MGMT 695 - Test 2

What are the four major perspectives that we learned about which offer explanations for how to motivate employees?

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According to self-determination theory, people find activities to be satisfying and intrinsically motivating when they fulfill our desire for ____, ____, and ____.

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Answer explanation

Competence (“I want to feel a sense of mastery”) – People need to feel qualified, knowledgeable, and capable of completing a goal or learning new skills.

Autonomy (“I want to feel independent and able to influence my environment”) – People need to feel they have the freedom and discretion to determine what they want to do and how to do it.

Relatedness (“I want to feel connected to other people”) – People need to feel a sense of belonging, or attachment to others.

Which of the following is not one of the elements of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

• need for affection, belongingness, and friendship

• need for achievement

• need for growth and self-fulfillment

• need for legitimate power

Answer explanation

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs includes: Level 1: Physiological Needs; Level 2: Safety Needs; Level 3: Social Needs; Level 4: Esteem Needs; Level 5: Self-Actualization Needs. Physiological needs relate to satisfying thirst, hunger, and other bodily needs. Safety needs relate to finding protection from physical and emotional harm. Social needs relate to securing affection, belongingness, and friendship. Esteem needs relate to achieving status, recognition, and attention. Self-actualization needs elate to becoming what we are capable of, growth, and self-fulfillment. In this scenario, physiological needs relate to basic needs. In this example, the need for legitimate power is not one of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Elias strives to succeed in all that he does. In addition, he feels the need for close relationships with others. According to McClelland's Needs theory, Elias has a high need for _____ and ______.

• growth and power

• growth and relatedness

• achievement and growth

• achievement and affiliation

Answer explanation

The components of McClelland's Needs Theory are the need for achievement, the need for power, and the need for affiliation. The need for achievement is represented by striving to excel, succeed, and reach a certain performance level. The need for power is represented by a strong desire to influence others' behaviors. The need for affiliation is represented by a strong desire to form close personal relationships with others.

According to the job characteristics model (JCM), motivation to perform in a certain job can be enhanced with which five core job characteristics?

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Answer explanation

skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback

Skill variety is the different knowledge and abilities individuals must use in performing a job. Task identity is the degree to which there are visible, clear outcomes from an employee's work. Task significance is the extent to which an individual's work is perceived as important. Autonomy is the extent to which individuals are free to make decisions about the way they perform their work. Feedback is the degree to which information is available to individuals regarding their work performance. Skill variety, task identity, and task significant impact the psychological state of experienced meaningfulness. Autonomy impacts the psychological state of responsibility. Feedback impacts the psychological state of knowledge of results.

According to the job characteristics model (JCM), there are five job characteristics that impact which three psychological states?

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Answer explanation

Experienced meaningfulness, responsibility, and knowledge of results

According to the job characteristics model, the job characteristic of "autonomy" impacts which psychological state?

• Knowledge of results

• Responsibility

• Experienced meaningfulness

• Feedback

Which of the following scenarios depicts a worker with "high knowledge of the work results"?

• Gerard, an employee at a bagel store, who enjoys his coworkers more than the customers

• Latifa, a manager in an architectural firm who views her work as worthwhile and consistent with her values

• Randy, a guitar repair man at a small music store who feels personally accountable for the quality of his work

• Nora, a young reporter who receives extensive feedback on her work from her manager

Answer explanation

Experienced meaningfulness is the degree to which employees see their work as worthwhile and consistent with their values. Responsibility for outcomes of the work is the degree to which employees feel personally accountable for the effectiveness of their work. Knowledge of results is the degree to which employees have insight into how well they have done their jobs.

According to the job characteristics model, job characteristics will be more likely to engender employee motivation and satisfaction when employees (Select all that apply.)

• have a desire for challenge and personal growth.

• possess job related knowledge and skills.

• have a need for power.

• have a need for equity.

Answer explanation

According to the job characteristics model (JCM), the motivation potential for a job can be enhanced with five core job characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) as long as the work context is generally satisfying, employees possess job-related knowledge and skills, and employees value opportunities for growth. The new challenges will only be motivational if the employees value opportunities for growth.

George, the manager, stopped praising his team for putting in extra time at the office. Team members began to feel taken for granted and less likely to put in extra time in the future. According to reinforcement theory, George's behavior reflects

• negative reinforcement

• expectancy

• punishment

• extinction

Answer explanation

Positive reinforcement – the use of positive consequences to strengthen a particular behavior

Negative reinforcement – the process of strengthening a behavior by withdrawing something negative

Extinction – the weakening of behavior by ignoring it or making sure it is not reinforced

Punishment – the process of weakening behavior by presenting something negative or withdrawing something positive

 

*both extinction and punishment would be accurate here.