Q&A Hero

Q: The job characteristics model describes five dimensions of a job. A job can be enriched by modifying one or more of these five dimensions. Which of the following methods of job enrichment involves modifying skill variety and task identity dimensions of a job? A) combining tasks B) forming natural work units C) establishing client relationships D) expanding jobs vertically E) opening feedback channels

Q: Job enrichment is the process of ________. A) periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level B) expansion of jobs by increasing the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution, and evaluation of the work C) redistribution of power within the organization through work councils and board representations D) distribution of a significant degree of power between subordinates and supervisors E) evaluation of an employee wherein subordinates, peers, and managers provide comprehensive feedback

Q: One of the methods of job enrichment is to expand jobs vertically. This method involves modifying the ________ dimension of the job. A) task significance B) autonomy C) feedback D) task identity E) skill variety

Q: Which of the following, if true, would strengthen the argument in favor of adopting job rotation? A) The company is currently facing numerous budget constraints. B) The company can enhance productivity of existing employees in various areas for different projects. C) Two front-level managers have resigned in the last quarter as they were not promoted. D) The company has launched a new brand which is cannibalizing one of its existing products. E) The company has recently given employees new responsibilities by combining their routine tasks into natural work units.

Q: Which of the following, if true, would weaken the argument of adopting job rotation? A) The employees of the company have similar skill sets which are suited to transfer of learning. B) The company has been conducting professional training programs to keep all employees up-to-date with the developments in the field. C) AmWeb, one of the major rival firms, witnessed a substantial rise in profits following its cross-training program for employees. D) The research evidence favoring job rotation has rarely used samples from the service industry. E) The company is now entering its busiest business season with multiple project deadlines.

Q: Managers at Flavors, a restaurant chain, train their employees such that in the absence of employees, someone trained in the same skills can step in and do the job equally well. Thus, many modules in training are extensive as they provide employees with details of the skill sets required for different jobs. In practice, this lengthy training program does help the company as a well-trained and flexible workforce is at their disposal at all times. The managers at Flavors use ________. A) job rotation B) vertical enhancement C) telecommuting D) job sharing E) flextime

Q: A prerequisite condition for job rotation is the ________. A) presence of high level of autonomy among workers B) presence of high need for affiliation among workers C) presence of employees with similar skill sets and requirements D) presence of alternative work arrangements for employees to avail E) presence of employee involvement programs

Q: The periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level is defined as ________. A) job enlargement B) job analysis C) job rotation D) job sharing E) job enrichment

Q: Which of the following statements is true regarding job rotation? A) It decreases the flexibility with which an organization can adapt to a change. B) It decreases employee motivation. C) It decreases productivity in the short run. D) It decreases supervisory workload. E) It decreases the flexibility in scheduling work.

Q: Which of the following statements is true regarding the job characteristics model? A) The operation of the model is universal and unaffected by cultural factors. B) The operation of the model is relatively individualistic in nature. C) The operation of the model requires employees to have similar skill sets. D) The operation of the model cannot be quantitatively measured. E) The operation of the model fulfills only extrinsic motivational needs.

Q: The core dimensions of the job characteristics model can be combined into a single predictive index called ________. A) extrinsic motivation score B) personal outcome score C) job diagnostic score D) motivating potential score E) potential development score

Q: Which of the following series of dimensions of the job characteristics model (JCM) combine to create meaningful work? A) autonomy, task identity, and feedback B) skill variety, autonomy, and task significance C) skill variety, autonomy, and feedback D) feedback, task identity, and task significance E) skill variety, task identity, and task significance

Q: According to the job characteristics model, ________ indicates the degree to which carrying out work activities generates direct and clear information about your own performance. A) task significance B) autonomy C) feedback D) task identity E) skill variety

Q: According to the job characteristics model, autonomy is defined as the degree to which ________. A) a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work B) a job generates direct and clear information about performance C) a job provides the worker freedom, independence, and discretion D) a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people E) a job requires a variety of different activities

Q: Samantha Barnes is an emergency medical technician. Recently, during an emergency call, she was able to resuscitate a man who had a cardiac arrest. Subsequently, she spent some time calming the 12-year-old daughter of the patient and looked after her till the rest of the patient's family arrived at the hospital. Based on this description, it can be concluded that Samantha's job is high in ________. A) task identity B) feedback C) extrinsic rewards D) task significance E) job rotation

