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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
Chapter 05Foundations of Employee Motivation
True / False Questions
1. Motivation is closely related to the concept of employee
engagement. True False
2. Motivation is one of the four essential drives of individual
behavior and performance. True False
3. Most employers say that nowadays motivating employees is more
challenging than it used to be. True False
4. The problem with the concept of employee engagement is that
it lacks theoretical foundation. True False
5. The concept of employee engagement is related to motivation,
but not role perception. True False
6. The stronger your needs, the less motivated you are to
fulfill them. True False
7. Drives are needs, and are essential parts of human
psychology. True False
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8. In the context of motivation, drives are also called primary
needs, fundamental needs, or innate needs. True False
9. Needs Hierarchy Theory explains how people develop
perceptions of fairness in the distribution and exchange of
resources. True False
10. Maslow's Needs Hierarchy Theory incorporates only five basic
categories. True False
11. Maslow's Needs Hierarchy Theory states that people are
motivated by only one need at a time. True False
12. According to Needs Hierarchy Theory, the need for
self-actualization continues to develop even when it is fulfilled.
True False
13. Abraham Maslow was the first to recognize that human
thoughts play a role in motivation. True False
14. Maslow is credited for bringing a mechanistic perspective to
the study of motivation. True False
15. ERG Theory recognizes three learned needs: achievement,
affiliation and power. True False
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16. According to ERG Theory, a person can regress down the
hierarchy of needs when they fail to fulfill higher needs. True
False
17. One advantage of ERG Theory over Maslow's Needs Hierarchy
Theory is that the ERG model seems to explain human motivation
somewhat better. True False
18. Human needs cluster more neatly around the three needs
categories in ERG Theory than the five needs categories in Maslow's
Needs Hierarchy. True False
19. A person's hierarchy of needs is influenced by his or her
values. True False
20. People with a high need for achievement tend to avoid risks
and prefer working in teams. True False
21. Successful entrepreneurs tend to have a high need for
achievement. True False
22. People with a high need for affiliation tend to be more
effective in jobs that allocate scarce resources among employees.
True False
23. People with a high need for affiliation tend to be more
effective in jobs that require them to mediate conflicts. True
False
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24. According to Learned Needs Theory, people with a high
personalized need for power enjoy power for its own sake and use it
to advance their career rather than to benefit others. True
False
25. According to Learned Needs Theory, companies should hire
leaders with a strong need for personalized power. True False
26. Four-drive Theory states that people have a hierarchy of
needs that they progress through as lower level needs are
fulfilled. True False
27. Two drives identified in Four-drive Theory are the drive to
acquire and the drive to bond. True False
28. According to Four-drive Theory, three drives are proactive
(i.e. we actively seek to fulfill them) whereas the drive to defend
is reactive (i.e. activated only in reaction to threat). True
False
29. In Four-drive Theory, the drive to bond does not produce any
emotional markers. True False
30. According to Four-drive Theory, social norms, past
experience, and personal values translate emotional signals into
goal-directed effort. True False
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31. According to Four-drive Theory, organizations maximize
motivation by focusing employees on opportunities to fulfill only
one of the four drives. True False
32. Four-drive Theory recommends keeping all four drives in
"balance"; that is, organizations should avoid too much or too
little opportunity to fulfill each drive. True False
33. Expectancy Theory of motivation states that people naturally
direct their effort towards behaviors they believe are most likely
to lead to desired outcomes. True False
34. According to Expectancy Theory, employee motivation will
remain high when the P-to-O expectancy falls to zero. True
False
35. In Expectancy Theory, the performance-to-outcome expectancy
represents the anticipated satisfaction or dissatisfaction that an
individual places on an outcome. True False
36. One way to increase an employee's E-to-P expectancy
regarding a specific task is to increase the person's
self-confidence through counseling and coaching. True False
37. According to Expectancy Theory, communicating the existence
of a performance-based reward system motivates employees by
increasing their outcome valences. True False
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38. One of the main problems with Expectancy Theory of
motivation is that it does not identify the comparison other in the
motivation process. True False
39. One way to increase a person's P-to-O expectancy is to
measure his or her job performance more accurately. True False
40. Employee motivation is explained reasonably well by the
Expectancy Theory model. True False
41. Expectancy Theory identifies emotions as a key component of
employee motivation. True False
42. Goal setting potentially improves employee performance by
increasing motivation and clarifying role perceptions. True
False
43. Goal setting tends to be more effective when the goals are
specific rather than general. True False
44. Goal setting is more effective when employees can easily
complete the goals assigned to them. True False
45. The optimal level of goal difficulty occurs where the goal
has more than a low level but less than a moderate level of goal
difficulty. True False
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46. Participation in goal formation tends to increase
performance when employees lack commitment to assigned goals. True
False
47. Feedback to employees is most effective when it is frequent,
credible, and general. True False
48. Feedback can be more frequent when employees perform short
rather than long job cycles. True False
49. The idea behind 360-degree feedback is that employees should
receive feedback for 360 continuous days. True False
50. Research suggests that feedback originating only from the
supervisor provides more complete and accurate information than
feedback received through a 360-degree process. True False
51. Compared to supervisor-only feedback, 360-degree feedback
tends to produce more ambiguous and conflicting feedback. True
False
52. To learn about their progress towards goal accomplishment,
employees usually prefer feedback from supervisors and other
people. True False
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53. Employees consider feedback from non-social sources to be
more accurate than feedback from social sources. True False
54. When employees want to improve their self-image, they seek
out positive feedback from social sources. True False
55. Combining goal setting with monetary incentives motivates
many employees to set up difficult goals. True False
56. To determine the fairness of pay or other outcomes, people
almost always rely on the equity principle. True False
57. The distributive justice principle states that everyone
should receive the same rewards in life. True False
58. According to Equity Theory, employees feel inequity only
when other people receive higher salaries than they do. True
False
59. In the Equity Theory model, a 'comparison other' is an
individual or group of people against whom the person compares his
or her outcome/input ratio. True False
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60. One of the most significant discoveries in Equity Theory
research is that people tend to keep the same comparison other
throughout their working lives. True False
61. Feelings of inequity occur when employees receive less than
others, but not when they receive more than others. True False
62. Overreward inequity occurs whenever other people receive
less money than you do. True False
63. Underreward inequity occurs when your outcome/input ratio is
lower than the outcome/input ratio of a comparison other. True
False
64. Equity Theory research has found that employees who feel
overrewarded tend to alter their perceptions of inputs and outcomes
rather than attempt to actually change them. True False
65. One of the most common consequences of overreward inequity
is that overpaid employees try to increase their inputs by working
harder. True False
66. 'Benevolents' and 'Entitleds' represent opposing ends of the
equity sensitivity continuum. True False
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67. One problem with Equity Theory is that it incorrectly
assumes people are individualistic, rational, and selfish. True
False
68. Procedural justice is influenced by the policies and
practices that decision makers follow as well as their standards of
interpersonal conduct. True False
69. Distributive justice increases directly with the extent that
the decision allows voice, can be appealed, and has an unbiased
decision maker. True False
70. Giving employees an explanation for a negative decision has
no effect on procedural justice. True False
71. Feelings of procedural injustice produce anger, which, in
turn, generates either withdrawal or aggression. True False
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Multiple Choice Questions
72. Motivating employees is more challenging today than two
decades ago because: A. employers have difficulty understanding the
different needs and expectations that younger generation employees
bring to the workplace.B. there is more layers of management today,
which makes it more difficult to motivate everyone in management
positions.C. corporate downsizing and reduced job security have
damaged the levels of trust employees need to work beyond minimum
levels.D. All of the answers are correct.E. employers have
difficulty understanding the different needs and expectations that
younger generation employees bring to the workplace, and corporate
downsizing and reduced job security have damaged the levels of
trust employees need to work beyond minimum levels.
73. Expectations of new workforce entrants has: A. made employee
motivation less relevant as an influence on job performance.B. made
it less difficult to motivate employees using financial rewards.C.
made it more difficult to identify what motivates employees.D. made
it impossible to use any form of goal setting.E. had no effect on
employee motivation.
