MGMT 160: Ch. 6

gainsharing

A companywide program in which employees are rewarded for performance gains compared to past performance.

SMART goal

A goal that is specific, measurable, aggressive, realistic, and time-bound.

job enrichment

A job redesign technique allowing workers more control over how they perform their own tasks.

performance appraisal

A process in which employee performance is measured.

one-on-one meetings

A short, frequent, and regular meeting with an employee to provide timely feedback and support.

360-degree feedback

A system where feedback is gathered from supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes even customers.

employee recognition awards

Awards, plaques, or other symbolic methods of recognition that convey appreciation for employee contributions.

job specialization

Breaking down tasks to their simplest components and assigning them to employees so that each person would perform few tasks in a repetitive manner.

Those methods which most effectively motivate employees differ depending on the country and culture of the employee. Which of the following statements is correct with regard to methods of motivation?

Countries high in power distance, like many Middle Eastern countries, respond negatively to 360 degree performance appraisal systems.

judgment based on evidence

Documenting performance problems and using factual evidence.

fair hearing

Ensuring that there is two-way communication during the appraisal process and the employee's side of the story is heard.

job enlargement

Expanding the tasks performed by employees to add more variety.

Job Characteristics Model

Five core job dimensions, leading to three critical psychological states, which lead to work-related outcomes.

stock option

Giving an employee the right, but not the obligation, to purchase company stocks at a predetermined price.

merit pay

Giving employees a permanent pay raise based on past performance.

adequate notice

Letting employees know what criteria will be used during the appraisal.

job rotation

Moving employees from job to job at regular intervals.

bonuses

One-time rewards that follow specific accomplishments of employees.

Which of the following statements about performance appraisals is true?

Organizations which are classified as "flat" in structure are increasingly using 360-degree feedback.

piece rate incentives

Payment to employees made on the basis of their individual output.

job crafting

Proactive changes employees make in their own job descriptions.

profit sharing

Programs involving sharing a percentage of company profits with all employees.

sales commissions

Rewarding sales employees with a percentage of sales volume or profits generated.

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Setting companywide goals derived from corporate strategy, determining team- and department-level goals, collaboratively setting individual-level goals that are aligned with corporate strategy, developing an action plan, and periodically reviewing performance and revising goals.

Structural Empowerment

The aspects of the work environment that give employees discretion and autonomy, and enable them to do their jobs effectively.

performance management

The collection of tools, methods, and procedures aiming to improve employee performance.

growth need strength

The degree to which a person has higher order needs, such as self-esteem and self-actualization.

goal commitment

The degree to which a person is dedicated to reaching the goal.

task identity

The degree to which a person is in charge of completing an identifiable piece of work from start to finish.

autonomy

The degree to which people have the freedom to decide how to perform their tasks.

feedback

The degree to which people learn how effective they are being at work.

skill variety

The extent to which the job requires a person to utilize multiple high-level skills.

empowerment

The removal of conditions that make a person powerless.

task significance

Whether a person's job substantially affects other people's work, health, or well-being.

Which of the following is considered an outcome according to Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model?

absenteeism

Which of the following is a potential downside to goal setting?

adaptability decline, ethical problems increase, learning decrease

One problem that arises with performance appraisals is that they are

confused with performance management.

What is the most impactful psychological state indicated by research to affect employee behaviors and attitudes?

experienced meaningfulness

Research suggests that which of the following characteristics of appraisals increase the perceptions of fairness?

fair hearing, adequate notice, judgment based on evidence

Saturn Corporation decided to have one cafeteria for all its employees instead of one for executives and one for the rest of the workforce. Furthermore, it does not assign parking spaces in its lots to any specific employees. These two aspects of organizational climate suggest

felt empowerment

Leniency bias in performance appraisal refers to

giving an employee a rating higher than is actually warranted.

A doctor's job most likely has_______ because it directly affects other people's work, health, or well-being.

high task significance

Goal commitment is the level that a person

is dedicated to meeting a goal

Which type of job design focuses primarily on efficiency?

job specialization

Efficiency is to ____________, as personal authority and control is to ___________.

job specialization, job enrichment

A person who works the register at Walmart likely has _______ because few high-level skills are required.

low skill variety

Alcoa will recycle 95% of the aluminum cans it manufactures by 2010. In this goal, the 95% represents what aspect of a SMART goal?

measurable

The local strawberry farm is hiring summer workers. It pays $25 for the first 50 quarts of strawberries picked and 75 cents for every quart picked beyond the base level. This is an example of what kind of incentive system?

piece rate system

Management by Objectives (MBO) involves all of the following steps except

setting company-wide goals independent of employee goals.

task identity refers to

the degree to which a person is in charge of completing an identifiable piece of work from start to finish.

Performance management refers to

the methods, policies, and procedures to improve and support employee performance.

An example of a bonus is

the money a rookie first round draft choice football player receives upon signing his contract.

SMART goals motivate employees because

they give direction

felt empowerment

when the employees actually experience the work environment aspects being properly implemented so that they experience the ability to fully perform their jobs