Q: According to the job characteristics model, task significance is the degree to which ________. A) a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work B) a job generates direct and clear information about performance C) a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling work and determining its procedure D) a job bears an impact on the lives or work of other people E) a job requires a variety of different activities

Q: Adam Sears is an assembly line employee with Swenson Motors. Though Adam is popular among his supervisors and colleagues, Adam experiences low morale and lack of motivation. He feels frustrated that his job is restricted to fixing nuts and bolts on the car parts. He fears that he has no chances of advancing in his career as he cannot completely assemble a car. Which of the following is true with regard to Adam? A) Adam's job has high task complexity. B) Adam's job has a high span of control. C) Adam's job has low role definition. D) Adam's job has low task identity. E) Adam's job has high task significance.

Q: With reference to the job characteristics model, which of the following defines task identity? A) the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work B) the degree to which work activities generate direct and clear information about performance C) the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling and procedure D) the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people E) the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities

Q: With reference to the job characteristics model, which of the following defines skill variety? A) the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work B) the degree to which work activities generate direct and clear information about performance C) the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling and procedure D) the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people E) the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities tapping different abilities

Q: Job design is defined as the ________. A) degree to which the job rewards competence B) way the elements in a job are organized C) degree to which the job contributes to profit margins D) degree of decision-making power with the immediate superiors E) way the job is evaluated in terms of its relative worth to other jobs

Q: ________ is not a benefit of flextime. A) Reduced absenteeism B) Decreased work/life balance C) Increased productivity D) Reduced tardiness E) Increased autonomy

Q: Explain how the different relationships in expectancy theory are related to distributive justice and procedural justice in equity theory.

Q: What are the three relationships in Vroom's expectancy theory?

Q: Discuss distributive justice, procedural justice, and interpersonal justice.

Q: According to the equity theory, what are the choices made by employees who perceive inequity?

Q: What are the four referent comparisons that add to the complexity of equity theory?

Q: In the context of social learning, explain the four processes that determine a model's influence on an individual.

Q: What are the four ways of increasing self-efficacy as proposed by Albert Bandura?

Q: What is self-efficacy?

Q: Explain what an MBO program is and discuss the common elements of MBO programs and goal-setting theory.

Q: Why are people motivated by challenging goals?

Q: Explain the similarities between Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and McClelland's theory of needs.

Q: Explain, in terms of McClelland's theory of needs, the relationship between the need for achievement and job performance.

Q: Explain how a manager motivates employees with reference to Herzberg's two-factor theory.

Q: Compare and contrast a Theory X manager and a Theory Y manager.

Q: Briefly explain Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory.

Q: Describe the three key elements in the definition of motivation.

Q: Workers around the world prefer rewards based on seniority over rewards based on performance and skills.

Q: Interpersonal justice refers to an individual's perception of the degree to which he or she is treated with dignity, concern, and respect.

Q: Procedural justice refers to the perceived fairness of the method used to determine the distribution of rewards.

Q: Underpayment and overpayment, according to equity theory, tend to produce similar reactions to correct the inequities.

Q: Goal-setting theory takes a behavioristic approach, whereas reinforcement theory takes a cognitive approach.

Q: Individuals low in self-efficacy respond to negative feedback with increased effort and motivation.

Q: The lower your self-efficacy, the more confidence you have in your ability to succeed.

Q: Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief that he or she is capable of performing a task.

Q: Goal-setting theory strongly advocates participation in decision making, whereas MBO demonstrates that managers' assigned goals are usually just as effective.

Q: Self-generated feedback is a more powerful motivator than externally generated feedback.

Q: According to goal-setting theory, a specific goal will produce a higher level of output than a generalized goal.

Q: People who pursue goals for intrinsic reasons are more likely to attain their goals and are happy even if they do not.

Q: According to McClelland's theory of needs, when jobs have a high degree of personal responsibility and feedback and an intermediate degree of risk, high achievers are strongly motivated.

Q: McClelland's theory of needs proposes that the factors that lead to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from those that lead to job dissatisfaction.

Q: According to the two-factor theory, adequate hygiene factors provide job satisfaction.

Q: According to Herzberg, the opposite of "satisfaction" is "dissatisfaction."