74. All of the following are reasons given for why some
employees are "disengaged" EXCEPT: A. Companies have not adjusted
to the changing needs and expectations of the new workforce.B.
Corporate restructuring (downsizing) has undermined commitment and
trust among employees.C. Pressures from globalization and
information technology make it harder to motivate employees beyond
minimum standards.D. Employees aged 25 to 34 sometimes or
frequently feel demotivated.E. Basic needs have already been
provided and satisfied. Therefore higher-level needs are harder for
employers to anticipate and offer.
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75. _________ produce emotions, whereas _________ represent the
motivational force of those emotions which are channeled toward
particular goals. A. Drives, needsB. Needs, drivesC. Thinking,
doingD. Planning, projectingE. None of the above is correct.
76. Which of the following statements about drives is FALSE? A.
They are also called primary needs.B. They activate emotions, which
put us in a state of readiness to act.C. They include only basic
physiological essentials, such as hunger and thirst.D. Drives and
emotions represent the primary sources of motivation.E. All of the
above are correct.
77. Self-concept, social norms, and past experiences help us: A.
adjust our level of drive-based emotions.B. regulate our decisions
and behaviors.C. adjust our drive-based emotions, but not our
behaviors.D. make unemotional decisions based on reason and
logic.E. adjust our level of drive-based needs, and regulate our
decisions and behaviors.
78. Needs Hierarchy Theory includes all of the following
concepts EXCEPT: A. self-actualization.B. frustration-regression.C.
esteem.D. belongingness.E. physiological needs.
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79. Which of these is the most widely known theory of human
motivation? A. Maslow's Needs Hierarchy TheoryB. Expectancy
TheoryC. Goal Setting TheoryD. Equity TheoryE. Learned Needs
Theory
80. The highest level need in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is: A.
esteem.B. safety.C. power.D. belongingness.E.
self-actualization.
81. In Maslow's needs hierarchy, the bottom four levels are
collectively known as ___________ needs, whereas self-actualization
is called a ______________ need. A. belongingness, infiniteB.
fictitious, factualC. deficiency, growthD. subordinate,
superordinateE. safety, reward
82. Which of these theories states that we are motivated by
several needs, but the strongest source is the lowest unsatisfied
need? A. Four-drive TheoryB. Needs Hierarchy TheoryC. Equity
TheoryD. Distributive Justice TheoryE. Learned Needs Theory
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83. If individuals are unable to satisfy a particular need, the
ERG theory states that they: A. keep trying to fulfill this need
until it is satisfied.B. redirect their efforts towards fulfilling
a higher need in the hierarchy.C. permanently remove the blocked
need from their list of needs to satisfy.D. redirect their efforts
towards fulfilling a lower need in the hierarchy.E. any one of the
four options above might occur depending on the individual.
84. Which of these motivation theories arranges employee needs
in a hierarchy of importance? A. ERG TheoryB. Four-drive TheoryC.
Expectancy TheoryD. McClelland's Learned Needs TheoryE. ERG Theory
and McClelland's Learned Needs Theory
85. McClelland's Learned Needs Theory does NOT include which of
these needs? A. Safety needB. Achievement needC. Socialized power
needD. Personalized power needE. Affiliation need
86. The desire to seek approval from others, conform to their
wishes and expectations, and avoid conflict and confrontations is
called: A. Need for affiliationB. Need for powerC. Need for
achievementD. Need for safetyE. Need for existence
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87. According to the Four-drive Theory, which of the following
is the foundation of competition and the basis of our need for
esteem? A. Drive to acquireB. Physiological needsC. Drive to
defendD. Drive to bondE. Drive to learn
88. In the Four-drive Theory, the drive ______ is most closely
associated with the need for relative status and recognition. A. to
bondB. for fairnessC. to achieve goalsD. to acquireE. for
feedback
89. In the Four-drive Theory, the drive ______ is the drive to
form social relationships and develop mutual caring commitments
with others. A. to bondB. for fairnessC. to defendD. to acquireE.
to achieve goals
90. The Four-drive Theory is based on the idea that: A. needs
can be learned.B. needs form a permanent hierarchy.C. employee
motivation is based on expectations.D. the sources of employee
needs are hard-wired through evolution.E. people do not really have
any needs.
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91. According to Four-drive Theory, ______ are the conscious
sources of human motivation. A. co-workersB. food and drinkC.
emotional markersD. drivesE. justice and equity
92. Which drive in the Four-drive Theory is reactive rather than
proactive? A. Drive to acquireB. Drive to learnC. Drive to defendD.
Drive to bondE. Drive for power
93. One of the main implications of drives/needs-based theories
of motivation is that: A. employers should offer employees a choice
of rewards.B. employees should be given specific goals with plenty
of feedback.C. employers should give all employees the same
employee benefits.D. employers should select people with the best
qualifications for the job.E. drives/needs-based theories have no
relevance for managing people in organizational settings.
94. Four-drive Theory recommends: A. that companies should
encourage employees to fulfill one drive at a time.B. that
companies should provide sufficient rewards, learning
opportunities, and social interaction at the same time.C. that
companies should only hire people with a strong drive to defend.D.
that companies should create a work environment that routinely
triggers the employee's drive to defend.E. None of the answers
apply.
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95. One of the main implications of Four-drive Theory is that:
A. employers should offer employees enough opportunity to keep all
four drives in balance.B. employees should be given specific goals
with plenty of feedback.C. employers should give all employees the
same employee benefits.D. employers should select people with the
best qualifications for the job.E. needs-based theories have no
relevance for managing people in organizational settings.
96. Which motivation theory is based on the idea that work
effort is directed toward behaviors that people believe will lead
to desired outcomes? A. Equity TheoryB. ERG TheoryC. Goal Setting
TheoryD. The Four-drive TheoryE. Expectancy Theory
97. Expectancy Theory mainly helps us to predict an
individual's: A. effort.B. need for achievement.C. distributive
justice.D. job satisfaction.E. rewards.
98. An individual's perceived probability that a particular
level of effort will result in a particular level of performance
refers to the: A. E-to-P valance.B. EP-to-PO outcome.C. E-to-V
expectancy.D. E-to-P expectancy.E. EV-to-PE outcome.
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99. Which of the following statements about Expectancy Theory is
FALSE? A. Expectancy Theory is a needs-based theory of
motivation.B. E-to-P expectancies are influenced by the
individual's beliefs that he or she can successfully complete the
task.C. The process of employee motivation is explained reasonably
well by Expectancy Theory.D. One way to increase the P-to-O
expectancy in the Expectancy Theory model is to accurately measure
job performance.E. Expectancy Theory has three main components
relating to effort, performance and performance outcomes.
100. Which of these is found in the Expectancy Theory model? A.
P-to-O expectancyB. E-to-O expectancyC. V-to-E expectancyD. P-to-E
expectancyE. O-to-P expectancy
101. Expectancy Theory mainly explains how employees: A. have
different needs at different times.B. can use personal expectations
to reduce work-related stress.C. can motivate themselves through
power.D. have different levels of work effort based on their
expectations of performance and reward outcomes.E. compare their
inputs and outcomes to other people.
102. Employees who believe that accomplishing a particular task
will almost certainly result in a day off with pay would have: A.
an E-to-P expectancy above 100.B. a P-to-O expectancy close to 1.C.
an outcome valence above 0.D. an E-to-P expectancy close to minus
100.E. a P-to-O expectancy close to 100.
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103. According to Expectancy Theory, a reward that is not wanted
has: A. a high E-to-P expectancy.B. an inappropriate comparison
other.C. a negative outcome valence.D. a low P-to-O expectancy.E. a
low need for socialized power.
104. In Expectancy Theory, valence refers to the: A. amount of
effort a person puts towards a known goal.B. individual's perceived
probability of performing the task at a particular level.C.
anticipated satisfaction or dissatisfaction that an individual
feels towards an outcome.D. individual's perceived probability that
his or her performance will lead to specific outcomes.E. feelings
that result from a comparison of the individual's outcome/input
ratio with the outcome/input ratio of a comparison other.
