FiltersDone

Question type

Essay

Multiple Choice

Short Answer

True False

Matching

Exam 10: Motivating Employees

Show Answer

Share

---

All types

Filters

Study FlashcardsPractice ExamLearn

Question 31

Multiple Choice

Review LaterAdd Note

Review Later

is the degree to which a job requires doing a task with a visible outcome from beginning to end.

A) Task significance
B) Autonomous responsibility
C) Job specification
D) Task identity

E) A) and D)
F) C) and D)

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

Question 32

Multiple Choice

Review LaterAdd Note

Review Later

New employees at Throneberry Manufacturing are carefully trained to use the most efficient production methods. They are then placed on an assembly line and expected to perform the same task day after day, using the methods they were taught. The work is boring, but the pay is good. Throneberry's approach is consistent with the principles of:

A) management by objectives.
B) expectancy theory.
C) scientific management.
D) human engineering.

E) A) and D)
F) C) and D)

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

Question 33

Multiple Choice

Review LaterAdd Note

Mini-Case The first meeting between the new CEO of Idle Time Gaming, Inc., John Noble, and Howie Spradlin, the production manager did not go smoothly. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the problem of declining productivity and to develop a strategy to turn the situation around. Howie started the conversation by handing Mr. Noble most recent production report. "I've always thought that most of our employees were lazy, and now I've got proof," Howie stated. "We pay these guys the highest wages in the industry, provide them with a safe place to work, and make the job as simple as possible. We aren't asking these guys to do brain surgery, but productivity still lags and our production costs increase. I've told all the supervisors to watch these lazy bums every second to make sure they put in a full day's work. If those guys think I'm going to let them get away with goofing off, they're in for a rude awakening." CEO Noble responded in a way that surprised Howie. "Maybe these employees aren't lazy, Howie, maybe they are just bored and resent the way we've treated them," he said. "The employees are experienced and well trained. They might work harder and smarter if the work were more interesting and rewarding. Their attitudes might even improve if we treated them with more respect. Maybe one of the best ways for you and I to understand where they're coming from is to spend some time along side them." For the next hour, the two discussed ways to improve worker motivation and performance. Howie left the meeting with an unsettled feeling. Many of Mr. Noble's suggestions seemed naïve to Howie. "Mr. Noble is the boss, but I think he is too optimistic regarding human nature," Howie mused. Reluctantly, Howie had to admit that his own approach had not succeeded in improving the plant's performance. He decided to take a hard look at some of Mr. Noble's ideas. -John Noble speculated that Howie really didn't know much about his employees, including the types of rewards that they found meaningful and whether they personally felt that if they worked hard, they could achieve a reward. Noble's thoughts referred to:

The concept that a hierarchy of human needs could be used to explain motivation was developed by:

To implement self-managed teams, managers at most companies must reinvent work.

As companies restructure to create greater efficiencies in their operations, there is a greater opportunity for where management combines specialized tasks in one job, and asking employees to broaden their scope of responsibilities.

According to Maslow, if you have a self-esteem problem, you probably will not be able to concern yourself with developing to your fullest potential.

Jerry has a great deal of faith in the abilities of his subordinates. He believes that most employees want to be productive, and will work hard if given the proper incentives. He also believes that most firms do not take full advantage of the intelligence and creativity of their employees. For these reasons Jerry 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. Jerry is a Theory Y-type manager.

Job enlargement attempts to enrich jobs by combining a series of tasks into one challenging and interesting assignment, as opposed to simplifying the job.

is a system of goal setting and implementation that involves a cycle of discussion, review, and evaluation of objectives among top and middle managers, supervisors, and employees.

As part of their open communication strategy, management should reward upward communication, even if it is negative.

Brandon's manager often tells his employees "there's isn't a lot of time for chit-chat on the job. If you want to give us your opinion, as a believer in open communication, I'll gladly give you your chance to speak your mind, on your way out!" This manager is up to date on the purpose of the exit interview, as an important source of feedback for companies. Open communication always begins at this juncture.

The original results of the Hawthorne studies proved that employees were much more productive when they worked in well-lit areas than when they worked in poorly lit areas.

Andy is a supervisor at a web design company. Andy has observed that most employees he supervises are more productive if he lets them have some freedom and flexibility in how they go about their work. Andy's experience is consistent with the teachings of scientific management.

According to Herzberg, a sense of achievement, earned recognition, and interest in the work itself were all:

blends Japanese and American management practices into a hybrid approach which calls for long-term employment, collective decision making, and individual responsibility for the outcome of decisions.

In Maslow's hierarchy, needs refer to the desire to reach one's fullest potential.

Bianca is conducting an experiment to determine how temperatures affect the productivity of employees. She has just completed the first phase of her experiment, in which she had a group of employees perform job related tasks in a special room where the temperature was 10 degrees cooler than on the factory floor. The employees in the experimental group consistently outperformed employees in the factory. The Hawthorne effect suggests that the most likely reason for this improvement in performance is that the cooler working conditions allowed the employees in the experiment to work harder without getting tired.

Harrison is a manager at the local post office. He wants to find ways to improve worker motivation, and has read about the Hawthorne studies conducted by Elton Mayo and his colleagues. He believes these studies offer important insights into what motivates employees. Harrison is not likely to support the methods and ideas associated with scientific management.

Extrinsic rewards are those that are given to a person by someone else.