Exam 10: Motivating Employees

As Gen Zers are starting to enter the workforce, they are likely to be less cautious and unmotivated to make improvements in the world around them.

Lyell is a sales representative for the Nutty Boys Nut Butter Company. He is about to meet with his manager to review his progress toward meeting the sales objectives they agreed to at the beginning of the year. Lyell likes the fact that managers at Nutty Boys listen to their subordinates' ideas and get everyone involved in setting goals and objectives. Lyell's experience suggests that Nutty Boys is utilizing

The Hawthorne studies proved that the methods of scientific management were the best way to achieve maximum productivity among employees.

After a 3-year probationary period, career positions at Bayside Community College are fairly secure, even though the opportunity for promotion runs pretty slowly. These jobs would probably appeal to people who currently work for Type A companies, similar to the way many companies operate in Silicon Valley.

Sergio has a great deal of faith in the abilities of his subordinates. He thinks most employees want to be productive, and will work hard if given the right incentives. He also believes that most firms do not take full advantage of the intelligence and creativity of their employees. Because of this, Sergio favors a managerial style that allows employees to be flexible and creative in how they do their jobs, and empowers them to make and implement decisions. Sergio is a Theory X manager.

Theory Y managers assume that most people are capable of using a relatively high degree of imagination and creativity to solve problems.

Which of the following is a characteristic of Type A management?

In a high-context culture

In order to encourage teamwork among managers and employees, top management must create an organizational culture that allows autonomy, decentralizes authority, and rewards good work.

Raymond, the manager at the local post office, wants to figure out how to improve worker motivation. Recently, Raymond read about the Hawthorne studies conducted by Elton Mayo and colleagues. He believes these studies offer important insights into what motivates employees. Raymond is likely to support the methods and ideas associated with scientific management.

Brendan is putting together an employee group to help add new technology to his company's existing products. He is looking for employees that are comfortable with new technologies, and who are flexible, adaptable, and have a strong sense of commitment to their work. Many of his company's Millennial employees probably would meet these criteria.

Task identity refers to the degree to which a job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of others in the company.

On the long flight back from South Korea, Mike had plenty of time to reflect upon the challenges of his business trip that took him all around Asia. His goal to sell his company's state-of-the-art bicycle pump to several foreign firms certainly could have gone better. Although none of the companies he visited turned him down, only one agreed to place an order. Representatives from one Indonesian firm and two Chinese firms asked him when he planned to come again! As Mike reviewed his memories and notes, he wondered, "Didn't they realize the expense of these international trips?" Mike is experiencing

Megan owns her own business and is a strong advocate of equity theory. Because of her acceptance of this theory, she is likely to assure employees that they are compensated in a way that reflects their efforts and contributions relative to those of other employees.

According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory, which of the following would be an issue that requires the fulfillment of a lower-order need?

Which of the following would be most closely tied to the idea that employee motivation requires that the rewards for completing a task are sufficient to justify the effort?

Theory Y managers assume that the main factor that motivates most employees is the desire to earn more money.

According to Victor Vroom, which of the following questions is an employee likely to ask before deciding to exert his or her maximum effort toward completing a task?

When reflecting upon the newer generation, each older generation says the same thing:

Even if there are cultural differences across the globe, reward preferences do not vary across cultures.