105. According to Expectancy Theory, providing counseling and
coaching to an employee who lacks self-confidence is most likely to
increase the employee's: A. V-to-O expectancy.B. E-to-P
expectancy.C. P-to-E expectancy.D. O-to-P expectancy.E. P-to-O
expectancy.
106. Employee motivation tends to increase when people are
assigned to jobs for which they are qualified and they receive
coaching to improve their self-confidence. Both of these practices
improve employee motivation by: A. reducing feelings of inequity.B.
increasing outcome valences.C. satisfying existence needs.D.
increasing P-to-O expectancies.E. increasing E-to-P
expectancies.
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107. According to Expectancy Theory, a skill-development
training program would: A. have no effect on employee motivation.B.
mainly increase the effort-to-performance expectancy.C. mainly
increase the performance-to-outcome expectancy.D. mainly increase
the valence of pay increases and other organizational outcomes.E.
mainly alter the comparison other.
108. Which of the following actions would increase employee
motivation mainly by enhancing their effort-to-performance
expectancy? A. Convince employees that poor performance will not be
rewarded.B. Reward employees with things that they value.C. Measure
valance more accurately.D. Let employees know that their chances of
performing successfully are good.E. All of the above.
109. One way to increase employee motivation by improving the
P-to-O expectancies is to: A. measure employee performance
accurately.B. convince employees that they are able to accomplish
the task.C. select employees with the required skills and
knowledge.D. provide sufficient time and resources to perform the
task.E. give everyone the same reward.
110. ABC Corp. introduced a training program that ensured
everyone had the required knowledge and skills to perform the work.
The company also brought in a performance-based reward system that
accurately identified employees who performed better than others.
These practices improve employee motivation by: A. increasing
employee needs.B. reducing feelings of inequity.C. improving E-to-P
expectancies.D. improving P-to-O expectancies.E. both 'C' and
'D'.
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111. According to Expectancy Theory, which of the following
actions would NOT alter outcome valences? A. Show employees how
their skills can accomplish the task.B. Give employees a choice of
rewards.C. Minimize the presence of countervalent outcomes.D.
Distribute rewards that employees want.E. Adapt the type of rewards
offered to each employee's dominant needs.
112. According to Expectancy Theory, giving more valued rewards
to employees with higher job performance mainly increases
motivation by: A. strengthening the E-to-P expectancy.B. increasing
the valence of a $1,000 bonus.C. weakening the E-to-P expectancy.D.
strengthening both the E-to-P and P-to-O expectancies.E.
strengthening the P-to-O expectancy.
113. Individualizing rewards enhances which Expectancy Theory
component? A. Performance expectancyB. E-to-O expectancyC. Valences
of outcomesD. E-to-P expectancyE. V-to-E outcomes.
114. Goal setting influences employee behavior and performance
mainly by improving: A. situational contingencies and learned
abilities.B. aptitudes and learned abilities.C. motivation and role
perceptions.D. role perceptions and learned abilities.E. motivation
and aptitudes.
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115. Goal setting is most effective when: A. the supervisor sets
the goals before discussing them with the employee.B. the goals
stretch the employee's abilities and motivation.C. the goal
statements are general rather than specific.D. all of the above.E.
both 'A' and 'B'.
116. Goal setting requires all of these conditions EXCEPT: A.
challenging goals.B. relevant goals.C. goal feedback.D. goal
commitment.E. goal timeliness.
117. The optimal level of goal difficulty: A. occurs where the
goal is challenging but not impossible.B. is the most challenging
goal that the company can possibly imagine.C. occurs only when
employees set their own goal.D. is the point at which the employee
does not yet think the goal will 'stretch' them at all.E. occurs
only when both 'A' and 'C' exist.
118. To increase goal performance, employees should participate
in the goal-setting process: A. when employees would otherwise lack
commitment to those goals.B. whenever supervisors have any control
over setting goals.C. when employees possess knowledge that would
improve goal quality.D. Never - participation weakens the
effectiveness of goal setting.E. 'A' and 'C' only.
119. Feedback affects behavior and job performance by improving
which of the following? A. MotivationB. Role perceptionsC. Learned
abilityD. All of the aboveE. Only 'B' and 'C'
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120. Effective feedback is all of the following EXCEPT: A.
sufficiently frequent.B. timely.C. general.D. credible.E.
relevant.
121. Effective feedback: A. is general enough that it applies to
any employee.B. is provided only through social sources.C. is
provided no more frequently than once every three months.D. all of
the above.E. none of the above.
122. Which of the following statements about performance
feedback is FALSE? A. The optimal frequency of feedback depends on
the type of job.B. Feedback is more valuable when it comes from a
credible source.C. Feedback is more useful when it consists of
general phrases, such as "Your sales are going well!" rather than
specific phrases.D. Feedback should be available to employees as
soon as possible.E. Feedback is relevant when it is linked to
goals.
123. Employees who experience feelings of inequity tend to
change their comparison other: A. never; people do not change their
comparison other to reduce inequity feelings.B. every three or four
months.C. as the first strategy to correct feelings of inequity.D.
as the main way to alter their inputs.E. if they can't alter the
outcome/input ratio through other means.
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124. Which of the following theories suggests that employee
motivation is influenced by what other people contribute to and
receive from the organization? A. Expectancy TheoryB. Equity
TheoryC. Needs-based TheoryD. Need TheoryE. Goal Setting Theory
125. Inputs, outcomes, and comparison other are elements of: A.
Innate Drives Theory.B. Maslow's Needs Hierarchy.C. Equity
Theory.D. Expectancy Theory.E. Goal Setting Theory.
126. Susan and Courtney have been in the same job for about the
same length of time and perform very similar tasks. Susan's bonus
for her performance over the past year was higher than Courtney's
bonus. Susan believes that Courtney's job performance was lower
than her job performance. Based on this information: A. Susan would
definitely have feelings of underreward inequity.B. Susan would
definitely have feelings of overreward inequity.C. Susan would
definitely feel that she is rewarded equitably.D. Susan would never
have Courtney as a comparison other.E. we cannot determine Susan's
feelings of equity or inequity.
127. Employees who receive a fixed amount of pay each week and
who feel underrewarded are most likely to: A. reduce their work
effort.B. increase their work effort.C. change their comparison
other.D. encourage the comparison other to reduce his or her work
effort.E. do none of the above.
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128. According to Equity Theory: A. we compare ourselves with a
comparison other only when we are certain that inequity exists.B.
our comparison other never exists in real life.C. our comparison
other is always someone in another organization.D. we choose people
as comparison others only when we know that they receive fewer
outcomes than we do.E. none of these statements are true.
129. The distributive justice rule applies the concept of: A.
motivation.B. individual needs.C. equity.D. goal setting.E. None of
the answers apply.
130. According to Equity Theory: A. everyone has the same needs
over their working life.B. money should never be used to motivate
employees.C. employees must set their own goals.D. the importance
of inputs and outcomes varies from one person to the next.E.
improving job security and working conditions will improve job
satisfaction and, consequently, employee motivation.
131. People who are 'equity sensitive' tend to: A. avoid having
a comparison other.B. be tolerant of situations where they are
underrewarded.C. have a low E-to-P expectancy.D. feel more
comfortable in situations where they receive proportionately more
than others.E. want their outcome/input ratio to be equal to the
outcome/input ratio of the comparison other.
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132. In the equity sensitivity literature, 'entitleds': A. feel
uncomfortable when they receive more rewards than they should
receive.B. feel that everyone is entitled to receive the same
outcomes no matter what position they hold in the organization or
how hard they work.C. feel best when they receive proportionately
more than others.D. frequently experience overreward inequity but
rarely experience underreward inequity.E. lack any sensitivity to
feelings of inequity.
133. It is often difficult to maintain feelings of equity among
employees because: A. most employees feel inequitably treated no
matter how much they receive for their work effort.B. the Equity
Theory model does not apply to non-management employees.C. most
employees don't know about feelings of equity.D. each employee has
different opinions regarding which inputs should be rewarded and
which outcomes are more valuable than others.E. All of the answers
are correct.