Q: Under Theory Y, managers believe that employees inherently dislike work and must therefore be directed or even coerced into performing it.

Q: According to Maslow, lower-order needs are satisfied internally while higher-order needs are satisfied externally.

Q: According to Maslow, a need that is substantially satisfied no longer motivates.

Q: Motivation is defined as the processes that account for an individual's intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal.

Q: If a manager incorrectly assumes that all employees want the same thing, then according to the expectancy theory, it is most likely to result in a weak ________ relationship. A) performance-achievement B) effort-performance C) performance-reward D) rewards-personal goals E) effort-satisfaction

Q: With reference to the expectancy theory, which of the following examples indicates a weak rewards-personal goals relationship? A) An employee lacks the skills required to reach the desired performance level. B) An organization's appraisal system assesses nonperformance factors such as creativity and initiative. C) An organization rewards its employees based on factors such as seniority and skill level. D) An employee believes that his manager does not like him and hence expects a poor appraisal. E) An employee works hard in order to be relocated to the Paris office but instead is transferred to Beijing.

Q: Mark is an excellent technical writer. He has never missed a deadline and all his projects are of superior quality. He now wants to telecommute two days a week, so that he can spend more time with his family. He feels that he has proven his reliability. However, his boss is unable to comply with his request and gives him a substantial raise instead. According to the expectancy theory, Mark's disappointment demonstrates a breakdown in the ________ relationship. A) performance-reward B) effort-performance C) rewards-personal goals D) effort-satisfaction E) performance-achievement

Q: According to the expectancy theory, the performance-reward relationship is the degree to which ________. A) the individual believes performing at a particular level will lead to desired outcomes B) organizational rewards satisfy an individual's personal goals or needs C) organizational rewards are perceived as attractive by the individual D) the individual believes that exerting a given amount of effort will lead to performance E) organization rewards correspond with the individual's level of effort

Q: Oscar is looking for a new job. He used to be the company's top sales representative and was eagerly expecting to be promoted. However, one of the regional manager's friends was promoted to district manager instead. According to the expectancy theory, Oscar's dissatisfaction with his current job stems from a breakdown in the ________ relationship. A) performance-reward B) effort-performance C) reward-personal goal D) satisfaction-effort E) personal goal-self actualization

Q: Logan is an employee who processes health insurance forms. Initially he was criticized by his supervisor for sloppy work, but thereafter he improved considerably. Now he consistently processes his forms without errors and even does more than his fair share of work. However, Logan's supervisor has not responded to the extra effort he has put in, giving him no praise or monetary benefits. This leads Logan to believe that his supervisor is biased against him. According to the expectancy theory, in this situation, there is a problem in the ________ relationship. A) rewards-personal goals B) performance-awareness C) performance-reward D) performance-objectives E) performance-achievement

Q: Which of the following theories discusses three relationships: effort-performance relationship, performance-reward relationship, and rewards-personal goals relationship? A) goal-setting theory B) self-efficacy theory C) equity theory D) expectancy theory E) self-determination theory

Q: Why do people who perceive themselves as victims of interactional injustice often blame their immediate supervisor rather than the organization at large? A) Interpersonal justice or injustice is intimately tied to the conveyer of the information. B) Interactional injustice usually occurs during face-to-face encounters. C) When people are not treated with respect, they tend to retaliate against those closest at hand. D) Interactional injustice is in the eyes of those who perceive they are disrespected. E) Interactional injustice is most often the result of the impersonal policies of the organization.

Q: Which of the following types of justice relates most strongly to job satisfaction, employee trust, withdrawal from the organization, job performance, and citizenship behaviors? A) associative justice B) interactional justice C) distributive justice D) procedural justice E) integrative justice

Q: Edith believes that the methods for determining salary hikes and bonuses in her company are extremely unfair. In this case, Edith perceives a lack of ________ justice. A) interpersonal B) distributive C) associative D) procedural E) interactional

Q: Jackie thinks that she is paid a lot less than other employees in her division and feels extremely resentful. She starts taking long breaks and generally wastes time. Her actions resulted from a perceived lack of ________ justice. A) interactional B) interpersonal C) procedural D) distributive E) associative

Q: Based on the equity theory, which of the following, if true, would strengthen the argument that Megan is trying to gain a sense of equity by changing her inputs? A) She asks her boss for a raise, citing her years of experience with the company. B) She claims that extrinsic rewards make work seem like a chore and less enjoyable. C) She accepts additional responsibilities but fails to carry them out effectively. D) She takes long breaks from work and shirks her responsibilities. E) She constantly interrupts her colleague, refusing to let her get any work done.

