Management Chapter 12 Homework These Needs Can Met Organizational Setting Providing

Motivating Employees •

323

performance. Six years later, Rodin says productivity per person has tripled at the company, but

still he gets questions and criticism about his decision. Do financial rewards motivate the kind of

behavior organizations want and need? A growing number of critics say no because:

VI. JOB DESIGN FOR MOTIVATION

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Job design is the application of motivational theories to the structure of work for improving

productivity and satisfaction.

A. Job Enrichment

1. Job rotation systematically moves employees from one job to another, increasing the

2. Job enlargement combines a series of tasks into one new, broader job. This is a

response to the dissatisfaction of employees with oversimplified jobs. Instead of

B. Job Characteristics Model

1. Hackman and Oldham’s research concerns work redesign, defined as altering jobs

2. The job characteristics model comprises core job dimensions, critical

psychological states, and employee growth-need strength. The more a job contains

Exhibit 12.7: The Job Characteristics Model

a. Core job dimensions:

(2) Task identity. The degree to which an employee performs a total job with a

recognizable beginning and ending.

(4) Autonomy. The degree to which the worker has freedom, discretion, and

b. Critical psychological states:

(2) Responsibility. Autonomy influences the experience of responsibility.

c. Personal and work outcomes. The impact of the five job characteristics on the

psychological states, and knowledge of actual results leads to:

(1) high work motivation;

(2) high work performance;

Motivating Employees •

325

d. Employee growth-need strength means that people have different needs for

growth and development.

(1) If a person wants to satisfy low-level needs, such as safety, the job

e. Cross-cultural differences in the impact of job characteristics.

(1) Autonomy and challenge may not lead to motivation and satisfaction in a

country such as Nigeria, and might lead to demotivation.

.

VII. INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR MOTIVATING

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Exhibit 12.8: New Motivational Compensation Programs

A. Empowering People to Meet Higher Needs

1. Empowerment is power sharing, the delegation of power or authority to

2. Increasing employee power heightens motivation for task accomplishment because

3. Empowering employees means giving them four elements that enable them to act

more freely to accomplish their jobs: information, knowledge, power, and rewards.

a. Employees receive information about company performance. In companies

where employees are fully empowered, all employees have access to all financial

4. Empowerment can mean encouraging workers’ ideas while managers retain

5. Current methods fall along a continuum from no discretion for workers to full

Discussion Question #10: How can empowerment lead to higher motivation of employees?

Could a manager’s empowerment efforts sometimes contribute to demotivation as well?

Discuss.

Exhibit 12.10: A Continuum of Empowerment

B. Giving Meaning to Work Through Engagement

1. Another way to meet higher-level motivational needs and help people get intrinsic

rewards is to instill a sense of importance and meaningfulness. People experience a

2. Engaged employees feel connected to the company, to one another, and to their

3. To be fully engaged, people need not only to feel that they are competent to handle

what is asked of them, but also that they have the changes to learn, grow, and

advance.

Benchmarking: Patagonia, Inc.

Even with two MBAs and a coveted internship in Europe, Scott Robinson begged for a job as a

stock handler at outdoor-clothing and equipment manufacturer Patagonia Inc. “I wanted to work

for a company that’s driven by values,” he said simply. When he got back home, he read Let My

People go Surfing, part memoir, part manifesto, by Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard, whose

Answers to Discussion Questions

1. In response to security threats in today’s world, the U.S. government federalized airport

security workers. Many argued that simply making screeners federal workers would not

solve the root problem; bored, low-paid, and poorly trained security workers have little

motivation to be vigilant. How might these employees be motivated to provide the security

that travel conditions now demand?

Employees may be motivated through extrinsic rewards such as pay increases. Before the

September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, the screeners were getting paid low wages. Motivating the

screeners through higher wages would be a positive reward. These workers must also be

2. One small company recognizes an employee of the month, who is given a parking spot next to

the president’s space near the front door. What theories would explain the positive

motivation associated with this policy?