134. Perceptions of procedural justice are influenced by both
____ rules and _____ rules. A. conceptual, appliedB. innate,
learnedC. structural, socialD. relatedness, growthE. specific,
general
135. Voice and the right to appeal are two important practices
that influence: A. the size of outcome valences.B. a person's
innate drives.C. a person's location in maslow's needs hierarchy.D.
perceptions of procedural justice.E. whether companies should use
360-degree feedback or just supervisor feedback.
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136. With respect to procedural justice, the "value-expressive"
function which "voice" provides refers to: A. the feeling employees
get when they feel valued at work.B. the way employees feel after
voicing their opinions.C. the cathartic benefits of shouting at
each other.D. the sense of pride employees derive when they are
eloquent during presentations.E. None of the answers are
correct.
137. When people experience procedural injustice, they tend to:
A. engage in more organizational citizenship behaviors.B. engage in
counterproductive work behaviors.C. be more likely to comply with
higher authorities in the future.D. change comparison others.E. All
of the answers are correct.
Essay Questions
138. Maslow's Needs Hierarchy Theory was dismissed by experts
more than three decades ago, yet Maslow's writing has had a lasting
and valuable effect by advocating a more holistic and humanistic
approach to human motivation. Discuss these two approaches and
point out how they were applied in Maslow's Needs Hierarchy
Theory.
139. Compare and contrast ERG Theory with McClelland's Theory of
Learned Needs.
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
140. Your organization wants to hire and develop a group of
people for executive positions in a fast-growing high-technology
firm. The company's selection tests are able to identify each
applicant's current level of need for achievement, power (both
types) and affiliation. Moreover, the company has special training
programs to further develop these fast-track executives on these
learned needs. Identify which learned needs the company should use
to select these applicants and should further develop in the
training programs.
141. A large manufacturer of Internet hardware wants to hire an
executive who will help develop the firm's marketing division. This
executive must be a 'team player' by working with other executives.
The successful candidate will also delegate more responsibility to
the marketing professionals, but is responsible for making tough
decisions regarding allocation of limited budgets. Describe the
level of need for achievement, affiliation, and socialized and
personalized power that the ideal candidate would have for this
position. Your answer should also briefly define these terms.
142. Briefly describe the Four-drive Theory and explain how
drives influence employee motivation.
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
143. Four-drive Theory offers a contemporary view of how
individual drives influence behavior. The first part of the theory
explains how drives generate emotions. Explain how these emotions
are translated into employee behavior. Your answer should identify
the three factors that people consider in this translation
process.
144. Four-drive Theory is one of the few theories of motivation
that recognizes the central role of human emotions in the
motivation process. Explain how Four-drive Theory applies emotions
to employee motivation.
145. Your organization wants to improve employee motivation.
Employees already have strong P-to-O expectancies and the outcome
valences are quite favorable for strong performance, but they seem
to have a low E-to-P expectancy. Identify three distinct types of
strategies that would potentially increase employee motivation by
improving the E-to-P expectancy.
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
146. You want production employees at your company to be more
motivated to complete their assignments more efficiently. They are
confident that they can perform their jobs more efficiently and the
rewards you give employees (pay checks, paid time off, etc.) are
valued by these people. Identify the one element of Expectancy
Theory that requires improvement and identify three possible
actions that would increase employee motivation through this
element.
147. You supervise two-dozen sales representatives covering
every region of the country from your office at company
headquarters. Describe a feedback strategy that might improve the
performance of these employees with respect to increasing sales to
new clients.
148. Jack Smith and Sam Clemens are neighbors who work as
purchasing managers in different companies in the petrochemical
industry. During one neighborly discussion, Jack learned that Sam's
salary was nearly 15% higher than his even though their job duties
were similar. Other than this difference, both received similar
benefits and seemed to enjoy their jobs and colleagues. Jack was
upset about Sam's higher salary although he hid his emotions from
Sam (after all, it wasn't Sam's fault that they received different
salary levels). Jack was frustrated not only because Sam received a
significantly higher salary, but also because Jack was certain that
he worked longer hours and was more productive than Sam. According
to Equity Theory research, what will Jack probably do to reduce his
upset feelings?
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
149. A large project engineering company assigns engineering,
purchasing, marketing and support staff to client-based projects
lasting anywhere from four months to one year. The project staff
report to both the project leader and the manager of their
functional specialization. For example, a marketing employee in
Project Z would receive day-to-day instructions from the Project Z
manager, but would receive career development guidance from the
company's director of marketing. The functional manager also places
employees in future projects. In the past, project staff were
evaluated by the employee's project leader at the time of the
annual performance evaluation. However, some employees complained
that they had just started the project, so the project leader
didn't know their performance. The company wants to introduce a
360-degree feedback process to overcome this issue and other
problems with the performance evaluation system. Describe the
specific characteristics of a 360-degree feedback process for
project staff at this company and identify two problems that the
company should know about 360-degree feedback systems.
150. Why is it difficult to maintain feelings of equity among
employees?
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
Chapter 05 Foundations of Employee Motivation Answer Key
True / False Questions
1. (p. 132) Motivation is closely related to the concept of
employee engagement. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
2. (p. 132) Motivation is one of the four essential drives of
individual behavior and performance. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
3. (p. 132) Most employers say that nowadays motivating
employees is more challenging than it used to be. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
4. (p. 132-133) The problem with the concept of employee
engagement is that it lacks theoretical foundation. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
5. (p. 132) The concept of employee engagement is related to
motivation, but not role perception. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
6. (p. 134) The stronger your needs, the less motivated you are
to fulfill them. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy
7. (p. 134) Drives are needs, and are essential parts of human
psychology. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
8. (p. 134) In the context of motivation, drives are also called
primary needs, fundamental needs, or innate needs. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
9. (p. 135-136) Needs Hierarchy Theory explains how people
develop perceptions of fairness in the distribution and exchange of
resources. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
10. (p. 135) Maslow's Needs Hierarchy Theory incorporates only
five basic categories. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
11. (p. 136) Maslow's Needs Hierarchy Theory states that people
are motivated by only one need at a time. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
12. (p. 136) According to Needs Hierarchy Theory, the need for
self-actualization continues to develop even when it is fulfilled.
TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
13. (p. 136) Abraham Maslow was the first to recognize that
human thoughts play a role in motivation. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
14. (p. 136) Maslow is credited for bringing a mechanistic
perspective to the study of motivation. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
15. (p. 138) ERG Theory recognizes three learned needs:
achievement, affiliation and power. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
16. (p. 138) According to ERG Theory, a person can regress down
the hierarchy of needs when they fail to fulfill higher needs.
TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
17. (p. 138) One advantage of ERG Theory over Maslow's Needs
Hierarchy Theory is that the ERG model seems to explain human
motivation somewhat better. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy
18. (p. 138) Human needs cluster more neatly around the three
needs categories in ERG Theory than the five needs categories in
Maslow's Needs Hierarchy. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
19. (p. 138) A person's hierarchy of needs is influenced by his
or her values. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
20. (p. 139) People with a high need for achievement tend to
avoid risks and prefer working in teams. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
21. (p. 139) Successful entrepreneurs tend to have a high need
for achievement. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy
22. (p. 139) People with a high need for affiliation tend to be
more effective in jobs that allocate scarce resources among
employees. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
23. (p. 139) People with a high need for affiliation tend to be
more effective in jobs that require them to mediate conflicts.
TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
24. (p. 139) According to Learned Needs Theory, people with a
high personalized need for power enjoy power for its own sake and
use it to advance their career rather than to benefit others.
TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
25. (p. 139) According to Learned Needs Theory, companies should
hire leaders with a strong need for personalized power. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
26. (p. 140) Four-drive Theory states that people have a
hierarchy of needs that they progress through as lower level needs
are fulfilled. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
27. (p. 140) Two drives identified in Four-drive Theory are the
drive to acquire and the drive to bond. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
28. (p. 140) According to Four-drive Theory, three drives are
proactive (i.e. we actively seek to fulfill them) whereas the drive
to defend is reactive (i.e. activated only in reaction to threat).
TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
29. (p. 140) In Four-drive Theory, the drive to bond does not
produce any emotional markers. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
30. (p. 141) According to Four-drive Theory, social norms, past
experience, and personal values translate emotional signals into
goal-directed effort. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
31. (p. 142) According to Four-drive Theory, organizations
maximize motivation by focusing employees on opportunities to
fulfill only one of the four drives. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
32. (p. 142) Four-drive Theory recommends keeping all four
drives in "balance"; that is, organizations should avoid too much
or too little opportunity to fulfill each drive. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
33. (p. 143) Expectancy Theory of motivation states that people
naturally direct their effort towards behaviors they believe are
most likely to lead to desired outcomes. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
34. (p. 143) According to Expectancy Theory, employee motivation
will remain high when the P-to-O expectancy falls to zero.
FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
35. (p. 143) In Expectancy Theory, the performance-to-outcome
expectancy represents the anticipated satisfaction or
dissatisfaction that an individual places on an outcome. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
36. (p. 144) One way to increase an employee's E-to-P expectancy
regarding a specific task is to increase the person's
self-confidence through counseling and coaching. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
37. (p. 145) According to Expectancy Theory, communicating the
existence of a performance-based reward system motivates employees
by increasing their outcome valences. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
38. (p. 145) One of the main problems with Expectancy Theory of
motivation is that it does not identify the comparison other in the
motivation process. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
39. (p. 145) One way to increase a person's P-to-O expectancy is
to measure his or her job performance more accurately. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
40. (p. 145) Employee motivation is explained reasonably well by
the Expectancy Theory model. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
41. (p. 145) Expectancy Theory identifies emotions as a key
component of employee motivation. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
42. (p. 146) Goal setting potentially improves employee
performance by increasing motivation and clarifying role
perceptions. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
43. (p. 146) Goal setting tends to be more effective when the
goals are specific rather than general. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
44. (p. 147) Goal setting is more effective when employees can
easily complete the goals assigned to them. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
45. (p. 147) The optimal level of goal difficulty occurs where
the goal has more than a low level but less than a moderate level
of goal difficulty. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
46. (p. 147) Participation in goal formation tends to increase
performance when employees lack commitment to assigned goals.
TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
47. (p. 148) Feedback to employees is most effective when it is
frequent, credible, and general. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
48. (p. 148) Feedback can be more frequent when employees
perform short rather than long job cycles. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
49. (p. 150) The idea behind 360-degree feedback is that
employees should receive feedback for 360 continuous days.
FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
50. (p. 150) Research suggests that feedback originating only
from the supervisor provides more complete and accurate information
than feedback received through a 360-degree process. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
51. (p. 150) Compared to supervisor-only feedback, 360-degree
feedback tends to produce more ambiguous and conflicting feedback.
TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
52. (p. 151) To learn about their progress towards goal
accomplishment, employees usually prefer feedback from supervisors
and other people. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
53. (p. 151) Employees consider feedback from non-social sources
to be more accurate than feedback from social sources. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
54. (p. 151) When employees want to improve their self-image,
they seek out positive feedback from social sources. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
55. (p. 151) Combining goal setting with monetary incentives
motivates many employees to set up difficult goals. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
56. (p. 152) To determine the fairness of pay or other outcomes,
people almost always rely on the equity principle. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
57. (p. 151) The distributive justice principle states that
everyone should receive the same rewards in life. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
58. (p. 152) According to Equity Theory, employees feel inequity
only when other people receive higher salaries than they do.
FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
59. (p. 152) In the Equity Theory model, a 'comparison other' is
an individual or group of people against whom the person compares
his or her outcome/input ratio. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
60. (p. 152) One of the most significant discoveries in Equity
Theory research is that people tend to keep the same comparison
other throughout their working lives. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
61. (p. 152) Feelings of inequity occur when employees receive
less than others, but not when they receive more than others.
FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
62. (p. 152) Overreward inequity occurs whenever other people
receive less money than you do. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
63. (p. 152) Underreward inequity occurs when your outcome/input
ratio is lower than the outcome/input ratio of a comparison other.
TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
64. (p. 153) Equity Theory research has found that employees who
feel overrewarded tend to alter their perceptions of inputs and
outcomes rather than attempt to actually change them. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
65. (p. 153) One of the most common consequences of overreward
inequity is that overpaid employees try to increase their inputs by
working harder. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
66. (p. 154) 'Benevolents' and 'Entitleds' represent opposing
ends of the equity sensitivity continuum. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
67. (p. 154) One problem with Equity Theory is that it
incorrectly assumes people are individualistic, rational, and
selfish. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
68. (p. 155) Procedural justice is influenced by the policies
and practices that decision makers follow as well as their
standards of interpersonal conduct. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Difficult
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
69. (p. 155) Distributive justice increases directly with the
extent that the decision allows voice, can be appealed, and has an
unbiased decision maker. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Difficult
70. (p. 155) Giving employees an explanation for a negative
decision has no effect on procedural justice. FALSE
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
71. (p. 155) Feelings of procedural injustice produce anger,
which, in turn, generates either withdrawal or aggression. TRUE
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
Multiple Choice Questions
72. (p. 132) Motivating employees is more challenging today than
two decades ago because: A. employers have difficulty understanding
the different needs and expectations that younger generation
employees bring to the workplace.B. there is more layers of
management today, which makes it more difficult to motivate
everyone in management positions.C. corporate downsizing and
reduced job security have damaged the levels of trust employees
need to work beyond minimum levels.D. All of the answers are
correct.E. employers have difficulty understanding the different
needs and expectations that younger generation employees bring to
the workplace, and corporate downsizing and reduced job security
have damaged the levels of trust employees need to work beyond
minimum levels.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
73. (p. 133) Expectations of new workforce entrants has: A. made
employee motivation less relevant as an influence on job
performance.B. made it less difficult to motivate employees using
financial rewards.C. made it more difficult to identify what
motivates employees.D. made it impossible to use any form of goal
setting.E. had no effect on employee motivation.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
74. (p. 133) All of the following are reasons given for why some
employees are "disengaged" EXCEPT: A. Companies have not adjusted
to the changing needs and expectations of the new workforce.B.
Corporate restructuring (downsizing) has undermined commitment and
trust among employees.C. Pressures from globalization and
information technology make it harder to motivate employees beyond
minimum standards.D. Employees aged 25 to 34 sometimes or
frequently feel demotivated.E. Basic needs have already been
provided and satisfied. Therefore higher-level needs are harder for
employers to anticipate and offer.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
75. (p. 134) _________ produce emotions, whereas _________
represent the motivational force of those emotions which are
channeled toward particular goals. A. Drives, needsB. Needs,
drivesC. Thinking, doingD. Planning, projectingE. None of the above
is correct.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
76. (p. 134) Which of the following statements about drives is
FALSE? A. They are also called primary needs.B. They activate
emotions, which put us in a state of readiness to act.C. They
include only basic physiological essentials, such as hunger and
thirst.D. Drives and emotions represent the primary sources of
motivation.E. All of the above are correct.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
77. (p. 134-135) Self-concept, social norms, and past
experiences help us: A. adjust our level of drive-based emotions.B.
regulate our decisions and behaviors.C. adjust our drive-based
emotions, but not our behaviors.D. make unemotional decisions based
on reason and logic.E. adjust our level of drive-based needs, and
regulate our decisions and behaviors.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
78. (p. 136) Needs Hierarchy Theory includes all of the
following concepts EXCEPT: A. self-actualization.B.
frustration-regression.C. esteem.D. belongingness.E. physiological
needs.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
79. (p. 135) Which of these is the most widely known theory of
human motivation? A. Maslow's Needs Hierarchy TheoryB. Expectancy
TheoryC. Goal Setting TheoryD. Equity TheoryE. Learned Needs
Theory
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
80. (p. 135) The highest level need in Maslow's Hierarchy of
Needs is: A. esteem.B. safety.C. power.D. belongingness.E.
self-actualization.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
81. (p. 136) In Maslow's needs hierarchy, the bottom four levels
are collectively known as ___________ needs, whereas
self-actualization is called a ______________ need. A.
belongingness, infiniteB. fictitious, factualC. deficiency,
growthD. subordinate, superordinateE. safety, reward
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
82. (p. 136) Which of these theories states that we are
motivated by several needs, but the strongest source is the lowest
unsatisfied need? A. Four-drive TheoryB. Needs Hierarchy TheoryC.
