Chapter 10 (motivating staff)

Question 1

Motivation

Answer 1

The individual internal process that energizes, directs, and sustains behaviour; the personal “force” that causes us to behave in a particular way

Question 2

Morale

Answer 2

An employee’s feelings about his or her job, superiors, and about the firm itself
High morale results from the satisfaction of needs or as a result of the job and leads to dedication, loyalty, and the desire to do the job well
Low morale leads to careless work, absenteeism, and high turnover rates

Question 3

Motivation theory

Answer 3

1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
2. Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory
3. Theory X
4. Theory Y

Question 4

Motivation techniques

Answer 4

Management by Objectives
Job enrichment
Job enlargement
Job redesign
Behaviour modification
Flextime
Part-time work
Job sharing
Telecommuting
Employee empowerment
Employee ownership

Question 5

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Answer 5

A sequence of human needs in the order of their importance
1. Physiological needs—survival
2. Safety needs—physical and emotional safety
3. Social needs—love and affection and a sense of belonging
5. Esteem needs—respect, recognition, and a sense of our own accomplishment and worth
6. Self-actualisation needs—to grow and develop and become all that we are capable of being

Question 6

Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory

Answer 6

Satisfaction and dissatisfaction are separate and distinct dimensions
Thus, when you’re not satisfied does mean you’re dissatisfied.
1. Motivation factors
Job factors that increase motivation but whose absence does not necessarily result in dissatisfaction
Satisfaction vs. no satisfaction

2. Hygiene factors
   Job factors that reduce dissatisfaction when present to an acceptable degree but that do not necessarily result in higher levels of motivation
   Dissatisfaction vs. no dissatisfaction
   Must be present to ensure that employees work comfortably

Question 7

Mcgregor

Answer 7

Sets of assumptions about managerial attitudes and beliefs regarding worker behaviour

Question 8

Theory X

Answer 8

Generally consistent with Taylor’s scientific management
Employees dislike work and will function only in a controlled work environment

Question 9

Theory Y

Answer 9

Generally consistent with the human relations movement
Employees accept responsibility and work toward organisational goals if they will also achieve personal rewards

Question 10

Management by objectives

Answer 10

Managers and employees collaborate in setting goals, clarify employee roles

Question 11

Job enrichment

Answer 11

Provides employees with more variety and responsibility in their jobs

Question 12

Job enlargement

Answer 12

The expansion of a worker’s assignments to include additional but similar tasks

Question 13

Job design

Answer 13

A type of job enrichment in which work is restructured to cultivate the worker-job match

Question 14

behaviour modification

Answer 14

A systematic program of reinforcement to encourage desirable behaviour
Steps:
Identify the target behaviour to be changed
2. Measure existing levels of the behaviour
3. Reward employees who exhibit the desired behaviour
4. Measure the target behaviour to check for desired change
If no change, consider changing the reward system
If change has occurred, maintain reinforcement

Question 15

Flextime

Answer 15

A system in which employees set their own work hours within employer-determined limits
Typically, there are two bands of time
Core time, when all employees are expected to be at work
Flexible time, when employees may choose whether to be at work
Benefits
Employees’ sense of independence and autonomy is motivating
Employees with enough time to deal with non-work issues are more productive and satisfied
Drawbacks
Supervisors’ jobs are complicated by having employees who come and go at different times
Employees without flextime may resent coworkers who have it

Question 16

Part-time work

Answer 16

Permanent employment in which individuals work less than a standard work week
Disadvantage: often does not provide the benefits that come with a full-time position

Question 17

Job sharing

Answer 17

An arrangement whereby two people share one full-time position
Companies can save on expenses by reducing benefits and avoiding employee turnover
Employees gain flexibility but may lose benefits
Sharing can be difficult if work is not easily divisible or if two people cannot work well together

Question 18

Telecommuting

Answer 18

Working at home all the time or for a portion of the workweek
Advantages
Increased employee productivity
Lower real estate and travel costs
Reduced absenteeism and turnover
Increased work/life balance and improved morale
Access to additional labour pools
Disadvantages
Feelings of isolation
Putting in longer hours
Distractions at home
Difficulty monitoring productivity

Question 19

Employee empowerment

Answer 19

Making employees more involved in their jobs by increasing their participation in decision making
Management must be involved to set expectations, communicate standards, institute periodic evaluations, guarantee follow-up
Benefits
Increased job satisfaction
Improved job performance
Higher self-esteem
Increased organisational commitment
Obstacles
Management resistance
Workers’ distrust of management
Insufficient training
Poor communication between management and employees

Question 20

Employee ownership

Answer 20

Employees own the company they work for by virtue of being stockholders
Directly reward employees for success
Benefits
Considerable employee incentive
Increased employee involvement and commitment
Obstacles
Problems between management and employees can still occur

Question 21

Teams

Answer 21

Def: Two or more workers operating as a coordinated unit to accomplish a specific task or goal
Types of teams:
1. Problem-Solving: temporary to tackle specific problems
2. Virtuoso: highly skilled people to produce significant change. Generating ground-breaking ideas instead of being task-orientated. Also temporary.
3. Self-Managed: skills and authority to manage themselves. More task variety and job control. Rotate through all the associated tasks.
4. Cross-Functional: people with varying specialities, expertise and skills. E.g. marketers, distributors and producers all work together.
5. Virtual: communicate electronically. Based on time zones, continents, oceans or organisations.

Question 22

Stages of team development

Answer 22

Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Adjourning

Question 23

Roles within team

Answer 23

1. Task-specialist role: focus on the task at hand
2. Socio-emotional role: supports and encourages the emotional needs of the other members.
3. Dual role: Combination of the previous two. Might be the leader.
4. Nonparticipant role: no contribution to goals and no provision to input.

Question 24

Team cohesiveness

Answer 24

For a team to be successful, members must learn how to resolve and manage conflict
5 – 12 people work best
Team challenges build cohesiveness.
A favourable appraisal from someone outside the group also contributes to cohesiveness.

Question 25

Team conflict and how to resolve it

Answer 25

Middle-ground resolution satisfies each party to some extent

Question 26

Benefits and limitations of teams

Answer 26

Reduces turnover and costs, increases production, quality, job satisfaction
Reorganising into teams can be stressful and time-consuming with no guarantee it will develop effectively