3. Using Hackman and Oldham’s core job dimensions, compare and contrast the jobs of these

two state employees: (1) Jared, who spends much of his time researching and debating

energy policy to make recommendations that will eventually be presented to the state

legislature and (2) Anise, who spends her days planting and caring for the flower gardens

and grounds surrounding the state capitol building.

Skill variety refers to the number of diverse activities that compose a job and the number of

skills used to perform it. Jared and Anise probably have similar amounts of skill variety,

although the skills one uses are vastly different from the skills the other uses. Jared’s skill

variety is related to researching a variety of existing or potential energy policy positions and

debating them with a variety of people. Anise’s skill variety is related to the range of tasks

involved in creating and maintaining the grounds of the capitol building.

Task identity refers to the degree to which an employee performs a total job with a recognizable

beginning and ending. Jared may experience relatively low task identity because his research

Motivating Employees •

329

4. If an experienced executive assistant discovered that she made the same amount of money as

a newly-hired janitor, how do you think she would react? What inputs and outcomes might

she evaluate to make this comparison?

This comparison is based on equity theory, in which people compare the own inputs they bring

to a job and the outcomes they receive from it with those of others. Chances are the executive

5. Would you rather work for a supervisor high in need for achievement, affiliation, or power?

Why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Many students might prefer to have a supervisor high in need for affiliation because the

supervisor would be motivated to avoid conflict and to establish a warm, friendly relationship

with them. The disadvantage is that the supervisor might not be very aggressive and might not

be able to help them achieve highly in the organization.

6. To keep people motivated in a tough economic environment, some companies have shifted

from annual to semiannual bonuses. Do you think offering semiannual bonuses is a good

way to motivate the kind of behaviors organizations need to survive the economic downturn?

What might be some potential problems associated with this approach?

7. A survey of teachers found that two of the most important rewards were the belief that their

work was important and a feeling of accomplishment. According to Maslow’s theory, what

needs do these rewards meet?

The belief that one’s work is important and the feeling of accomplishment would meet esteem

needs and self-actualization needs.

8. In the survey reported in question 7, the teachers also reported that pay and benefits were

poor, yet they continue to teach. Use Herzberg’s two-factor theory to explain this finding.

The teachers feel that the hygiene factors in the teaching job are poor. Of course, hygiene

9. According to surveys, Gen-Y employees are the most disengaged of all workers, and 62

percent of employees under the age of 25 say they are unhappy with their jobs. What might

be some reasons for this high level of dissatisfaction and disengagement among young

people? As a manager, how might you enhance satisfaction and engagement for young

employees?

Younger employees may be dissatisfied for any number of reasons, but two possibilities may be

that they don’t have what they consider to be adequate work-life balance, and there may not be

10. How can empowerment lead to higher motivation of employees? Could a manager’s

empowerment efforts sometimes contribute to demotivation as well? Discuss.

Empowerment means the delegation of power or authority to subordinates in an organization.

Increasing employee power heightens motivation for task accomplishment because people

TEACHING NOTES FOR LEARNING EXERCISES

Self Learning: What Motivates You?

This exercise allows students to assess their own needs using Maslow’s need hierarchy. The

scores of executives and three levels of managers obtained by Porter in a study using this

questionnaire are shown below.

Sample

Security

Social

Esteem

Autonomy

Self

Actualization

President

(n=114)

5.69

5.38

5.27

6.11

6.50

(n=611)

(n=569)

5.20

5.31

5.27

5.89

6.34

(n=431)

5.29

5.33

5.26

5.74

6.25

(n=101)

5.30

5.27

5.18

5.58

6.32

Vice President

5.44

5.46

5.33

6.10

6.40

• Chapter 12

332

Group Learning: Work versus Play

Students form groups of three to four members and answer the questions “What drives you to

Action Learning

TEACHING NOTE FOR ETHICAL DILEMMA

To Renege or Not to Renege?

