG theory explain how cultures with different values may be motivated by different
needs?
3. List the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in Herzberg’s formulation.
4. Explain the need for affiliation or “nAff.”
5. How does the expectancy theory predict work effort and motivation in different cultures?
ANS:
6. List the main elements of the equity theory and explain at least one.
7. What are the limitations of goal setting?
ANS:
