MOTIVATING ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERS

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. The forces acting on or within a person that cause the person to behave in a specific, goal-
directed manner are called
a. ability.
b. competence.
c. motivation.
d. teachability.
e. inducement.

2. Managers must understand that to the extent that employees are motivated by _______ ___ needs,
their concerns do not center on the work they are doing.
a. physiological
b. security
c. affiliation
d. self-actualization
e. self-esteem
3. Factors that are related to job content (or what people actually do in their work) and that are
associated with an individual's positive feelings about his/her job are called
a. hygiene factors.
b. power factors.
c. expectancy factors.
d. work factors.
e. motivator factors.
4. Which model suggests that individuals choose the option that promises to give them the
greatest reward?
a. expectancy
b. reinforcement
c. equity
d. hierarchy of needs
e. Herzberg's two-factor model

5. The Expectancy Model suggests that motivation is determined by three individual beliefs: the
perception that effort will lead to performance, the perception that rewards are attached to
performance, and
a. the opportunity to be self-actualized.
b. an individual's feelings about how fairly he or she is treated in comparison with others.
c. the balance between motivator factors and hygiene factors.
d. the perception that the outcomes, or rewards, are valuable to the individual.
e. the individual's drive to excel.
ANS: D DIF: M OBJ: 4 NOT: Recall

6. Suppose you went to work for a commercial blueprint company, and the first day on the job your
supervisor told you, "In my experience, motivation is determined by three individual perceptions-
effort will lead to performance, rewards ar e attached to performance, and outcomes are valuable
to the individual." Your supervisor would be a proponent of

367
 a. Herzberg's two-factory Model.
b. Reinforcement Model.
c. Expectancy Model.
d. Equity Model.
e. Hierarch of Needs Model.
7. __________ suggests that motivation to expend effort to do something is determined by three
basic individual perceptions.
a. The Expectancy Model
b. The Acquired-Needs Model
c. Maslow's hierarchy of needs
d. Herzberg's two-factor Model
e. Goal-setting

8. John Jones is a salesperson for Herb Supplements Inc. John believes that if he makes twenty-five cold
calls a day, he will meet his sales quota. John's belief that a particular level of effort will be fo llowed
by a particular level of performance is referred to as a/an
a. motivator.
b. valence.
c. inducement.
d. expectancy.
e. instrumentality.

9. Which of the following jobs might be best assigned to a person who has high need for power,
assuming that s/he has other appropriate skills?
a. a job that is not very important.
b. a job where s/he works alone.
c. leader of a task force.
d. a job with very high goals.
e. a "behind the scenes" job.

10. You are a manager and your employees know that you do not like them to waste time. Consequently,
even when they do not have anything to do (assume that this is really true), they try to "look busy"
when you are around because you will be angry with them if they are not busy. What does this
represent, based on Reinforcement Theory?
a. positive reinforcement.
b. avoidance learning.
c. self-actualization.
d. fixed intervals.
e. goal-setting.

368
 ORGANIZATIONAL CONTROL

1. Jerry Langley, the CEO of Minnesota Metals, is attempting to establish a process of control
for his company. Mr. Langley should begin the process by
a. setting performance standards.
b. measuring actual performance.
c. developing organizational structure.
d. comparing performance to standards.
e. responding to deviations.

2. Each November, the top management team of Oracle Corporation sets the standards of
performance against which the company's activities will be compared during the coming
year. Setting standards of performance is the first step in the process of
a. management.
b. controlling.
c. leading.
d. organizing.
e. planning.

3. Which of the following is likely to be the most effective control standard?

a. Defect rates should be low.
b. Defect rates in 1998 should be lower than 1997.
c. Defect rates should be .02 percent or less.
d. Defect rates should be impressive.
e. Defect rates should not be a problem.

4. Which of the following is a poorly articulated standard of performance?

a. Customer complaints should be low.
b. Customer complaints should be at least 10 percent lower than last year.
c. There should not be more than twenty customer complaints per month.
d. There should not be more than 240 customer complaints per year.
e. Customer complaints should be addressed in writing within three business days of the
receipt of the complaint.

5. A new faculty member at the college stated in his course syllabus that "students should be prepared
for class." This statement was largely unenforceable during the course of the semester, and students
largely ignored this rule. This course syllabus violated the __________ performance
recommendation regarding setting standards of performance.
a. Finite
b. Structured
c. Numeric
d. Quantitative
e. Qualitative

369
 6. The standard, "The integrated circuit boards should have no more than three defeats per
1,000,000 manufactured units" is a __________ performance criterion.
a. Qualitative
b. Subjective
c. Illusory
d. Structured
e. Quantitative

7. What is the primary advantage of quantitative performance standards?

a. They are cheaper to administer than other standards.
b. They are easy to compare with actual performance.
c. They are highly subjective.
d. They are easier to agree on than other standards.
e. They typically do not involve numbers.

8. The first two steps of the control process provide managers with the info rmation needed to make
comparisons between actual performance and standards. These two steps are
a. measuring actual performance and developing organizational structure.
b. developing organizational structure and responding to deviations.
c. responding to deviations and comparing performance to standards.
d. setting standards for performance and measuring actual performance.
e. setting standards for performance and responding to deviations.

