Exam 9: Motivating, Satisfying, and Leading Employees

A manager makes several changes in his employees' working environment to see if morale increases. Assuming the Hawthorne Effect is operating, which of the following is most likely to result?

John believes that power and status differences are important issues in social systems such as organizations. John is most likely talking about

Some say there are almost as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have tried to define the concept. Although different definitions sound similar, they have important differences. Compare and contrast these definitions, for example: Alistair: A leader is someone who can influence others and who has managerial authority. Bentham: Leaders have the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals. Cooke: Leaders exercise influence and control over other members to help a group or organization achieve the organization's goals. Which of the following would be a leader according to Bentham's definition of leadership but would not be a leader according to Cooke's definition of leadership?

A top manager at ACME, Inc. makes the following statement: "We endorse an inclusive definition of leadership. We believe that leadership is the ability to influence others to help the organization achieve its goals and that any person in our organization can be a leader, even entry-level personnel. Because of this view, we have built a culture in which every employee has an equal opportunity to lead." How is the manager's reasoning vulnerable to criticism?

Agreeableness, emotionality, and extroversion are all part of

Larry's subordinates are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. Of the following, which is the best move to create satisfaction among his subordinates, assuming that Larry subscribes to Herzberg's ideas?

What are the characteristics of a manager with a Theory X belief about people? How does this differ from one who has a Theory Y belief about people?

How does McClelland's acquired needs theory differ from the motivation theories of Maslow and Herzberg?

David thinks his workers are naturally lazy and uncooperative and must therefore be either punished or rewarded to be made productive. David subscribes to the theory of motivation called

A top manager at ACME, Inc. makes the following statement: "We endorse an inclusive definition of leadership. We believe that leadership is the ability to influence others to help the organization achieve its goals and that any person in our organization can be a leader, even entry-level personnel. Because of this view, we have built a culture in which every employee has an equal opportunity to lead." Which of the following, if true, would strengthen the Manager's argument?

In practical terms, how is referent power different from expert power?

Extraversion is the most important of the Big Five personality traits.

The fundamental assumption of equity theory is that workers prefer a workplace where all employees are paid equally.

Organizational citizenship refers to

Bill Tarnofsky makes the following statement: "We must become more flexible if we are to meet our personnel needs and maximize efficiency. In the past, we simply hired as many full-time employees as we thought we needed. But this focus has caused us to lose many valuable employees. We should offer flextime and job sharing options to help us keep and attract talented employees." Margaret Robin responds by saying: "Alternatives to traditional job design approaches can lead to significant cost savings. Next year we are expected to have 500 more employees than our current facility allows, but my analysis reveals that 600 of our employees could telecommute. Therefore, we can avoid costly actions such as moving our offices or building extensions if these workers became telecommuters. Job sharing can also reduce facility costs as well as payroll costs." Which of the following is assumed by Robin's argument?

High levels of job satisfaction generally lead to higher levels of employee productivity.

Terry experiences a high degree of enjoyment from performing his job. The term that identifies this enjoyment is known as

Regarding the two-factor theory, which one of the following statements is true?

A company is convinced of the benefits of exercise for its workers. Healthy employees take fewer sick days and tend to be more focused on their job. In addition, exercise enhances the workers' positive moods. The company is so persuaded of the value of exercise that it has adopted a new policy: Moving forward, all workers will be allowed to exercise during the work day for up to three hours per week. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the argument for the company's exercise policy?

Marlene is the leader of a group of engineers. She sets challenging goals for subordinates, expects them to perform at a high level, encourages them, and shows confidence in their abilities. In terms of path-goal theory, what kind of leader behaviour is Marlene exhibiting?