Business Chapter 10 Motivating Employees Questions

How are Generation X managers likely to be different from their baby boomer predecessors?

Baby boomers tend to be willing to work long hours to build their careers and often expect their subordinates to do likewise. Gen Xers may strive for a more balanced lifestyle and are likely to focus on results rather than on how many hours their teams work. Gen Xers tend to be better than previous generations at working in teams and providing frequent feedback. They usually are not bound by traditions that may constrain those who have been with an organization for a long time and are willing to try new approaches to solving problems.

What are the hygiene (maintenance) factors?

Company policies, supervision, working conditions, interpersonal relationship, and salary.

Who developed Theory X and Theory Y?

Douglas McGregor held that managers have one of two opposing attitudes towards employees.

What is the basis of expectancy theory?

Employee expectations can affect an individual's motivation

What is the difference between Frederick Herzberg's motivator and hygiene factors?

Herzberg found that while some factor motivate workers (motivators), others cause job dissatisfaction if missing but are not motivators if present (hygiene or maintenance factors).

What is Frederick Taylor known for?

Human efficiency engineer, one of the first people to study management and has been called the father of scientific management. He conducted time-motion studies to learn the most efficient ay of doing a job and then trained workers in those procedures. He published his book The Principles of Scientific Management in 1991. Henry L. Gantt and Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were followers of Taylor.

According to equity theory, employees try to maintain equity between inputs and outputs compared to other employees in similar positions. What happens when employees perceive that their rewards are not equitable?

If employees perceive they are under-rewarded, they will either reduce their effort or rationalize that it isn't important. If they perceive that they are over-rewarded, they will either increase their effort to just the higher reward in the future or rationalize by saying, " I'worth it!" Inequity leads to lower productivity, reduced quality, increased absenteeism, and voluntary resignation.

What is the difference between high-context and low-context cultures?

In high-context culture, people build personal relationships and develop group trust before focusing on tasks. In low-context cultures, people often view relationship building as a waste of time that diverts attention from the task.

Name two form of job enrichment that increase motivation

Job enlargement combines a series a tasks into one challenging and interesting assignment. Job rotation makes work more interesting by moving employees from one job to another

How can managers encourage open communication?

Managers can create organizational culture that rewards listening, train supervisors and managers to listen, use effective questioning techniques, remove barriers to open communication, avoid vague and ambiguous communication, and actively make it easier for all to communicate.

What did Abraham Maslow find human motivation to be based on?

Maslow studied basic human motivation and found that motivation was based on needs. He said that a person with an unfilled need would be motivated to satisfy it and that a satisfied need no longer served as motivation.

What are some common characteristics of Millennials?

Millennials tend to be adaptable, tech-savvy, able to grasp new concepts, practiced at multitasking, efficient, and tolerant. They often place a higher value on work-life balance, expect their employers to adapt to them, and are more likely to rank fun and stimulation in their top five ideal-job requirements.

How does open communication improve employee motivation?

Open communication helps both top managers and employees understand the objectives and work together to achieve them.

What are the variables in reinforcement theory?

Positive reinforcers are rewards like praise, recognition, or raises that a worker might strive to receive after performing well. Negative reinforcers are punishments such as reprimands, pay cuts, or firing that a worker might be expected to try to avoid.

What levels of need did Maslow identify?

Starting at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy and going to the top, the levels of needs are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization

What led to the more human-based managerial styles?

The greatest impact on motivation theory was generated by the Hawthorne studies in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In the studies, Elton Mayo found that human factors such as feelings of involvement and participation led to greater productivity gains than did physical changes in the workplace.

What characteristics of work affect motivation and performance?

The job characteristics that influence motivation are skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback

What are the factors called motivators?

The work itself, achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth, and advancement.

What is Theory Z?

William Ouchi based this theory on Japanese management styles and stresses long-term employment; collective decision making; individual responsibility; slow evaluation and promotion; implicit, informal control with explicit, formalized control; moderately specialized career paths; and a holistic concern for employees (including family)

Can managers use Maslow's theory?

Yes, they can recognize what unmet needs a person has and design work so that it satisfies those needs.

What is Theory Y?

assumes people like working and will accept responsibility for achieving goals if rewarded for doing so

What is Theory X?

assumes the average person dislikes work and will avoid it if possible. Therefore, people must be forced, controlled, and threatened with punishment to accomplish organizational goals.

What is goal-setting theory?

based on the notion that setting ambitious but attainable goals will lead to high levels of motivation and performance if the goals are accepted and accompanied by feedback, and if conditions in the organization make achievement possible.

What are the key elements of expectancy theory?

centers on three questions employees often ask about performance on the job: (1) Can I accomplish the task? (2) If I do accomplish it, what's my reward? and (3) Is the reward worth the effort?

What is management by objectives (MBO)?

is a system of goal setting and implementation; it includes a cycle of discussion, review, and evaluation of objectives among top and middle-level managers, supervisors, and employees .

When social media too social?

sites like Facebook are banned in 20% of workplaces. Some argue this is a bad idea because: it alienates younger employees, it suggests businesses don't trust employees, it can make employees feel disengaged, it takes away an element of relaxation