9. According to our textbook, what is the main difference between quantitative and qualitative
performance measures?
a. Quantitative measures are objective, and qualitative measures are subjective.
b. Quantitative measures provide better information than qualitative measures.
c. Quantitative measures are cheaper to administer than qualitative measures.
d. Quantitative measures are more useful than qualitative measures.
e. Qualitative measures are more robust than quantitative measures.

10. The Chicago Cutlery Company states that its knives "must be honed to a high degree of
sharpness, and the wooden handles must be polished to a bright luster." These performance
measures are __________ in nature.
a. Quantitative
b. Unbiased
c. Impartial
d. Objective
e. Qualitative

370
 COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY WITHIN DIVERSE ORGANIZATIONS

1. Social relationships that evolve within an organization produce communication channels that
are neither required nor controlled by management. This type of communication is known as
a. formal.
b. informal.
c. horizontal.
d. temporary.
e. static.
2. Jim heard a rumor from an employee in another division that a 250-person reduction in the workforce
was to occur next month. This informal flow of information through the org anization is called the
a. network.
b. bulletin board.
c. grapevine.
d. formal communication channel.
e. vertical communication.

3. The informal flow of messages throughout an organization is called the

a. grapevine.
b. network.
c. lateral communication channel.
d. discrete communication forum.
e. bulletin board.

4. While attending training sessions at her company's headquarters in New York, Amy heard a rumor
that the CEO of her company might be replaced. This informal flow of information
throughout an organization is called the
a. vertical communication channel.
b. electronic communication network.
c. bulletin board.
d. channel.
e. grapevine.

5. Which of the following statements about the "grapevine" is inaccurate?

a. The grapevine can be quite beneficial.
b. Information carried by the grapevine is often accurate.
c. The grapevine is an influence to be considered in all management actions.
d. The grapevine is the formal flow of messages throughout an organization.
e. One well-known study found that approximately 80 percent of the information transmitted
through the grapevine was correct.

6. Which of the following is not a principle of effective feedback?

371
 a. It is based on a foundation of trust.
b. It is specific rather than general.
c. It is given when the receiver appears ready to accept it.
d. It should include all possibilities of how to confront an issue.
e. It is should avoid evaluative inferences about motives or feelings.

7. Which of the following is not a guideline for effective listening?

a. listen for message content
b. avoid listening for feelings
c. be sensitive to both verbal and nonverbal messages
d. be attentive
e. be patient

8. Which of the following statements about communication is inaccurate?

a. Communication is complicated.
b. Communication is difficult.
c. Managers agree that the ability to communicate effectively is crucial to enhancing career
success.
d. More than ever before, an individual's ability to communicate will affect his or her
capacity to do well.
e. Straightforward exchanges of factual information are not subject to distortion and
miscommunication.

9. Which of the following is most true about nonverbal communication?

a. People seldom rely on it.
b. It can send a message different from what is being said orally.
c. It has no impact on communications.
d. It is always very accurate.
e. It is not used in formal communications.

10. You have just given oral instructions for a very complex task to your subordinate. To see if
s/he understood the instructions, which of the following would be best to say?
a. Any questions?
b. Do you understand?
c. Repeat what I just said.
d. Tell me in your own words how you are going to accomplish this task.
e. Do you understand me?

372
STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

1. A test used to hire people for a job accurately predicted how a person would perform on the
job once hired. Considering this alone,
a. The test is valid.
b. The test is reliable.
c. The test is the same as an assessment center.
d. The test is not valid.
e. This is the same as 360 degree feedback.

2. Relatively formal, in-depth conversations conducted for the purpose of assessing a job candidate's
knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as providing information to the candidate about the
organization and potential jobs are called
a. interviews.
b. assessment centers.
c. evaluation forums.
d. assessment forums.
e. selection panels.

3. Interviews are used with more than __________ of all people hired for industrial positions.
a. 15 percent
b. 25 percent
c. 50 percent
d. 75 percent
e. 90 percent

4. Sarah Washington is currently holding a relatively formal, in -depth conversation with a potential
job candidate for the purpose of assessing the candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities.
This conversation is known as a/an
a. application form.
b. employment test.
c. interview.
d. survey.
e. assessment center.

5. Fearing discrimination lawsuits regarding hiring decisions based upon its employment test, HASCO,
Inc. hired management consultants to test the __________ of the test to ensure that it consistently
measured what it purported to measure.
a. relevance
b. external validity
c. reliability
d. internal validity
e. importance

373
 6. __________ means that a test will give the same results in test/retest situations (over time ).
a. Relevance
b. External validity
c. Reliability
d. Internal validity
e. Importance

7. In order to test the __________ of the personality instrument used in its job selection process,
HASCO, Inc. had to make sure that the subject's scores on the personality test were
significantly related to job performance.
a. relevance
b. reliability
c. validity
d. consequence
e. suitability

8. Employment tests which actually measure what they say they measure are said to have
a. relevance.
b. validity.
c. significance.
d. consequence.
e. importance.

9. An organization's training needs can be identified through three types of needs assessments:
a. organizational, task, and individual.
b. organizational, static, and individual.
c. static, task, and individual.
d. temporary, task, and individual.
e. organizational, task, and temporary.

10. __________ is an intervention that is often necessary to provide employees with the capabilities
to implement changes in a company's strategic plan.
a. General ability testing
b. Employment testing
c. Performance appraisal
d. Recruitment and selection
e. Training

374