Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 14
In-Class Use
You should decide in advance whether you would like to review student papers ahead of the classroom
discussion. Ideally you might require papers at least one session ahead of the in-class discussion. A quick
read of the papers is often helpful in guiding the discussion. For example, many of your students may
have noted the same theme or concern across their field interviews. You may want to prepare a question
or two specific to this aspect of motivation.
This exercise does not work well unless all students have completed quality interviews and written a
thoughtful paper. The exercise calls for students to discuss their findings in pairs or small groups (Step 5),
and any breakdown in preparation will short-circuit this discussion. It is recommended that you assign
adequate course points and/or provide enough incentives to encourage every student in your class to
prepare fully for this exercise.
Self-Assessment
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
When designing motivational packages, it is helpful for managers to know what exactly motivates
employees. But that kind of information can be hard to obtain. When using this assessment with your
class, tell students to think of a job they have had, a job they have applied for, or a job that they want or
expect to have. The assessment itself is directed to current employees, so students may have some
difficulty extrapolating their current circumstances to the items in the inventory.
In-Class Use
Scoring
Scoring instructions are given at the end of the inventory. The overall assessment is divided into three
subscales that relate to existence, relatedness, and growth needs. Once students calculate their raw scores
for these subscales, however, they will want to know what they mean. Heres what you can tell them:
Your total for (A) relates to what Alderfers theory calls existence needs. The higher your score for
questions in set A, the more likely you are to be motivated by higher pay and fringe benefits.
Your total for (B) indicates how important relatedness is to you. That is, you are motivated by the
interpersonal connections you experience with peers and superiors. Even if your total score for
relatedness (B) is on the high side (say, over 40), your individual question scores may vary widely.
Compare your subtotal for questions 3, 9, 15, and 21 to your subtotal for 4, 10, 16, and 23. How different
are the results? If the second group of questions is higher, it means you feel more connected to your
colleagues and peers than to your superiors. Conversely, a low score for relatedness means that those on-
Management Workplace
Management Workplace videos can support several in-class uses. In most cases you can build an entire
50-minute class around them. Alternatively, they can provide a springboard into a group lesson plan. The
Management Workplace video for Chapter 11 would be a nice companion to your introduction to the
course on the first day of classes.
VIDEO: LIVINGSOCIAL ESCAPES
Motivating Employees
Summary:
LivingSocial Escapes, which offers a range of outdoor excursions, demands high commitment from
employees. When hiring new workers, founder Bram Levy offers only the most basic outline of job
responsibilities. Think about the brand and what were trying to develop, Levy tells new recruits. Now
take it and formulate what you think will be best and run with it. The employees must then come up with
creative ideas and execute them. Although it is demanding, this approach to motivation has great benefits
for employees.
Discussion Questions:
1. Which needs in Maslows hierarchy are most important to the employees who work for LivingSocial
Escapes? How can managers use this information to develop a highly motivated workforce?
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 16
2. According to equity theory, how might a LivingSocial Escapes guide react if he or she feels
underpaid or unappreciated?
3. What outcomes or rewards possess high valence for managers and guides who work at LivingSocial
Escapes?
According to the expectancy theory of motivation, employees find some rewards to be highly
attractive and motivational. Valence is the value or attraction an individual has for a specific outcome
Workplace Video Quiz
Students are able to take the following video quiz on CourseMate. The video is broken into segments, and
each segment has related questions to make sure students understand how the clip connects to the chapter
concepts.
Video Segment 1
Video segment title Motivating Employees
Start time (in sec) 0:00
Stop time (in sec) 2:19
Quiz Question 1 Which needs in Maslows hierarchy motivated the founders of
LivingSocial Escapes to start their own travel-adventure company?
a. Safety needs
b. Physiological needs
c. Self-actualization needs
d. None of these
Correct option c: Self-actualization needs
Feedback Self-actualization needs are the desire to realize your full potential.
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 17
Quiz Question 2 The founders of LivingSocial Escapes had the freedom and willingness to
take personal risks in starting their own business because:
a. They liked the outdoors.
b. Their lower level existence needs for safety, security, and survival were
already securely met.
Quiz Question 3 When the founders of LivingSocial Escapes describe what motivated them
to start their own outdoor adventures business, they always emphasize:
a. Intrinsic rewards
b. Extrinsic rewards
c. The desire to achieve challenging goals
d. Money
Correct option a: Intrinsic rewards
Feedback Intrinsic rewards are the natural rewards associated with performing a task
or activity for its own sake.
