Title: Motivation
Course: Question Banks

Q: Gallup’s survey, the “State of the American Workforce,” shows that ________ percent of employees are either “actively disengaged” or “not engaged.” “Actively disengaged” means employees aren’t just unhappy at work—they are resentful and are acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers potentially undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.
- 76
- 33
- 67
A: 67

Q: Gallup estimates that employees who are unmotivated cost US businesses ________. Clearly, this suggests a problem. The good news is that a considerable amount of research now provides us with solid insights into how to improve motivation.
- around $500 million per year
- around $50 million per year
- around $500 billion per year
A: around $500 billion per year

Q: Intrinsic rewards are not tangible, meaning that they can’t be easily measured or quantified. Some examples are
- skill development and skill mastery, social status, or promotions.
- skill development and skill mastery, raises, or power.
- skill development and skill mastery, social status, or power.
A: skill development and skill mastery, social status, or power.

Q: Extrinsic rewards come from outside the individual. These stimuli take the form of
- commissions, bonuses, raises, pride, or additional time off from work.
- commissions, bonuses, raises, promotions, or skill development.
- commissions, bonuses, raises, promotions, or additional time off from work.
A: commissions, bonuses, raises, promotions, or additional time off from work.

Q: Human needs are hierarchically ranked. Some needs are basic to all human beings, and in their absence, nothing else matters. As our basic needs are satisfied, we look to satisfy higher-order needs. Once a lower-level need is satisfied, it is no longer a motivator. This is the description of:
- ERG theory
- acquired-needs theory
- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
A: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Q: All the following are areas in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, EXCEPT:
- safety, social
- physiological, self-actualization
- collaboration, coordination
A: collaboration, coordination

Q: Frederick Herzberg surveyed workers to ask what was important to their motivation. He found these could be grouped into two sets of factors, which he called
- extrinsic factors and motivators.
- hygiene factors and intrinsic motivation.
- hygiene factors and motivators.
A: hygiene factors and motivators.

Q: What does the ERG theory add to Maslow’s assumptions?
- It draws Maslow’s theory model into a different shape.
- It sharpens the hierarchy and recognizes that multiple needs cannot be operating simultaneously.
- It defines the “frustration-regression” principle.
A: It defines the “frustration-regression” principle.

Q: The main point(s) to learn from ERG include:
- We can better understand an individual’s behavior and create motivation by focusing on one need at a time.
- By developing the ability to overcome individual needs, we can improve worker productivity.
- We need to recognize the multiple needs that may be driving an individual at a given time.
A: We need to recognize the multiple needs that may be driving an individual at a given time.

Q: If you feel a strong need for success, you have a need for ________, according to McClelland’s acquired-needs theory.
- power
- affiliation
- achievement
A: achievement

Q: As a manager you may need to discipline poor-performing employees and clearly communicate both good news and critical feedback. If you are preoccupied by how others perceive you, you have a need for ________, according to McClellend’s acquired-needs theory, and you might find managing others difficult.
- power
- achievement
- affiliation
A: affiliation

Q: Individuals are motivated by a sense of fairness in their interactions. According to ________, our sense of fairness is a result of the social comparisons we make.
- two-factor theory
- acquired-needs theory
- equity theory
A: equity theory

Q: Jefferson has worked as an inventory specialist at the DeFeet sock company for seven years and receives $15 an hour. He is very diligent on the job and has never been late. As his skills have grown, he has become more like the manager of the inventory department. He makes sure everyone has the tools, access, and information needed to do their jobs effectively. Jefferson is management material. Today, Jefferson shows up at work to discover a new manager has been hired to oversee inventory. He discovers that the new manager is paid $25 an hour. In this scenario, what are the inputs according to equity theory?
- the market salary for an inventory manager
- Jefferson’s pay of $15 an hour, his exceptional work, and the new manager’s pay of
- the new manager’s experience at another firm and his pay of $25 per hour
- $25 per hour
A: $25 per hour

Q: In the United States, the wealth inequality is extraordinary. The wealthiest 10% control three-quarters of all family wealth in the country, and the rich are still getting richer. But most Americans are not disturbed by this outcome. They have faith in the free markets for labor and capital. This approach to wealth distribution falls under
- equity theory.
- interactional justice.
- procedural justice.
A: procedural justice.

