Management Chapter 15
Why are piece-rate incentive plans prone to fail?
Performance is not always under the worker's control.
What is the underlying assumption of a gainsharing program?
The employer and the employees all have the same goal.
Working a full 40-hour week in fewer than the traditional five days is called ____.
a compressed work schedule
According to the basic expectancy model, what should effort be combined with to result in performance?
ability and environmental factors
L'Meese, a senior engineer at Machineworks Inc., sets difficult goals for herself and assumes personal responsibility for the performance of her subordinates. L'Meese most likely has a high need for ____.
achievement
Marco thrives on setting goals for himself, and he has a strong need for specific and immediate feedback. Which need does this fulfill for Marco?
achievement
Brianne, a senior engineer, prefers to work in a job that provides her the opportunity to interact with people and make new friends on the job. Brianne has a need for ____.
affiliation
Employees at GreenTech Inc. complete their schedules on time as every hour they take in excess may lead to a corresponding loss of pay. Their behaviors are strengthened through ____.
avoidance
Jaime has a slight cold and would like to stay home, but he is out of sick days and does not want to lose any vacation days, so he goes into work anyway. Jaime's behavior is strengthened through ____.
avoidance
Which perspective on motivation addresses the specific factors in the workplace that motivate people, rather than how people are motivated?
content
Which of the following reinforcement schedules offers a worker the least incentive to do good work?
fixed-interval
Assurance on ____ can satisfy the security needs of an employee in the workplace.
job continuity
Woojin believes his union will protect him from getting fired, and he believes that the only way to get a promotion is if the person above him retires or dies. Woojin has ____.
low effort-to-performance expectancy and low performance-to-outcome expectancy
The needs for achievement, affiliation, and power are referred to as ____ needs.
manifest
A criticism against executive compensation in recent years is that ____.
there seems to be no relationship between organization's performance and executives' compensations
A basic assumption on which the expectancy theory is based is that ____.
behavior is determined by a combination of forces in the individual and in the environment
According to Maslow's hierarchy, ____ needs include the need that people have for recognition, positive self-image, and self-respect.
esteem
Leo told an inappropriate joke at the staff meeting, and his coworker ignored it by not laughing or acknowledging it. What was she using to change this behavior?
extinction
In the two-factor theory, the factors that influence the satisfaction continuum, which are related specifically to work content, are called ____ factors.
motivation
Stitches, Inc. is a specialty clothing manufacturer. Clothing is produced in bulk quantities and then customized with monograms and other unique embellishments before final shipment. Employees on the custom stitching line are compensated for each individual item completed. What type of reward system is used in the custom stitching department?
piece-rate incentive plan
Which is a type of reward system wherein an organization pays an employee a certain amount of money for every unit he or she produces?
piece-rate incentive plan
A value associated with the outcomes of a performance is called its ____.
valence
According to expectancy theory, in order for motivated behavior to occur, which condition must be met?
A person must believe that if effort is expended, high performance will result.
In which type of group-level reward system are employees gradually given a major stake in the ownership of a corporation?
ESOP
Why does the fixed-ratio schedule lead to high level of effort?
Each behavior gets the person closer to the next reward.
According to the expectancy theory, which of the following conditions must be met for motivated behavior to occur?
Effort-to-performance expectancy must be greater than zero.
In what way is a Scanlon plan different from other gainsharing plans?
Employees receive the majority of the cost savings that the plan achieves.
Family and community relationships outside of work as well as friendships on the job all satisfy the need for ____.
belongingness
When a manager tries to encourage social interaction among subordinates, they are trying to address the need for ____.
belongingness
In which way does avoidance act as a reinforcement?
by allowing escape from undesirable consequences
As a nurse, Raj works four 10-hour days per week. This allows him to have better control over patient care. What type of scheduling does Raj's hospital use?
compressed
Armen is required to follow a forty-hour work schedule but can work up to 10 hours per day and leave my lunchtime on Friday. This reflects a ____.
compressed work schedule
When an organization uses flextime, all employees must be at their workstations during ____ time.
core
Goal ____ is the extent to which a goal is challenging and requires effort.
difficulty
According to Frederick Taylor and his traditional approach to motivation, what is the primary thing that motivated everyone?
economic gain
A disadvantage of using compressed work schedules is that ____.
employees put too much effort in a single day, and they tend to perform at lower levels
Ahmed believes that if he tries hard to eliminate distractions and concentrate on his work, he will be able to learn more and do his job more efficiently. Ahmed has ____.
high effort-to-performance expectancy
When a subordinate has outstanding performance and his or her supervisor publicly praises it, the supervisor is using ____.
positive reinforcement
If employees at LevelTech are "caught in the act" of doing good work, they receive a $100 pre-paid debit card. The managers all have a number of these cards, and they can hand them out whenever they want to. Employees never know when one of the managers may drop by and "catch" them. Which type of reinforcement schedule is being used in this company?
variable-interval
Which of the following is true of job sharing?