Equity TheoryD. Distributive Justice TheoryE. Learned Needs
Theory
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
83. (p. 138) If individuals are unable to satisfy a particular
need, the ERG theory states that they: A. keep trying to fulfill
this need until it is satisfied.B. redirect their efforts towards
fulfilling a higher need in the hierarchy.C. permanently remove the
blocked need from their list of needs to satisfy.D. redirect their
efforts towards fulfilling a lower need in the hierarchy.E. any one
of the four options above might occur depending on the
individual.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
84. (p. 138) Which of these motivation theories arranges
employee needs in a hierarchy of importance? A. ERG TheoryB.
Four-drive TheoryC. Expectancy TheoryD. McClelland's Learned Needs
TheoryE. ERG Theory and McClelland's Learned Needs Theory
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
85. (p. 139) McClelland's Learned Needs Theory does NOT include
which of these needs? A. Safety needB. Achievement needC.
Socialized power needD. Personalized power needE. Affiliation
need
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
86. (p. 139) The desire to seek approval from others, conform to
their wishes and expectations, and avoid conflict and
confrontations is called: A. Need for affiliationB. Need for
powerC. Need for achievementD. Need for safetyE. Need for
existence
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
87. (p. 140) According to the Four-drive Theory, which of the
following is the foundation of competition and the basis of our
need for esteem? A. Drive to acquireB. Physiological needsC. Drive
to defendD. Drive to bondE. Drive to learn
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
88. (p. 140) In the Four-drive Theory, the drive ______ is most
closely associated with the need for relative status and
recognition. A. to bondB. for fairnessC. to achieve goalsD. to
acquireE. for feedback
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
89. (p. 140) In the Four-drive Theory, the drive ______ is the
drive to form social relationships and develop mutual caring
commitments with others. A. to bondB. for fairnessC. to defendD. to
acquireE. to achieve goals
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
90. (p. 140-141) The Four-drive Theory is based on the idea
that: A. needs can be learned.B. needs form a permanent
hierarchy.C. employee motivation is based on expectations.D. the
sources of employee needs are hard-wired through evolution.E.
people do not really have any needs.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
91. (p. 141) According to Four-drive Theory, ______ are the
conscious sources of human motivation. A. co-workersB. food and
drinkC. emotional markersD. drivesE. justice and equity
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
92. (p. 140) Which drive in the Four-drive Theory is reactive
rather than proactive? A. Drive to acquireB. Drive to learnC. Drive
to defendD. Drive to bondE. Drive for power
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
93. (p. 141) One of the main implications of drives/needs-based
theories of motivation is that: A. employers should offer employees
a choice of rewards.B. employees should be given specific goals
with plenty of feedback.C. employers should give all employees the
same employee benefits.D. employers should select people with the
best qualifications for the job.E. drives/needs-based theories have
no relevance for managing people in organizational settings.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
94. (p. 142) Four-drive Theory recommends: A. that companies
should encourage employees to fulfill one drive at a time.B. that
companies should provide sufficient rewards, learning
opportunities, and social interaction at the same time.C. that
companies should only hire people with a strong drive to defend.D.
that companies should create a work environment that routinely
triggers the employee's drive to defend.E. None of the answers
apply.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
95. (p. 142) One of the main implications of Four-drive Theory
is that: A. employers should offer employees enough opportunity to
keep all four drives in balance.B. employees should be given
specific goals with plenty of feedback.C. employers should give all
employees the same employee benefits.D. employers should select
people with the best qualifications for the job.E. needs-based
theories have no relevance for managing people in organizational
settings.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
96. (p. 143) Which motivation theory is based on the idea that
work effort is directed toward behaviors that people believe will
lead to desired outcomes? A. Equity TheoryB. ERG TheoryC. Goal
Setting TheoryD. The Four-drive TheoryE. Expectancy Theory
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
97. (p. 143) Expectancy Theory mainly helps us to predict an
individual's: A. effort.B. need for achievement.C. distributive
justice.D. job satisfaction.E. rewards.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
98. (p. 143) An individual's perceived probability that a
particular level of effort will result in a particular level of
performance refers to the: A. E-to-P valance.B. EP-to-PO outcome.C.
E-to-V expectancy.D. E-to-P expectancy.E. EV-to-PE outcome.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
99. (p. 144) Which of the following statements about Expectancy
Theory is FALSE? A. Expectancy Theory is a needs-based theory of
motivation.B. E-to-P expectancies are influenced by the
individual's beliefs that he or she can successfully complete the
task.C. The process of employee motivation is explained reasonably
well by Expectancy Theory.D. One way to increase the P-to-O
expectancy in the Expectancy Theory model is to accurately measure
job performance.E. Expectancy Theory has three main components
relating to effort, performance and performance outcomes.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
100. (p. 143) Which of these is found in the Expectancy Theory
model? A. P-to-O expectancyB. E-to-O expectancyC. V-to-E
expectancyD. P-to-E expectancyE. O-to-P expectancy
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
101. (p. 143) Expectancy Theory mainly explains how employees:
A. have different needs at different times.B. can use personal
expectations to reduce work-related stress.C. can motivate
themselves through power.D. have different levels of work effort
based on their expectations of performance and reward outcomes.E.
compare their inputs and outcomes to other people.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy
102. (p. 143) Employees who believe that accomplishing a
particular task will almost certainly result in a day off with pay
would have: A. an E-to-P expectancy above 100.B. a P-to-O
expectancy close to 1.C. an outcome valence above 0.D. an E-to-P
expectancy close to minus 100.E. a P-to-O expectancy close to
100.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
103. (p. 144) According to Expectancy Theory, a reward that is
not wanted has: A. a high E-to-P expectancy.B. an inappropriate
comparison other.C. a negative outcome valence.D. a low P-to-O
expectancy.E. a low need for socialized power.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
104. (p. 144) In Expectancy Theory, valence refers to the: A.
amount of effort a person puts towards a known goal.B. individual's
perceived probability of performing the task at a particular
level.C. anticipated satisfaction or dissatisfaction that an
individual feels towards an outcome.D. individual's perceived
probability that his or her performance will lead to specific
outcomes.E. feelings that result from a comparison of the
individual's outcome/input ratio with the outcome/input ratio of a
comparison other.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
105. (p. 144) According to Expectancy Theory, providing
counseling and coaching to an employee who lacks self-confidence is
most likely to increase the employee's: A. V-to-O expectancy.B.
E-to-P expectancy.C. P-to-E expectancy.D. O-to-P expectancy.E.
P-to-O expectancy.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
106. (p. 145) Employee motivation tends to increase when people
are assigned to jobs for which they are qualified and they receive
coaching to improve their self-confidence. Both of these practices
improve employee motivation by: A. reducing feelings of inequity.B.
increasing outcome valences.C. satisfying existence needs.D.
increasing P-to-O expectancies.E. increasing E-to-P
expectancies.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
107. (p. 145) According to Expectancy Theory, a
skill-development training program would: A. have no effect on
employee motivation.B. mainly increase the effort-to-performance
expectancy.C. mainly increase the performance-to-outcome
expectancy.D. mainly increase the valence of pay increases and
other organizational outcomes.E. mainly alter the comparison
other.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
108. (p. 145) Which of the following actions would increase
employee motivation mainly by enhancing their effort-to-performance
expectancy? A. Convince employees that poor performance will not be
rewarded.B. Reward employees with things that they value.C. Measure
valance more accurately.D. Let employees know that their chances of
performing successfully are good.E. All of the above.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
109. (p. 145) One way to increase employee motivation by
improving the P-to-O expectancies is to: A. measure employee
performance accurately.B. convince employees that they are able to
accomplish the task.C. select employees with the required skills
and knowledge.D. provide sufficient time and resources to perform
the task.E. give everyone the same reward.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
110. (p. 145) ABC Corp. introduced a training program that
ensured everyone had the required knowledge and skills to perform
the work. The company also brought in a performance-based reward
system that accurately identified employees who performed better
than others. These practices improve employee motivation by: A.
increasing employee needs.B. reducing feelings of inequity.C.
improving E-to-P expectancies.D. improving P-to-O expectancies.E.
both 'C' and 'D'.