Video Segment 2
Video segment title Motivating Employees
Start time (in sec) 2:20
Stop time (in sec) 4:22
Quiz Question 1 Based on information in the segment, which of the following would
constitute a motivator that delivers job satisfaction for employees of
LivingSocial Escapes?
a. Good salary
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 18
Quiz Question 2 Travel guides at LivingSocial Escapes believe that if they plan and conduct
successful trips they will reap rewards, including greater job freedom and
recognition. Believing theres a causal link between personal efforts and
rewarding outcomes is central to which motivational theory:
a. Expectancy theory
b. Equity theory
Quiz Question 3 Maia Josebachvili states that travel guides at LivingSocial Escapes are
given ownership to plan and conduct their own trips as they see fit, with
minimal oversight from managers. This is an example of motivating
employees through:
a. Job rotation
Video Segment 3
Video segment title Motivating Employees
Start time (in sec) 4:25
Stop time (in sec) 6:01
Quiz Question 1 According to equity theory, if a guide at LivingSocial Escapes feels
underpaid or unappreciated, he or she could be expected to do any of the
following except:
a. Make less of an effort on the job (decrease inputs)
b. Ask manager for a raise or promotion (increase outcomes)
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 19
Quiz Question 2 Which of the following would not be a tactic for boosting employee
productivity and motivation at LivingSocial Escapes?
a. Assign tasks that have a meaningful impact on others or on the
organizations success.
b. Set specific task goals and measure performance results.
c. Offer better benefits packages.
Additional Assignments and Activities
Review Questions
1. Identify the elements of motivation. What is the relationship between job performance, motivation,
ability, and situational constraints?
Motivation is the set of forces that initiates, directs, and makes people persist in their efforts to
accomplish a goal. Three components of motivation are:
2. How can managers use the basic principles of needs and rewards to motivate employees?
Needs are physical or psychological requirements that must be met to ensure survival and well being.
Employees seek to fulfill needs and may use the workplace to do so.
Lower-level needs include:
Maslow: physiological (food and water) and safety (physical and economic) needs.
Alderfer: existence (safety and physiological needs).
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 20
To motivate employees using needs theories, managers must first ask people what their needs are.
Then, managers should begin by satisfying lower-order needs first. Managers commonly use extrinsic
rewards to satisfy lower-order needs. An extrinsic reward is one that is tangible, visible to others, and
given to employees contingent on the performance of specific tasks or behaviors. Examples of
3. How do employees perceptions of fairness affect motivation?
4. Describe the components of equity theory. What role does justice play in equity theory?
Equity theory states that people will be motivated when they perceive that they are being treated
fairly. The basic components of equity theory are inputs, outcomes, and referents. Inputs are the
5. What is the underlying tenet of expectancy theory?
Expectancy theory states that people will be motivated to the extent to which they believe that their
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 21
6. Define valence, expectancy, and instrumentality, and describe their relationship.
Valence is the attractiveness or desirability of a reward or outcome. Expectancy is the perceived
relationship between effort and performance. Instrumentality is the perceived relationship between
7. How does reinforcement theory work?
Reinforcement theory states that behavior is a function of its consequences, that behaviors followed
by positive consequences will occur more frequently, and that behaviors followed by negative
consequences, or not followed by positive consequences, will occur less frequently. The four
reinforcement contingencies or cause-and-effect relationships between the performance of specific
behaviors and their consequences are:
8. Identify and describe the different schedules for delivering reinforcement. What should managers
consider most when deciding which schedule to use?
There are two kinds of reinforcement schedules, continuous and intermittent. With continuous
reinforcement schedules, a consequence follows every instance of a behavior. For example,
employees working on a piece-rate pay system earn money (consequence) for every part they
manufacture (behavior). The more they produce, the more they earn. By contrast, with intermittent
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 22
9. What are the components of goal-setting theory?
10. How can managers use goal-setting theory to motivate employees?
Management Decision
WHY WON’T THEY TAKE A BREAK?
Purpose
The purpose of this case is to have students think about how they would motivate employees to do
something that may seem unconventionalin this case, taking vacation days.
Setting It Up
You can introduce the case by asking students if they would ever work for a company that didnt offer
paid vacation days. Why, do they think, are vacation days are important for employees and the company
as a whole?
Scenario
Five years ago, your company assigned you to a management position in its new research facility in South
Korea. You were thrilled with the promotion, and grateful to your bosses, who recognized your skills and
talents. At the same time, there was a lot to be nervous about adjusting to a new culture and language,
finding a school for your kids and a job for your spouse, figuring out where to buy familiar groceries. But
even with all the struggles, youve thoroughly enjoyed your time in Korea, as you got to learn new things
from your employees and teach them new things from your experiences. In fact, youre quite surprised
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 23
show great organizational commitment, they have extremely negative effects. Overworked employees are
more prone to stress and physical illness, and are less likely to be efficient or productive. Indeed,
according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, an international group
comprised of 30 of the worlds largest economies, South Korea ranks near the bottom in terms of
productivity.