It allows the organization to benefit from the talents of more people.
According to Herzberg, what do managers try to achieve by providing hygiene factors at appropriate levels?
employees who are not dissatisfied
Which of the following focuses on how much people want something and how likely they think they are to get it?
expectancy theory
In expectancy theory, raises, promotions, stress, and resentment are all ____, or consequences, of an individual's behaviors in the organizational setting.
outcomes
In what common form of executive compensation are senior managers able to buy shares in the company at a predetermined fixed price?
stock option plan
For many executives, which type of incentive makes up the largest share of their salary mix?
stock options
Which of the following allows employees to spend part of their time working offsite, usually at home?
telecommuting
According to Taylor, why are people willing to perform difficult and unpleasant work?
to earn money that is more important than the unpleasant work
Which approach to motivation is based on the premise that managers know more about the job than workers and therefore should be paid more?
traditional approach
Martha is given a new office and a new job title as recognition for her accomplishment over her years of service to the organization. She is satisfied with the recognition and respect from her colleagues. This portrays that the organization is addressing her ____ needs.
esteem
What are the consequences of behaviors in an organizational setting, usually indicated through rewards?
outcomes
Which of the following is not part of a typical compensation plan for senior executives?
overtime
Eva reviews daily reports to identify errors. Then she meets with representatives from the purchasing and inventory departments to discuss ways to eliminate or prevent recurring problems. Which type of motivational strategy is Eva's organization using by allowing her to make decisions about her work?
participation
What is the process of giving employees a voice in making decisions about their own work?
participation
Geert believes that if he and his team complete their project under budget and time constraints, they will all receive a bonus. Geert also believes this might result in a promotion for him. Which of the following does this scenario illustrate?
performance-to-outcome expectancy
According to Maslow, an individual is motivated first and foremost to satisfy ____ needs.
physiological
Organizations provide adequate wages, comfortable temperatures, restrooms, ventilation, etc. as a means to address the ____ needs of employees.
physiological
Kamiya has a strong desire to be influential in her group and to control what goes on in her environment. Which type of needs would Kamiya be considered high in?
power
A portion of LongTech's revenue is placed into a pool which is distributed to all employees. What type of incentive is this?
profit sharing
Which type of reinforcement would a speeding ticket be?
punishment
What is a counterproductive side effect of using punishment as a reinforcement method?
resentment
Emilio is a social media specialist who was told to "improve public opinion" about the organization. The goal Emilio was given lacks goal ____.
specificity
The OB Mod program starts by ____.
specifying behaviors that are to be increased or decreased
In terms of employee motivation, what is the manager's goal?
to encourage employees to work as hard as possible
Alberto complimented Daniel on his project updates two weeks in a row. Then he waited a month to compliment him again. Not knowing when Alberto will drop by for inspection, Daniel keeps his projects updated regularly. What reinforcement schedule is he using?
variable-interval
Eloisa is a high school student with a high need for achievement. Which of the following is most likely to be true of Eloisa?
She has a desire to assume personal responsibility.
Madeline runs a lawn cutting service, and she wants to earn more money. She has decided to take on additional clients and work more hours. Madeline's motivation is due to ____.
a need or deficiency
New approaches to performance-based rewards include ____.
allowing top managers to determine how rewards are distributed
Elena is a sales representative. She gets paid a base salary plus a percentage of sales attained as a commission for a period of time. Her pay is an example of ____.
an incentive pay plan
Workers at Windlock Works Inc. were instructed by their supervisor to bring quality defects down to 1 per 1 million pieces, a 350 percent improvement, in the next three months. The workers are most likely to be challenged by goal ____.
difficulty
Rabeya gives her employees a lot of freedom as to how they get their work done and the goals they set for themselves. She also allows them to make decisions that will allow them to resolve issues that arise. What does Rabeya use to motivate her employees?
empowerment
What is the process of enabling workers to set their own work goals, make decisions, and solve problems within their sphere of responsibility and authority?
empowerment
A manager who provides reinforcement on a weekly basis, regardless of behavior, is using a ____ schedule.
