Management Chapter 8 Homework Thats Powerful Gain Competitive Advantage That Any

Discussion Question #5: Why do you think making progress in meaningful work ranks as the

most important factor contributing to motivation according to a recent study? How might

leaders provide a sense of progress for employees working on long-range projects that might not

show results for months or even years?

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B. Building a Thriving Workforce

A thriving workforce is the idea that people are not just satisfied and productive but also

engaged in creating the future—their own and that of the organization. Two components of

thriving individuals are vitality and learning. A thriving employee is one who feels alive,

Discussion Question #3: How might empowerment provide the two conditions (vitality and

learning) for a thriving workforce as described in the chapter? Consider both psychological

factors and the job characteristics model in your answer.

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Discussion Questions

1. Describe the kinds of needs that people bring to an organization. How might a person’s

personality characteristics such as introversion/extroversion or openness to experience, as

described in Chapter 4, influence the needs he or she brings to work?

Students’ answers will vary. Humans are motivated by multiple needs which exist in a

hierarchical order wherein higher needs cannot be satisfied until the lower needs are met.

Maslow named five categories of needs: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, and

2. With the economy still in a slump, some companies are freezing pay raises or even cutting

pay for some employees so they can offer substantial raises to people considered star

performers. As a motivational technique, does this practice seem like a good one to you?

What might be some disadvantages of this technique?

Students’ answers will vary. The reinforcement perspective proposes that behavior can be

modified by the use of rewards and punishments. Carrot-and-stick methods of motivation

focus primarily on extrinsic rewards (raises) and punishments (pay cuts). Research shows

3. How might empowerment provide the two conditions (vitality and learning) for a thriving

workforce as described in the chapter? Consider both psychological factors and the job

characteristics model in your answer.

Students’ answers will vary. Two components of thriving individuals are vitality and

learning. A thriving employee is one who feels alive, energized, and passionate about what

he or she is doing. The individual has a sense that his or her work has purpose and

meaning. In addition, a thriving employee is one who is learning and growing, developing

4. Google wants employees to mingle more but not to waste a lot of time. So as part of its

“people strategy,” Google analyzes reams of data to determine the optimal size and shape

for the cafeteria tables and the best length for the lunch line. If hygiene factors, as defined

in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, will not provide increased satisfaction and motivation,

why do you think Google would try to increase lunchtime mingling? Discuss.

Students’ answers will vary. Hygiene factors involve the presence or absence of adequate

working conditions, pay, company policies or interpersonal relationships. When hygiene

5. Why do you think making progress in meaningful work ranks as the most important factor

contributing to motivation according to a recent study? How might leaders provide a sense

of progress for employees working on long-range projects that might not show results for

months or even years?

Students’ answers will vary. Recent research points to the importance of making progress

toward goals as a key to high motivation. According to the making progress principle, the

6. One small business owner says she doesn’t offer her sales representatives incentives

because people try to sabotage one another to get more business and stop paying attention

to smaller accounts. As a leader, how would you develop a program to motivate and

reward high performers without promoting the wrong type of behavior?

7. Can you think of specific motivational techniques that would motivate you in each of the

four categories in Exhibit 8.3 (positive extrinsic, positive intrinsic, negative extrinsic,

negative intrinsic)? Describe them.

8. Do you agree that it is the behavior of leaders that largely determines employee

engagement, as defined in the text? What might be some other factors that influence

engagement?

Students’ answers will vary. Most of them may agree that leaders create the environment

that determines employee engagement. It is the behavior of leaders that makes the biggest

9. Discuss whether you believe it is a leader’s responsibility to help people find meaning in

their work? How might leaders do this for employees at a credit card call center? How

about for employees who empty waste containers and clean restrooms at sports or

entertainment venues?

Students’ answers will vary. One way people get intrinsic rewards at work is to feel a deep

sense of importance and meaningfulness, such as people who work for a social cause or

mission. Good leaders channel employee motivation by tapping into each person’s talents,

10. As part of the federal health-care overhaul in the United States, patient satisfaction survey

scores are now used to help determine how much the federal government will pay medical

facilities for treating patients on Medicare. What motivation theory described in the

chapter does this example illustrate? Do you think this approach will motivate employees

to provide better care? What might be some potential problems with this approach?

