Exam 15: Motivating Employees

________ assumes that employees have little ambition,dislike work,and want to avoid responsibility.

Core Job Characteristics at JCM Corp. (Scenario) JCM Corporation's management believes their employees could be more motivated by their jobs. The jobs were recently enlarged and some improvements in motivation have been observed. -The process of enlarging the jobs was accomplished by increasing job ________.

Jason would like his work to take him to which level on the hierarchy of needs?

Application of Early Theories of Motivation (Scenario) Weston has two very different first-line supervisors who report directly to him. Aaron really "cracks the whip" at his employees and firmly believes in strict controls and punishment for those who do not meet company expectations. Zach, on the other hand, has very few controls and believes that as long as people know what their objectives are, they will exercise self-control and self-direction. Aaron has been trying to use working conditions to increase the level of productivity in his department. When workers complained about unsafe working conditions, Aaron supplied them with protective gear and implemented new safety procedures. However, despite the improved working conditions, employees were still not motivated. Zach, on the other hand, had chosen to delegate responsibility and offer workers opportunities for growth. These efforts appeared to be much more successful at improving productivity. -According to McGregor,Aaron's leadership style reflects a ________ perspective.

Job enlargement is the vertical expansion of a job by adding planning and evaluating responsibilities.

In a short essay,explain the concepts of job enlargement and job and analyze their effectiveness in motivating employees.Give specific examples to support your answers.

McGregor's Theory X suggests that workers are almost exclusively driven by ________ motivators.

According to Herzberg,working conditions and security are both hygiene factors.

What Do You Expect? (Scenario) The employees at Acme Toilets Inc. are not working as hard as Jill, their supervisor, would like. The sales representatives aren't meeting their sales quotas, and Jill can't seem to motivate them to try harder. Jill has been studying Vroom's expectancy theory and has decided to try to apply it to her workplace. -Jill has improved the reward program so that the bonus for meeting sales quotas is much higher than ever before.Jill has altered which variable or relationship in Vroom's expectancy theory?

Changing Jobs (Scenario) Marty sat in his favourite chair at home and pondered his work situation. The funding in his division had been cut by 25 percent, but the production goals were 10 percent higher! Something had to change, and he knew it was his job to figure out how to make the goals achievable. He decided to try to improve the way that tasks are combined into each job. First, he needed to know how many tasks there were to each job and how frequently each task was repeated. He also knew that because of the funding cut, people were going to be asked to expand their jobs horizontally. But he also felt that to balance this he should expand the jobs vertically by adding planning and evaluating responsibilities. Together, even though the employees were clearly being asked to contribute more, he felt they would have a greater degree of control over their work. Neither managers nor employees looked forward to this coming year, but it was "do or die" situation! -Which of the following terms best describes the way tasks are combined to form complete jobs?

The relational perspective of work design focuses on how tasks and jobs are increasingly based on ________.

________ motivation comes from such things as pay,bonuses,and other tangible rewards.

Sabrina's supervisor just told her that if she works overtime this weekend she can have two days off next week.Last month Sabrina worked one weekend and still has not received her promised time off.According to Vroom's expectancy theory,Sabrina's motivation may be influenced by low ________.

Which expectancy theory variable best explains the belief that having a high grade point average is critical in obtaining a good job?

Goal-setting theory says that ________.

Most employee recognition programs are not related to financial rewards the hence have no impact on employee motivation.

Application of Early Theories of Motivation (Scenario) Weston has two very different first-line supervisors who report directly to him. Aaron really "cracks the whip" at his employees and firmly believes in strict controls and punishment for those who do not meet company expectations. Zach, on the other hand, has very few controls and believes that as long as people know what their objectives are, they will exercise self-control and self-direction. Aaron has been trying to use working conditions to increase the level of productivity in his department. When workers complained about unsafe working conditions, Aaron supplied them with protective gear and implemented new safety procedures. However, despite the improved working conditions, employees were still not motivated. Zach, on the other hand, had chosen to delegate responsibility and offer workers opportunities for growth. These efforts appeared to be much more successful at improving productivity. -According to Maslow,the concerns expressed by the workers in Aaron's department reflect which level of needs?

People with a high need for achievement strive for the trappings and rewards of success rather than for personal achievement.

In a short essay,explain the concept of open-book management.How effective is it in motivating appropriate employee behavior?

A Theory Y manager would believe that people seek out responsibility.