fixed-interval
What can be defined as the set of forces that cause people to behave in certain ways?
motivation
According to the two-factor theory, which of the following is a hygiene factor that influences an employee's satisfaction or dissatisfaction?
working conditions
Which of the following enables workers to set their own work goals, make decisions, and solve problems within their sphere of responsibility and authority?
empowerment
Ana is a police detective and is just as good a detective as her male counterparts. Because she is female, many of her counterparts assume that she will type up their reports as well as her own. She is increasingly feeling under rewarded for her efforts. In terms of ____, she will decrease her inputs by refusing to do additional work and try to reduce the gap between work and rewards.
equity theory
Clara plays offensive pranks at her workplace, which were so far encouraged by her colleagues. To make sure that she does not repeat such behaviors, managers at the organization instruct her colleagues to ignore her actions. The reinforcement method adopted by the organization is ____.
extinction
A manager who provides reinforcement on the basis of a particular number of behaviors, rather than on the basis of time, is using a(n) ____ schedule.
fixed-ratio
SegSystems gives its workers a small bonus every time they achieve 100 injury-free days in a row. The type of reinforcement used here is ____.
fixed-ratio
Windmere allows its administrative employees to arrive any time between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and to leave any time between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., as long as they work an eight-hour day. This arrangement is known as ____.
flextime
The Porter-Lawler extension of expectancy theory suggests that ____.
high effort leads to high outcome, regardless of actual performance
Ugar wants to reward positive behaviors, but he wants to do so in a way that is most effective. What should Ugar do to reward his employees for those behaviors he wants to encourage?
He should provide reinforcements after a variable number of observed behaviors.
Zereth signs up clients and schedules the services for her lawn care business, and she takes a percentage from the charge for every lawn cut. Zereth has hired three new employees, with the goal of increasing revenue, and is reviewing finances to determine if this increased his income sufficiently. According to the motivation framework, what is Zereth doing now?
evaluating need satisfaction
Beata's employer has announced a goal of helping workers achieve a healthier lifestyle. Beata now chooses healthier snacks, and she has joined an exercise group at work. Which attribute of the expanded goal-setting theory best portrays this example?
goal acceptance
As a manager, Zereth provides her team with broad goals, then allows them to be self-directed in carrying out routine activities that support those goals. Which of the following does Zereth use to motivate her employees?
human relations approach
Cheri and Aaron both wanted to work part time, and they found a lawyer who was willing to split one full-time paralegal job between the two of them so that Cheri works mornings and Aaron works afternoons. This arrangement is known as ____.
job sharing
Which refers to pay awarded to employees on the basis of the relative value of their contributions to the organization, which is a performance-based reward arrangement for individuals?
merit pay
Which of the following is an intangible determinant of individual performance?
motivation
Julio put in extra hours to complete an important project on time after unanticipated complications threw it off schedule. In recognition of his efforts, he received a bonus. This motivates him to put in more hard work and better performances. The organization has used ____ to strengthen his behavior.
positive reinforcement
Nour enjoys her job and meeting new people. She is also very good with new clients because she makes them feel at ease. According to the ERG theory of motivation, what does Nour rate highly in?
relatedness
According to Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation, which of the following is a hygiene factor on the job?
responsibility
Aside from motivational strategies such as the content perspectives, process perspectives, and reinforcement perspectives, an organization's ____ is its most basic tool for managing employee motivation.
reward system
According to the motivation framework, after a worker notices an unfilled need, the next step is ____.
searching for ways to satisfy the need
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, once an individual has satisfied his physiological needs, he turns his focus toward ____ needs.
security
Housing, clothing, and job security would all be included in which of Maslow's need categories?
security
Which type of needs identified in Maslow's hierarchy involve realizing one's potential for continued growth and individual development?
self-actualization
Ahmed is trying to determine the best way to motivate his staff. Some of the options include pay raises, bonuses, promotions, nicer offices, and more responsibility. To determine the desirability of each of these outcomes, Ahmed should measure its ____.
valence
Each week control inspectors at McHeinz Inc. randomly select items from an assembly line for inspection and compliment the workers for every product that meets their expectations on quality. However, they vary the number of items they inspect each time. This motivates the employees to put in more effort to ensure that all the items are of the required quality. Which reinforcement schedule are the quality control inspectors using?
variable-ratio
When are individual incentive pay plans most effective?
when rewards occur on a real-time basis
Which of the following encompasses the resources needed to do the job?
work enviroment