AACSB: 3BT: ApplicationDifficulty: Medium
111. (p. 145) According to Expectancy Theory, which of the
following actions would NOT alter outcome valences? A. Show
employees how their skills can accomplish the task.B. Give
employees a choice of rewards.C. Minimize the presence of
countervalent outcomes.D. Distribute rewards that employees want.E.
Adapt the type of rewards offered to each employee's dominant
needs.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
112. (p. 145) According to Expectancy Theory, giving more valued
rewards to employees with higher job performance mainly increases
motivation by: A. strengthening the E-to-P expectancy.B. increasing
the valence of a $1,000 bonus.C. weakening the E-to-P expectancy.D.
strengthening both the E-to-P and P-to-O expectancies.E.
strengthening the P-to-O expectancy.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
113. (p. 145) Individualizing rewards enhances which Expectancy
Theory component? A. Performance expectancyB. E-to-O expectancyC.
Valences of outcomesD. E-to-P expectancyE. V-to-E outcomes.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
114. (p. 146) Goal setting influences employee behavior and
performance mainly by improving: A. situational contingencies and
learned abilities.B. aptitudes and learned abilities.C. motivation
and role perceptions.D. role perceptions and learned abilities.E.
motivation and aptitudes.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
115. (p. 147) Goal setting is most effective when: A. the
supervisor sets the goals before discussing them with the
employee.B. the goals stretch the employee's abilities and
motivation.C. the goal statements are general rather than
specific.D. all of the above.E. both 'A' and 'B'.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
116. (p. 147) Goal setting requires all of these conditions
EXCEPT: A. challenging goals.B. relevant goals.C. goal feedback.D.
goal commitment.E. goal timeliness.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
117. (p. 147) The optimal level of goal difficulty: A. occurs
where the goal is challenging but not impossible.B. is the most
challenging goal that the company can possibly imagine.C. occurs
only when employees set their own goal.D. is the point at which the
employee does not yet think the goal will 'stretch' them at all.E.
occurs only when both 'A' and 'C' exist.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
118. (p. 147) To increase goal performance, employees should
participate in the goal-setting process: A. when employees would
otherwise lack commitment to those goals.B. whenever supervisors
have any control over setting goals.C. when employees possess
knowledge that would improve goal quality.D. Never - participation
weakens the effectiveness of goal setting.E. 'A' and 'C' only.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
119. (p. 148) Feedback affects behavior and job performance by
improving which of the following? A. MotivationB. Role
perceptionsC. Learned abilityD. All of the aboveE. Only 'B' and
'C'
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
120. (p. 148) Effective feedback is all of the following EXCEPT:
A. sufficiently frequent.B. timely.C. general.D. credible.E.
relevant.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
121. (p. 148) Effective feedback: A. is general enough that it
applies to any employee.B. is provided only through social
sources.C. is provided no more frequently than once every three
months.D. all of the above.E. none of the above.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
122. (p. 149) Which of the following statements about
performance feedback is FALSE? A. The optimal frequency of feedback
depends on the type of job.B. Feedback is more valuable when it
comes from a credible source.C. Feedback is more useful when it
consists of general phrases, such as "Your sales are going well!"
rather than specific phrases.D. Feedback should be available to
employees as soon as possible.E. Feedback is relevant when it is
linked to goals.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
123. (p. 152) Employees who experience feelings of inequity tend
to change their comparison other: A. never; people do not change
their comparison other to reduce inequity feelings.B. every three
or four months.C. as the first strategy to correct feelings of
inequity.D. as the main way to alter their inputs.E. if they can't
alter the outcome/input ratio through other means.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
124. (p. 152) Which of the following theories suggests that
employee motivation is influenced by what other people contribute
to and receive from the organization? A. Expectancy TheoryB. Equity
TheoryC. Needs-based TheoryD. Need TheoryE. Goal Setting Theory
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
125. (p. 152) Inputs, outcomes, and comparison other are
elements of: A. Innate Drives Theory.B. Maslow's Needs Hierarchy.C.
Equity Theory.D. Expectancy Theory.E. Goal Setting Theory.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Easy
126. (p. 153) Susan and Courtney have been in the same job for
about the same length of time and perform very similar tasks.
Susan's bonus for her performance over the past year was higher
than Courtney's bonus. Susan believes that Courtney's job
performance was lower than her job performance. Based on this
information: A. Susan would definitely have feelings of underreward
inequity.B. Susan would definitely have feelings of overreward
inequity.C. Susan would definitely feel that she is rewarded
equitably.D. Susan would never have Courtney as a comparison
other.E. we cannot determine Susan's feelings of equity or
inequity.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
127. (p. 153) Employees who receive a fixed amount of pay each
week and who feel underrewarded are most likely to: A. reduce their
work effort.B. increase their work effort.C. change their
comparison other.D. encourage the comparison other to reduce his or
her work effort.E. do none of the above.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
128. (p. 153) According to Equity Theory: A. we compare
ourselves with a comparison other only when we are certain that
inequity exists.B. our comparison other never exists in real
life.C. our comparison other is always someone in another
organization.D. we choose people as comparison others only when we
know that they receive fewer outcomes than we do.E. none of these
statements are true.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
129. (p. 151) The distributive justice rule applies the concept
of: A. motivation.B. individual needs.C. equity.D. goal setting.E.
None of the answers apply.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy
130. (p. 152) According to Equity Theory: A. everyone has the
same needs over their working life.B. money should never be used to
motivate employees.C. employees must set their own goals.D. the
importance of inputs and outcomes varies from one person to the
next.E. improving job security and working conditions will improve
job satisfaction and, consequently, employee motivation.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
131. (p. 152) People who are 'equity sensitive' tend to: A.
avoid having a comparison other.B. be tolerant of situations where
they are underrewarded.C. have a low E-to-P expectancy.D. feel more
comfortable in situations where they receive proportionately more
than others.E. want their outcome/input ratio to be equal to the
outcome/input ratio of the comparison other.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Difficult
132. (p. 154) In the equity sensitivity literature, 'entitleds':
A. feel uncomfortable when they receive more rewards than they
should receive.B. feel that everyone is entitled to receive the
same outcomes no matter what position they hold in the organization
or how hard they work.C. feel best when they receive
proportionately more than others.D. frequently experience
overreward inequity but rarely experience underreward inequity.E.
lack any sensitivity to feelings of inequity.
AACSB: 3BT: KnowledgeDifficulty: Difficult
133. (p. 154) It is often difficult to maintain feelings of
equity among employees because: A. most employees feel inequitably
treated no matter how much they receive for their work effort.B.
the Equity Theory model does not apply to non-management
employees.C. most employees don't know about feelings of equity.D.
each employee has different opinions regarding which inputs should
be rewarded and which outcomes are more valuable than others.E. All
of the answers are correct.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
134. (p. 155) Perceptions of procedural justice are influenced
by both ____ rules and _____ rules. A. conceptual, appliedB.
innate, learnedC. structural, socialD. relatedness, growthE.
specific, general
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
135. (p. 155) Voice and the right to appeal are two important
practices that influence: A. the size of outcome valences.B. a
person's innate drives.C. a person's location in maslow's needs
hierarchy.D. perceptions of procedural justice.E. whether companies
should use 360-degree feedback or just supervisor feedback.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
136. (p. 155) With respect to procedural justice, the
"value-expressive" function which "voice" provides refers to: A.
the feeling employees get when they feel valued at work.B. the way
employees feel after voicing their opinions.C. the cathartic
benefits of shouting at each other.D. the sense of pride employees
derive when they are eloquent during presentations.E. None of the
answers are correct.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
137. (p. 156) When people experience procedural injustice, they
tend to: A. engage in more organizational citizenship behaviors.B.
engage in counterproductive work behaviors.C. be more likely to
comply with higher authorities in the future.D. change comparison
others.E. All of the answers are correct.
