OB - Chapter 6

According to the text, which of the following factors has the most influence on worker motivation? a. Job design b. Growth opportunities c. Recognition d. Pay

a. Job design

Which of the following is accurate for goal setting? a. Management commitment is key to successful implementation of MBO programs. b. In general, there are no downsides to goal setting. c. Goals should be easily achieved to be motivating. d. Goals are more effective motivators if feedback on achievement is limited so as not to divert attention from the goal to the feedback.

a. Management commitment is key to successful implementation of MBO programs.

Which of the following statements regarding goal setting and ethics is true? a. Research shows that teachers who are rewarded for their students' success may give their students answers during tests to improve the test scores. b. The tendency to behave unethically occurs when employees know they are going to achieve their goals. c. Employees have two choices when goal accomplishment is rewarded: work hard to reach the goals or quit. d. When a high percentage of a CEO's pay package consists of stock options, companies are less likely to misrepresent the financial situation of the company.

a. Research shows that teachers who are rewarded for their students' success may give their students answers during tests to improve the test scores.

Which of the following statements regarding SMART goals is correct? a. When goals are specific, stress is higher. b. Effective goals tend to be aggressive. c. Adding a time limit to a goal leads to short-term decision making and ignoring the long-term consequences. d. Easy goals are the most effective goals.

b. Effective goals tend to be aggressive.

What are the two basic elements of a performance review? a. Managers evaluate and discuss aspects of employees' performance with each other. b. Employee performance is measured and communicated to the employee. c. Managers set individual goals and communicate them to individual employees. d. Employee performance is measured and shared with peers, customers. and subordinates.

b. Employee performance is measured and communicated to the employee.

Which of the following is true regarding the motivating potential of a job? a. An employee whose expectation for his job is to pay the bills will have high growth potential. b. Even though a job is designed with the express purpose of motivating individuals, some employees may not find the job personally motivating. c. Career stage does not influence the importance of the five core characteristics. d. Employees with high "growth need" strength will respond less favorably to jobs with high motivating potential.

b. Even though a job is designed with the express purpose of motivating individuals, some employees may not find the job personally motivating.

Judgment based on evidence refers to a. letting employees know what criteria are used in appraisal. b. documenting performance problems and using factual evidence in rating performance. c. ensuring that there is two-way communication during the appraisal process and the employee's perspective is heard. d. All of the above

b. documenting performance problems and using factual evidence in rating performance.

To improve overall employee performance, in addition to performance appraisals, a company should use a. an employee ranking technique. b. frequent one-on-one meetings. c. an annual company picnic. d. a peer-review bonus system.

b. frequent one-on-one meetings.

A caterer accepts a large order for a school function. On the morning of the event, stations are set up to make the 5,000 sandwiches ordered for that day. Station one has several individuals cutting sandwich buns, station two has employees placing the meats and cheeses on the rolls, station three adds condiments and wraps the sandwich, and station four moves the finished product and materials between the cooler and the other stations. Every hour, the employees take a 5-10 min break and move to work the next station in line, with station four restarting at station one. The individual who devised the sandwich-making production plan is operating under a a. job specialization approach. b. job rotation approach. c. job enlargement approach. d. None of these.

b. job rotation approach.

Renaldo is preparing to rate Marquez on his annual performance evaluation. As he looks at the first item, Renaldo thinks about the meeting he had with Marquez last week. Marquez shared with Renaldo that his wife was quite ill and that there may be days when he would be called to the hospital unexpectedly. Renaldo knows that a poor review will cost Marquez his bonus which Renaldo knows would be very difficult for Marquez financially. Based on this, Renaldo may give Marquez ratings that show ______________ bias. a. liking b. leniency c. stereotype d. recency

b. leniency

Which of the following statements is true regarding cultural aspects of motivation in a work environment? a. Mexican employees work very effectively in self-managed teams. b. Indian employees are very satisfied when they are empowered. c. Chinese employees are very motivated when goals are very difficult. d. Peer appraisals are very effective in collectivism cultures.

c. Chinese employees are very motivated when goals are very difficult.

Which statement is true about empowerment? a. The notion of empowerment is appropriate for all employees. b. Empowerment is a relatively easy concept to implement in the workplace. c. Employees who are nervous about taking on increased responsibility may also worry about empowerment. d. Empowerment is not related to job performance.

c. Employees who are nervous about taking on increased responsibility may also worry about empowerment.

According to the VISAF formula for the motivating potential score of a job, the most important elements in deciding motivation potential are a. skill variety and autonomy. b. task significance and task identity. c. autonomy and feedback. d. skill variety and feedback.

c. autonomy and feedback.

360-degree feedback is a. designed to provide feedback for promotion or pay decisions. b. designed to deal with all instances where competition between coworkers is prevalent. c. designed to provide feedback for developmental purposes. d. the most frequently used form of performance appraisal in U.S. firms.

c. designed to provide feedback for developmental purposes.