Q: Based on the equity theory, which of the following, if true, would strengthen the argument that Megan is trying to gain a sense of equity by distorting her perception of herself? A) She thinks that her colleague is paid more because she is an Ivy League graduate. B) She believes that she is less capable than her colleague. C) She assumes that her colleague received a higher package due to changes in industry standards. D) She believes that her salary is not commensurate with her skills and experience. E) She believes that she is doing a lot better career-wise compared to the people with whom she graduated.

Q: Following this discovery, Megan starts coming to work late and her productivity begins to suffer. Which of the following is most similar to the scenario mentioned above based on the equity theory? A) Dawn starts coming to work early and stays late once she learns that the mid-term review is around the corner. B) Greg believes he works harder than any of the other members in his department as they often leave the office before him. C) Lisa starts working longer hours after learning that her co-workers earn less than she does for the same work. D) Myrtle produces a higher number of units to compensate for the lower quality of her output. E) Beth submits her resignation after she was passed over for promotion for the second time.

Q: Jim is a salaried employee whose job is to develop content for online web sites. He discovers that he is paid substantially more than his colleagues even though their jobs and levels of performance are very similar. According to the equity theory, what impact is this discovery most likely to have on his behavior and performance? A) He will reduce the amount of work that he does on a daily basis. B) He will compare his earnings to those of another group of employees. C) He will increase his productivity and/or the overall quality of his work. D) He will seek a position within the company commensurate with his pay. E) He will begin to look for a position outside of the company.

Q: Other-outside is a referent comparison that refers to ________. A) an employee's experiences in a similar position outside the employee's current organization B) another individual or group of individuals inside the employee's organization C) an employee's experiences in a different position inside the employee's current organization D) another individual or group of individuals outside the employee's organization E) an employee's experiences in a different position outside the employee's current organization

Q: Self-inside, one of the four referent comparisons in the equity theory, refers to ________. A) an employee's experiences in a different position inside the employee's current organization B) an employee's experiences in a different position outside the employee's current organization C) another individual or group of individuals inside the employee's organization D) an employee's experiences in a similar position outside the employee's current organization E) another individual or group of individuals outside the employee's organization

Q: According to the equity theory, there are four referent comparisons. The referent comparison known as other-inside refers to ________. A) an employee's experiences in a different position inside the employee's current organization B) an employee's experiences in a different position outside the employee's current organization C) another individual or group of individuals inside the employee's organization D) an employee's experiences in a similar position outside the employee's current organization E) another individual or group of individuals outside the employee's organization

Q: Karen graduated from college four years ago and has been working at Betaphy Inc. ever since. She has consistently received good performance evaluations for the quality of her work. She recently found out that her company hired a fresh college graduate with no experience at a salary higher than hers. Which of the following theories will Karen most likely use to evaluate this situation? A) reinforcement B) goal setting C) equity D) expectancy E) operant conditioning

Q: In equity theory, individuals assess the ________. A) cost-benefit ratio B) efficiency-effectiveness trade-off C) quantity-quality trade-off D) outcome-input ratio E) quality of outcome

Q: George is trying to teach his two-year old son to gently caress their cat. George softly strokes the animal and every time his son does the same, he rewards him with kind words like "good job!" The child is very attentive during the process and claps his hands when his father praises him. However, as soon as George leaves, the boy lunges for the cat and grabs it by the tail. Which process of social-learning theory is failing? A) attentional processes B) justification processes C) retention processes D) motor reproduction processes E) reinforcement processes

Q: According to social learning theory, which of the following processes demonstrates whether an individual is capable of performing the modeled activities? A) attentional process B) retention process C) motor reproduction process D) reinforcement process E) motivation process

Q: The concept of operant conditioning is a part of the broader concept of ________, which argues that behavior follows stimuli in a relatively unthinking manner. A) equity theory B) expectancy theory C) cognitive behavioral therapy D) behaviorism E) humanism