AACSB: 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy
Essay Questions
138. (p. 135-136) Maslow's Needs Hierarchy Theory was dismissed
by experts more than three decades ago, yet Maslow's writing has
had a lasting and valuable effect by advocating a more holistic and
humanistic approach to human motivation. Discuss these two
approaches and point out how they were applied in Maslow's Needs
Hierarchy Theory.
Students should describe each of these three philosophies of
motivation thinking and identify how they exist in Maslow's own
needs hierarchy theory. Here are the key points:
Holistic. This is the view that needs and drives should be
studied together, not piecemeal, because their effects are
influenced by other needs and drives, not independently. Maslow's
Needs Hierarchy Theory takes a holistic approach by condensing the
long list of needs into a hierarchy of five basic categories, and
describes the effect of these needs on motivation in terms of each
need's relationship to other needs (the lowest level need is
strongest; people move to a higher need when the lower one is
fulfilled, etc.).
Humanistic. The humanistic approach refers to the notion that
motivation is influenced at least partly by human thought and
social influences rather than just instinct. This contrasts with
early motivation research which mainly investigated instinctive
forms of motivation. This humanistic approach is apparent in needs
hierarchy theory because it introduced growth needs rather than
just deficiency needs. Growth needs (self-actualization) involves
thinking rather than instinctive wants. Social status also likely
has a social rather than purely instinctive influence.
AACSB: 1, 3, 6BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
139. (p. 138-139) Compare and contrast ERG Theory with
McClelland's Theory of Learned Needs.
The main similarity between these two theories is that they are
both needs-based theories of motivation. In other words, both
theories try to explain why people have certain needs at various
times. The two theories also refer to needs that are somewhat
similar (i.e. affiliation/relatedness, achievement, growth),
although they take different perspectives regarding the foundation
of these needs.
ERG Theory and McClelland's Theory of Learned Needs differ in
several ways. ERG Theory deals with primary needs needs that are
instinctive. In contrast, McClelland's Theory refers to secondary
needs needs that are learned and reinforced rather than
instinctive. Another difference is that ERG Theory proposes a needs
hierarchy that some needs have more importance than others at
certain points in time. McClelland's Theory does not propose a
needs hierarchy. A third difference is that ERG Theory includes
existence (physiological) needs whereas McClelland's Theory does
not.
AACSB: 1, 3, 6BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Medium
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
140. (p. 139) Your organization wants to hire and develop a
group of people for executive positions in a fast-growing
high-technology firm. The company's selection tests are able to
identify each applicant's current level of need for achievement,
power (both types) and affiliation. Moreover, the company has
special training programs to further develop these fast-track
executives on these learned needs. Identify which learned needs the
company should use to select these applicants and should further
develop in the training programs.
Need for socialized power. Effective executives have a high need
for socialized power because this motivates them to acquire power
to benefit the organization. Therefore, applicants should be
selected if they have high levels of this need, and they should
receive further training to develop this socialized power need.
Need for personalized power. Effective executives have low
levels of personalized power because this motivates them to acquire
power for personal gain. Thus, applicants with high levels of this
need should be screened out. Moreover, these people should not
receive any training to develop this need.
Need for affiliation. Effective executives have a relatively low
need for affiliation so that their choices and actions are not
biased by a personal need for approval. Thus, applicants with high
levels of this need should be screened out. Moreover, these people
should not receive any training to develop this need.
Need for achievement. Effective executives have a moderate
(neither too high nor too low) need for achievement. If too high,
executives have difficulty delegating work and involving employees.
If too low, executives are not motivated enough to work towards
challenging goals. Thus, applicants should be selected if they have
moderate levels of this need. Training probably should not be
provided, unless some of these people currently have low need for
achievement.
AACSB: 1, 3, 6BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Difficult
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
141. (p. 139) A large manufacturer of Internet hardware wants to
hire an executive who will help develop the firm's marketing
division. This executive must be a 'team player' by working with
other executives. The successful candidate will also delegate more
responsibility to the marketing professionals, but is responsible
for making tough decisions regarding allocation of limited budgets.
Describe the level of need for achievement, affiliation, and
socialized and personalized power that the ideal candidate would
have for this position. Your answer should also briefly define
these terms.
To answer this question, students need to briefly define each
term, then identify the level of each need.
Need for achievement (nAch). This is a learned need that causes
people to want to accomplish reasonably challenging goals through
their own efforts. The textbook indicates that people with a high
nAch prefer working alone rather than in teams. The position in
this question calls for someone who is a team player, so the person
should have somewhat lower nAch because they must delegate work and
build support through involvement. This does not mean that nAch
should be low. Rather, it should not be extremely high (as found in
entrepreneurs). Some students might note that high nAch people may
perform well in large companies where they are given considerable
independence as though they are running their own business.
However, this clearly indicates that the marketing executive is
working with the executive team.
Need for affiliation (nAff). This is a learned need that causes
people to seek approval from others, conform to their wishes and
expectations, and avoid conflict and confrontation. The textbook
indicates that decision makers (including executives) should have a
relatively low level of nAff because people with high nAff are less
effective at allocating scarce resources and making other decisions
that potentially generate conflict. The ideal candidate for this
position should have a relatively low nAff so that his or her
choices and actions are not biased by a personal need for
approval.
Need for power (nPow). This is a learned need that causes people
to want to exercise control over others and are concerned about
maintaining their leadership position. Those with a high
personalized need for power enjoy their power for its own sake and
use it to advance their career and other personal interests. Those
with a high socialized need for power want power as a means to help
others, such as improving society or increasing organizational
effectiveness. The ideal executive should have a low personalized
need for power and a high socialized need for power so that power
is directed towards fulfillment of organizational objectives.
AACSB: 1, 3, 6BT: ApplicationDifficulty: Difficult
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
142. (p. 140) Briefly describe the Four-drive Theory and explain
how drives influence employee motivation.
The four drives are:
Drive to acquire: This is the drive to seek, take, control, and
retain objects and personal experiences.
Drive to bond: This is the drive to form social relationships
and develop mutual caring commitments with others.
Drive to learn: This is the drive to satisfy our curiosity, to
know and understand ourselves and the environment around us.
Drive to defend: This drive creates a fight-or-flight response
in the face of personal danger.
Every bit of information we receive is quickly and
non-consciously tagged with emotional markers that subsequently
shape our logical analysis of the situation. According to
Four-drive Theory, these four drives determine which emotions are
tagged to incoming stimuli. Four-drive Theory states that competing
drives (i.e. conflicting emotions) demand our attention, which
causes us to choose a course of action based on our social norms,
past experience, and personal values. In other words, our conscious
analysis of competing demands from the four drives generates needs
that energize us to act in ways acceptable to society and our own
moral compass.
AACSB: 1, 3BT: ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy
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Chapter 05 - Foundations of Employee Motivation
143. (p. 141) Four-drive Theory offers a contemporary view of
how individual drives influence behavior. The first part of the
theory explains how drives generate emotions. Explain how these
emotions are translated into employee behavior. Your answer should
identify the three factors that people consider in this translation
process.
This question asks students to describe the second half of the
Four-drive Theory process. To answer this question, students need
to state that when emotions are raised to a level of consciousness
(which often occurs when emotions compete with each other). When
aware of this internal conflict, people rely on a built-in skill
set to resolve these dilemmas. These skills take into account
social norms, past experience, and personal values. The result is
goal-directed decision and effort that