6. Decision making to improve human resource performance

Question 1

taylor’s key findings

Answer 1

• staff are only motivated by money

- they should be paid for the amount of work they do or per unit made: piece rate

Question 2

maslow’s key findings

Answer 2

• staff are motivated by needs
• needs follow an order or hierarchy
• motivation depends on finding the right way to satisfy staff’s needs

Question 3

herzberg’s motivators

Answer 3

• meaningful, fulfilling work
• empowerment
• responsibility
• acheivement & recognition (praise)

Question 4

herzberg’s hygiene factors

Answer 4

• pay and rewards
• working conditions
• relationships at work

Question 5

herzberg key findings

Answer 5

• some elements of job design don’t motivate: hygiene factors
• other elements of job design motivate: motivators

Question 6

financial methods of motivation 5

Answer 6

• salaries
• wages
• piece rate
• bonuses
• performance related pay

Question 7

non-financial methods of motivation 4

Answer 7

• promotion
• empowerment & delegation
• praise
• consultation

Question 8

benefits of motivated and engaged employees 5

Answer 8

• productivity: not only work harder put will put in extra effort to meet deadlines.
• recruitment and retention: fully engaged workforce are likely to be seen as the employer choice and it more likely to retain its workers.
• absenteeism: likely to be lower
• innovation: close link between innovation and engagement
• profitability: likely to be higher

Question 9

5 levels on maslows hierarchy of needs

Answer 9

(bottom) 1. Physiological - need for food, water, shelter and sex
2. Security - need to be free from threats and danger
3. Social - need to love and be loved, and part of a group
4. Esteem - need to have self-respect and respect of collegues
(top) 5. Self-actualisation - need to develop personal skills and fulfil one’s potential

Question 10

what is piece-rate pay

Answer 10

a payment for each item produced. It encourages effort but often at the expense of quality. (common in agriculture and textile industry

Question 11

what is commission

Answer 11

payment made to employees based on the value of sales achieved

Question 12

what is profit-related pay

Answer 12

gives employees a share of the profits earned by the business. It encourages employees to work hard to generate max profits for the business.
Offers flexibility: in recession, wages can fall with profits, reducing the need for redundancies.

Question 13

what is performance related pay

Answer 13

used in many industries from banking to education. needs to be tied into some form of assessment or appraisal of employee performance.
can be damaging to employee morale

Question 14

3 key characteristics of non-financial methods of motivation

Answer 14

• meaningful work: providing jobs that are interesting and challenging
• involvement: with the decision-making process
• responsibility and recognition: for the job

Question 15

for the characterisitics of non-financial methods of motivation to be achieved, these 3 things need to be in place

Answer 15

• leadeship and management style: more likely to be soft and democratic
• opportunity: needs to be provided for involvement and responsibility
• the culture: of the business needs to be one of involvement and communication