Q: A manager’s display of social sensitivity, such as the level of respect and dignity shown to employees, will have a positive effect on employees’ level of engagement. This describes
- interpersonal justice.
- procedural justice.
- interactional justice.
A: interactional justice.

Q: The expectancy theory says that a rational calculation determines whether individuals are motivated to demonstrate more effort or less effort. Questions people ask themselves as part of this rational calculation include:
- Am I capable of the task? Is management trustworthy? Is this fair to others?
- Is the prize worthwhile? Will my effort lead to high performance? Does this serve the greater good?
- Do I find the outcomes desirable? Will my effort lead to high performance? Will management deliver if the goal is met?
A: Do I find the outcomes desirable? Will my effort lead to high performance? Will management deliver if the goal is met?

Q: The expectancy theory says that employees make a rational calculation with three components before committing to a task. The three components are called
- expectations, instrumentality, and value.
- expectancy, agency, and valence.
- expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.
A: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.

Q: Gucci manufactures luxury shoes. It allows individuals to make changes to their work responsibilities, even dramatic changes, if they create or discover more efficient ways to work. This is an example of a company using ________.
- job enlargement
- job rotation
- job enrichment
A: job enrichment

Q: Volvo tried ________ in the 1960s, and quality skyrocketed, according to then-president Pehr Gyllenhammar (who retired in the 1990s). This approach dramatically boosted quality (and often raised productivity as well) by pushing power down, replacing inspection with responsibility, and having people work in teams. Volvo found that production under teams stayed constant, largely due to systems constraints, but that the time and capital invested to make the switch was more than paid off in cost savings from reduced turnover and absenteeism.
- job enlargement
- job rotation
- job enrichment
A: job enrichment

Q: Goal-setting theory is one of the most influential management practices. There is strong evidence that setting goals
- increases attention on consequences which are not measured.
- leads to better physical health.
- improves performance toward the goal.
A: improves performance toward the goal.

Q: In addition to giving employees direction, goals motivate because they
- tell employees to stop when they reach a specific number of hours worked.
- provide a routine.
- force employees to think outside the box and reconsider how they are working.
A: force employees to think outside the box and reconsider how they are working.

Q: As a manager applying reinforcement theory, what methods would you use to reduce the frequency of an undesired behavior?
- You could praise the employee’s behavior and link the behavior with positive consequences.
- You would present a positive consequence following the unwanted conduct.
- You might completely ignore the unwanted conduct and reduce the behavior because it receives no reinforcement.
A: You might completely ignore the unwanted conduct and reduce the behavior because it receives no reinforcement.

Q: Reinforcement theory was developed in training animals. B.F. Skinner called it operant conditioning and worked with pigeons, rats, and dogs. Rewards are generally effective, but some people, especially professionals,
- will expect larger rewards the next time.
- will stop working if the rewards stop or get smaller.
- will take offense if they are treated like animals.
A: will take offense if they are treated like animals.

Q: Pew Research reported in 2016 that 8 percent of American adults report that they have earned money from some type of digital work platform in the last year, often by doing online tasks. Because this work is generally unstable and the income unreliable, these workers may not satisfy Herzberg’s hygiene needs. Companies cannot begin to truly engage and motivate these workers until they satisfy the workers’
- social needs.
- safety needs.
- basic needs.
A: basic needs.

Q: To engage and motivate employees, many firms offer both salary and
- health benefits.
- a clean and safe working environment.
- incentive pay.
A: incentive pay.

Q: Karen is a programmer with Yahoo and a mother. Her work has been outstanding but she is distracted recently. Her children are both in school and after-school-care, and she is worried about them. Since her work output is easily measured, her manager could
- offer a raise.
- offer onsite daycare as a benefit.
- offer flexible hours.
A: offer flexible hours.

Q: MinTsung prefers to work independently as a risk analyst. In fact, he gets upset and competitive if someone else crosses into his responsibilities. But left on his own, he produces exceptional, well-organized work. His manager should
- assign a consultant to document everything so that his work can be duplicated.
- require MinTsung to document everything he is doing, so that his skills will not be lost if he leaves the company or gets sick.
- add staff reporting to MinTsung so that he can train someone to support his work.
A: add staff reporting to MinTsung so that he can train someone to support his work.