1. Recommend to the president that a meeting be arranged with the sales representatives

entitled to a bonus and tell them that their checks were going to be delayed until Puget’s

financial picture clarified. The sales reps would be told that the company had a legal right

to delay payment and that it may not be able to pay the bonuses if its financial situation

continues to deteriorate.

Puget should not delay or withhold the bonuses from the sales representatives who have earned

2. Recommend a meeting with the sales representatives entitled to a bonus and tell them the

company’s deteriorating financial situation triggers one of the contingency clauses in their

contract so that the company won’t be issuing their bonus checks. Puget will just have to

deal with the negative impact on sales rep motivation.

Failure to pay the bonuses to the sales representatives will result in loss of morale and a

significant decline in motivation, which will only lead to further financial difficulties for Puget.

3. Recommend strongly to the president that Puget pay the bonuses as promised. The legal

contracts and financial situation don’t matter. Be prepared to resign if the bonuses are not

paid as you promised. Your word and a motivated sales team mean everything to you.

This is probably the best option. If the sales representatives know you have fought hard to get

CASE FOR CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Kimbel’s Department Store

1. What theories about motivation underlie the switch from salary to commission pay?

The theory of motivation to stimulate sales performance assumes money is a primary motivator.

2. What needs are met under the commission system? Are they the same needs in the shoes and

handbag department as they are in lingerie? Explain.

Higher level needs can be achieved through a commission payment system. Increased

commissions and sales effort by the staff can lead to increased recognition of individuals and

3. If you were Francis Patterson, would you go back to the previous compensation system,

implement the straight commission plan in all Kimbel’s stores, or devise and test some other

compensation method? If you decided to test another system, what would it look like?

ON THE JOB VIDEO CASE

Urban Escapes: Motivating Employees

1. Which needs in Maslow’s hierarchy are most important to the employees who work for Urban

Escapes, and how can managers use this information to develop a highly motivated workforce?

Urban Escapes is about adventure, experiences, and the great outdoors. People who work at the

social travel firm are dedicated to fulfilling high-level needs, such as self-actualization needs,

2. According to equity theory, how might an Urban Escapes guide react if he or she feels

underpaid or unappreciated?

Although employees at Urban Escapes aren’t necessarily “in it for the money,” a person who

feels underpaid or unappreciated could respond in several different ways. According to equity

3. What outcomes or rewards possess high valence for managers and guides who work at Urban

Escapes?

Motivating Employees •

335

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

BIZFLIX VIDEO CASE

Friday Night Lights (I)

Video Case Synopsis

The Odessa, Texas, passion for Friday night high school football (Permian High Panthers) comes

through clearly in this cinematic treatment of H. G. (Buzz) Bissinger’s well-regarded book of the

same title.1 Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) leads them to the 1988 semifinals where

they must compete against a team of much larger players. Fast-moving pace in the football

sequences and a slower pace in the serious, introspective sequences give this film many fine

moments.

Video Case Discussion Questions and Suggested Answers

1. This chapter defined motivation as “the forces either within or external to a person that

arouse enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a certain course of action.” Does Mike

Winchell show the characteristics of this definition early in the sequence? Do you expect him

to show any of the characteristics after the sequence ends and he returns to the team?

Mike’s early behavior in the scene shows extreme uncertainty about going forward. He is

1 J. Craddock, ed., VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever (Detroit, MI: Gale Cengage Learning,

2008), p. 368.

• Chapter 12

336

2. Which needs discussed earlier in this chapter does Mike appear focused on early in the

sequence? Which needs can become his focus later in the sequence? See the hierarchy of

needs theory and ERG Theory sections earlier in the chapter for some suggestions.

3. Apply the various parts of goal-setting theory to this sequence. Which parts of that theory

appear in this sequence?

This sequence shows the early parts of goal-setting theory. It includes goal specificity, goal