Students’ answers will vary. The scenario describes the “carrot-and-stick approach” which

states that when behavior that produces a desired outcome is rewarded with a “carrot,”

such as a pay raise or promotion. Conversely, undesirable or unproductive behavior brings

TEACHING TOOLS AND EXERCISES

1. Leader’s Bookshelf: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H.

Pink

2. Small Group Activity: Read Fortune magazine’s annual list of “100 Best Companies to

Work For.”

Companies that rank high are ones that show genuine caring for employees, enabling them

to feel like important members of a community. Which companies are in the top 10? Why

are these companies more than just a place to work? Discuss these companies in small

groups.

3. Read and Discuss: Nitin Nohria, Boris Groyberg, Linda-Eling Lee, “Employee

Motivation: A Powerful New Model,” Harvard Business Review (July 01, 2008)

Motivating employees begins with recognizing that to do their best work, people must be in an

environment that meets their basic emotional drives to acquire, bond, comprehend, and defend.

So say Nohria and Groysberg, of Harvard Business School, and Lee, of the Center for Research

4. Discussion: Acquired Needs Theory on the Job

5. Leadership at Work: Should, Need, Like, Love

• Think of a school or work task that you feel an obligation or commitment to complete,

but you don’t really want to do it. Write the task.

• Think of a school or work task you do because you need to, perhaps to get the benefit,

In Class: The instructor can have students talk in small groups about their percentages and

what the percentages mean to them. Students can be asked how the categories of should,

need, like, and love relate to the theories of motivation in the chapter. Do leaders have an

obligation to guide employees toward tasks they like and love, or is it sufficient at work for

people to perform need and should tasks?

The instructor can write student percentages on the board so students can see where they

stand compared to the class. Students can be asked to interpret the results in terms of the

amount of satisfaction they receive from various tasks. Also, are the percentages related to

the students’ stage of life?

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: CASES FOR ANALYSIS

I. Commissions for Charlotte

Synopsis

Doris Ann Riley, the head of HR for King Conductors, was amused by the conversation drifting

over the planter that separated the two booths in the employee cafeteria. She recognized the

voices on the other side as those of Pete Morris, Carter Henry, and Rachael Parker. The three

were involved in a heated discussion about the opening of the NFL season one week away and

the continued hold-out of the local team’s star quarterback.

“Her sales are a huge percentage and she’s made a tremendous difference in the year since her

arrival. She really is worth the trouble,” Doris Ann told company vice president Charles

Owenby. “But she has come to me to suggest raising her commission—substantially—and I just

don’t know. But I think you and I and Wylie and Jim need to discuss this.” “Knowing she can

always move over to Martin,” Charles added. “There’s a risk either way, so we have to explore

our options before we bring all of the parties together to hash this thing out.”

Case questions and answers

1. What theories of motivation help explain Charlotte’s demands and the reactions of other

employees to those demands?

Students’ answers will vary. Charlotte’s demands can be explained by expectancy theory

which suggests that motivation depends on individuals’ mental expectations about their

2. What options can you think of for handling Charlotte’s demand for even higher

commissions? Which option would you choose? Why?

3. How might Doris Ann Riley deal with employee morale in light of the extremely high pay

demanded by a star salesperson?

Students’ answers will vary. Doris Ann Riley can promote empowerment among the

employees. She can do so by giving employees more power, information, and authority to

II. Sun Spots

Synopsis

SunDax CEO Dax Hollandsworth turns his leather desk chair from the blinding sunlight

streaming through the large office window and leans back, facing Mark Roberts, the company

CFO. “I dread the quarterly meeting and video feed,” Mark says. “Everyone has been working

really hard and they’ve come to expect the year-end bonus. Hell, they plan for it, their families

Case questions and answers

1. What options can you think of for Dax and Mark to mitigate the damage from unfilled

expectations for the annual bonus?

Students’ answers will vary. Expectancy theory suggests that motivation depends on

individuals’ mental expectations about their ability to perform tasks and receive desired

2. What specific steps would you take if you were a senior manager in this situation? Explain

why for each step.

Students’ answers will vary. Empowerment provides strong motivation because

individuals have a sense that they are in control of their work and success. The manager

3. Do you consider it motivational and equitable when a substantial part of an employee’s

pay is a bonus based on company results in a highly uncertain environment? Why?

Students’ answers will vary. Most of them may not find it motivational or equitable when

a substantial part of an employee’s pay is a bonus based on company results in a highly

uncertain environment. Bonus based on company results in a highly uncertain

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