Even the South Korean government has taken notice of the dangers of overwork. A few months ago,
President Myung Bak Lee announced that all state employees would be required to take 16 days of
vacation per year. You were quite happy to hear about this policy, and hopeful that it would influence the
Source:
Evan Ramstad and Jaeyeon Woo, South Korea Works Overtime To Tackle Vacation Shortage, The
Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2010, A1, 22.
Questions
1. Which motivation theory(s) do you think would help communicate the importance of vacation time to
your employees?
Students responses will vary, but they should clearly articulate the principles of each motivational
theory, and discuss why they feel that it is the best for motivating workers to take vacation time.
According to equity theory, people will be motivated when they perceive that they are being treated
fairly. Individuals must perceive that they are being treated equal to others. In this theory, equity is
measured by inputs and outcomes. Inputs are the contribution that an individual makes to an
organization, while outcomes refer to what they receive in exchange. When people perceive that the
outcome they receive for a certain input is equal to a comparison other, then they feel that they are
being treated fairly. However, if they perceive that they receive a smaller outcome than another for
the same input, or the same outcome for more input, then they feel that they are being treated unfairly.
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 24
2. How would you convince your employees that working fewer hours, not more, is more beneficial for
them and the company?
There are a number of ways that managers can show employees that taking vacation time is important
for both the employees and the company. According to Maslows hierarchy of needs, every person
has physical or psychological requirements that must be met to ensure survival and well-being.
Develop Your Career Potential
CUT YOUR COSTS, NOT YOUR MORALE
Purpose
In this exercise, students should explore their feelings about alternative compensation specifically, perks
and the role they can play in motivating employees to put forth exceptional (or even just energetic) effort.
The exercise also is meant to push students to realize that companies face the real-world challenges of
tight cash flow and decreased revenue. Those negative events can require management to cut perks of all
kinds as a means to conserve cash, and maybe even meet payroll.
Setting It Up
This activity causes students to examine their budget, something they may not feel entirely comfortable
doing with team members. As such, it is better done as an individual exercise. Have students complete all
items and try to follow the plan through until the end of the semester. That is, assign students to set a goal
and motivate themselves to accomplish it by using their own perks. At the end of semester, require
students to submit a short paper summarizing their experience. The paper should answer at least the
following questions:
Was your planned reintegration of personal perks successful in motivating you to achieve your
goal?
If not, why do you think that was the case?
Based on your experience, which motivational theory do you think resonates most with you?
Chapter 11: Motivation P a g e | 25
Exercises
1. First, you will need to review your expenditures. What perks have you built into your budget as a
student? (Think pizza and beer.) Make a list of all your non-value-added expenses. This includes
2. If you experienced a 25 percent reduction in your incomeas numerous firms did after the tech
bubble burstwhich perks would you eliminate? In addition, are there items that you previously
considered necessities that you could cut out? An example would be selling your car (thereby
3. Often employees develop a sense of entitlement about perks, and when the perks are trimmed, great
dissatisfaction can result. Companies even lose employees when perks are cut. In this exercise, lets
consider that cutting out your non-value-added (that is, fun) expenditures may put a crimp in your
social life. In fact, you may have trouble staying in the loop. What can you do to retain your social
friends as you cut down on your personal perks? Do you think that retention will even be an issue
for you? Why or why not?
Additional Activities
Out-of-Class Project: “Motivation Research.” The basic project begins with students making a list of
financial, non-financial, and social rewards that can be tied to performance in college. Then, have
students create a short survey designed to measure which type of rewards students consider most
successful at motivating them to perform better in college (i.e., get better grades). The survey should ask
respondents to rank the attractiveness of each reward on your list, with 1 being not at all and 10 being
very motivating. If you are using this as an individual project, instruct students to administer the survey
to at least 25 students and compile the results. If you use this as a group project, have each student in the
group administer the survey to 25 other students so that each groups overall results will reflect
approximately 100 students. In class, you can then aggregate the information from all groups and have a
significant sample.
Out-of-Class Project: “Motivation Theories.” One idea to teach motivation theory is to have students
do the teaching. Divide the class into groups of 45 students, each group representing one theory of
motivation. Ask students to prepare a 15-minute lesson plan to teach the theory to the class. Each group
should: 1) Define the theory of motivation. 2) Explain the major components of each theory. 3) Give any
examples to illustrate the definitions and explanations. 4) Use a hypothetical situation at a workplace to
explain how managers should motivate employees using this theory.