Conducting an effective performance appraisal meeting a. is always easier if the rater begins the meeting with a criticism of the employee and moves forward from there. b. is always easier if the rater limits the number of opportunities the employee has to speak. c. is facilitated if the rater has empathy for the employee. d. None of the above.

c. is facilitated if the rater has empathy for the employee.

Which of the following factors has the most influence on worker motivation? a. pay b. growth opportunities c. job design d. recognition

c. job design

Olaf works on an assembly line in an Oslo factory. Last month the assembly line processes were overhauled. Olaf is still responsible for soldering electrical contacts on an appliance component, but now he is also expected to review each component for quality defects before he solders. If he notes any defects, he can place the component in the scrap bin. If he scraps five such pieces in succession, he is permitted to press an emergency button above his station, which stops the assembly line completely. This job re-design is a reflection of the _____ ______________ philosophy. a. job rotation b. job enlargement c. job enrichment d. job specialization

c. job enrichment

Frederick Taylor's work, "Principles of Scientific Management" (1911), led to a fundamental change in management philosophy. The change a. was understanding that managers could not influence the output levels of employees. b. was understanding that repetitive activities are the direct result of job generalization. c. paved the way for the 20th century assembly line and today's use of automation. d. was increasing the complexity of jobs in the workplace for greater productivity.

c. paved the way for the 20th century assembly line and today's use of automation.

In the Job Characteristics (VISAF) model, Task significance refers to a. the extent to which the job requires a person to utilize multiple high level skills. b. the degree to which a person is in charge of completing an identifiable piece of work from start to finish. c. whether a person's job substantially affects other people's health, work or well-being. d. the degree to which a person has the freedom to decide how to perform his tasks.

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

The difference between Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment is a. Job Enlargement refers to expanding the variety of tasks performed by employees while Job Enrichment allows workers decide how they perform their tasks. b. Job Enlargement adds more scope while Job Enrichment adds more control. c. The VISAF Job Characteristics Model would predict that Job Enlargement (Variety) would be less motivating than Job Enrichment (Autonomy). d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

To ensure that goal setting is viewed as a positive process and not a potential ethical challenge, there should be efforts to address possible downsides, such as by a. allowing employees to adapt their approach in response to unplanned scenarios. b. setting rewards which are established for coming close to, as well as achieving a goal. c. setting goals which account for related or sustained metrics, not just for single, one-time metrics such as meeting quarterly production quotas d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

What workplace strategy can help increase the quality of the feedback you receive? a. Ask your supervisor for feedback if you aren't sure how you are doing. b. Develop a good professional relationship with your manager. c. Be gracious, even when you receive negative feedback. d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

Which of the following is an advantage of job rotation? a. Employees become cross-trained due to their movement between jobs. b. Managers have greater scheduling flexibility in a job rotation system. c. Employees experience less boredom in a job rotation system. d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

With respect to the concept of Procedural Justice, a good Performance Review System should have which of the following elements? a. letting employees know what criteria are used in appraisal. b. documenting performance problems and using factual evidence in rating performance. c. ensuring that there is two-way communication during the appraisal process and the employee's perspective is heard. d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

A Management By Objectives (MBO) program includes a. detaching individual goals from organizational strategy. b. setting individual goals aligned with personal strategy. c. developing goals from existing action plans. d. None of these.

d. None of these.

Which of the following is true regarding Performance Management and Performance Appraisals? a. They are synonyms and can be used interchangeably. b. Performance Management is a specific use of the larger Performance Appraisal system. c. Performance Appraisals used for research purposes are typically more lenient than those used for administrative (pay and promotion) purposes. d. Performance Appraisals used for administrative (pay and promotion) purposes are typically more lenient than those used for feedback and development purposes.

d. Performance Appraisals used for administrative (pay and promotion) purposes are typically more lenient than those used for feedback and development purposes.

A piece rate system refers to a. a program providing one-time rewards to employees for specific accomplishments. b. a company-wide program where employees are rewarded for performance gains compared to past performance. c. an outdated compensation structure that is no longer used. d. a program where employees are paid on the basis of individual output produced.

d. a program where employees are paid on the basis of individual output produced.

A mid-sized manufacturing company produced one thousand component assemblies in July of this year, far exceeding the previous record of 843 assemblies. One week later, the firm had grills brought on site and employees were treated to a steak luncheon. The steak grill-out is an example of a. gainsharing. b. merit pay. c. a bonus. d. an award.

d. an award.

Forced ranking systems like those used by Uber, a. provide employees with concrete feedback on what their goals are for next year. b. are beneficial to a firm if they are used in a consistent manner and for a long period of time. c. can lead to employee stagnation and a performance-aversive culture. d. can carry the danger of lawsuits because of equal employment opportunity (EEO) concerns with employees rated.

d. can carry the danger of lawsuits because of equal employment opportunity (EEO) concerns with employees rated.

Which of the following psychological states has research identified as the most important for employee attitudes and behaviors? a. responsibility b. knowledge of results c. motivation d. meaningfulness

d. meaningfulness