chapter 47

Question 1

where does motivation arise from

Answer 1

it arises from positive factors as right conditions have been created making them want to behave or act in a certain way.

Question 2

what is a motivated employee like ?

Answer 2

they want to work hard and take pride in their work and are committed into achieving the businesses goals.

Question 2

define motivation

Answer 2

a strong desire to act in a certain way to achieve a certain result

Question 3

define morale

Answer 3

(spirit) if it’s high in a individual, team or group there exists a spirit of confidence and purpose

Question 4

why is motivation important in a business ?

Answer 4

• so that employees can be fully effective in helping the firm meet their objectives

Question 5

what are the benefits of a motivated workforce ?

Answer 5

• employees will be less prone to absentissm and have lower rates of labour turnover which helps lower costs
• they’ll be more productive
• there more committed and are more willing to go the extra mile for the business
• change will be easier to implement
• they present a better image of the business to external bodies

Question 6

what factors does motivation arise from ?

Answer 6

1. monetary methods- this assumes motivation results from linking employee performance to pay in some way such as profit sharing or a bonus
2. non monetary methods- this assumes motivation results from factors other than financial incentives e.g. given work that is interesting and challenging

Question 7

motivation theories- Frederick Taylor 1856-1917 scientific management

Answer 7

Taylor had an opinion that a scientific approach could be used to motivate employees whatever tasks they were performing.

this approach meant jobs would be carefully observed to see what tasks were being performed, then they would be broken down into simple tasks to ensure a high division of labour.

those who were seen as the best suited for the job would be recruited and trained to perform the sepcialsied task and then would be paid on a piece rate.

money was the key motivator which would therefore increase productivity.

Question 8

limitations of frederick taylor scientific management theory

Answer 8

• it’s a product of its creator and time Taylor was a engineer and not a psychologist, he was more interested in productive efficiency and not the psychological understanding of employee behaviour.
  -it was rare at the time for the concept of the job satisfaction to be upper most in managers minds
• taylors work was adopted by many businessmen in the 1920s

Question 9

what was elton mayos 1880-1949 human relations management ?

Answer 9

he was interested in improving employee productivity like taylor.

although he believed scientific management alone couldn’t explain the productivity , behaviour and attitude of employees.

mayo is associated with the hawthorne effect as most of his research was undertaken at the hawthorne plant of western electric company in chicago.

the research of the plant was concerned with altering the brightness of the lighting in a particular area of a firm but it was seen that productivity rose when it was changed.

the 2nd set of experiments involved a group of woman who assembled telephone components as their work and many changes were made to the rests and lengths of their working day and results showed than an increased amount of breaks and shortening the day increased the productivity.

men were also tired for this experiment and it showed that being paid according to results on a individual basic didn’t always raise productivity as men worried that if output rose by a large amount the firm would reduce the amount they were being paid.

Question 10

what conclusions did mayo reach ?

Answer 10

• employees respond to changes in the work environment
• sense of recognition and consultation is important to employees
• the workplace is a social system and employees like to work in groups
• communication affects productivity

it also showed that there was more to increasing productivity and motivation

Question 11

limitations of Elton mayo theory

Answer 11

• can be difficult to generalise what the hawthorne affect is
• ## many variables were changed at the time so identifying the exact cause of a change in productivity is difficult

Question 12

what is a content theory ?

Answer 12

they deal with the issue of what motivates employees and are concerned with identifying a persons individual needs and then using motivation to fulfil those needs

Question 13

what is process theories

Answer 13

they deal with the process of motivation itself and are concerned with the issue of how motivation occurs

Question 14

what 3 theorists are associated with the content thoery

Answer 14

1. mcclelland
2. herzberg
3. maslow

Question 15

what is David McClennand 3 needs theory 1917-1998

Answer 15

he developed a motivational model on proposition that people have 3 needs.

these needs were achievement, affiliation and power.

and they exist regardness of gender, culture or race but can be changed due to life experiences or upbringing.

he used what’s known a thematic apperception test to measure these needs.

1. N-ach someone with achievement prefers more challenging goals, likes to work on a task to present effort, likes to work with others
2. N-aff someone with affiliation enjoys working as part of a team as they liked to feel accepted by others, people orientated rather than task and prefers a collaborative approach to work.
3. N-pow someone with power likes to influence, enjoys recognition and likes to win.

Question 16

limitations of david mcclennand theory

Answer 16

1. can’t be assumed that just because a employee exhibits a particular need this means that the need can be used to the benefit of the organisation.
2. motivation isn’t as straightforward

Question 17

what is frederick herzberg 2 factor theory 1923-2000

Answer 17

he was constructed to the workplace and was interested in the factors that cause job satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

what was interesting was that he found things like pay, working conditions and relationships didn’t result in satisfaction these were hygeine factors.

hygeine factors
employees are dissatisfied by bad working environment but aren’t motivated by a good. hygeine factors don’t motivate a employee no matter how good they are.

motivating factors
these are factors such as responsibility, recognition, meaningful and rewarding work and opportunity for promotion

he stated a business will need hygeine factors to prevent job dissatisfaction

employees should be encouraged and supported taking on new challenging tasks. there should also be a job rotation to prevent boredom and so employees can gain experience

Question 18

limitations of fredrick herzberg theory

Answer 18

1. not always easy to enrich unskilled repetitive jobs
2. people have different personality traits
3. work could be considered a product of it’s time

Question 19

abraham maslow the hierachy of needs 1908-1970

Answer 19

he states employees have a variety of needs at work that need to be satisfied and until the lower needs are met the higher ones can’t be.

once needs are met at a certain level they become motivated by them and will cease to move up but if lower can’t be met employees will no longer be concerned about achieving higher order.

1. starts with physiological needs e.g. shelter, food and water
2. then safety and security needs e.g. human seek security and stability
3. then social needs e.g. friendship and positive relationship 4. then the esteem needs e.g. seek for respect of others
4. then at the top is self actualization needs e.g. concerend with personal growth and the achievement of one’s potential as a human.

Question 20

limitations of maslow’s hierachy of needs theory

Answer 20

1. it wasn’t specifically designed for use in the business world
2. it is something of a generalisation
3. are needs really hierarchical with an employee passing through levels in a console game

Question 21

What is victor vroom 1932 expectancy theory

Answer 21

His theory suggests individuals will decide to behave in a certain way as they are motivated too

Expectancy theory is the mental processes a employee goes through when making a decision

2 aspects
Expectancy- does employee think they’ll be able to achieve the task 0-1
Valence- refers to the value the employee sees the reward as 0-1 if it’s really desired there more likely to commit it so is closer to one but if not heavily desired closer to 0

Question 22

Limitations of victor vroom theory

Answer 22

1. A persons is perceptions of effort and performance can be very different from another
2. The theory isn’t applicable to all organisations as reward isn’t always directly correlated with performance

Question 23

what is Peter sticker goal setting theory 1909-2005

Answer 23

He was the father of modern management and he stated the most important asset of a organisation is the employees and they shouldn’t be treated as costs

He wanted the community to gain trust and respect for employees

And he coined the phrase knowledge worker

Question 24

What is Edwin Locke goal setting theory 1938

Answer 24

He stated setting appropriate goals for employees can be a useful and powerful tool to motivation and he said they like to have goals if there achievable as they can work towards it

He said there were 5 principles that were vital to goal setting
1. Clarity
2. Challenge
3.feedback
4. Commitment
5. Task complexity

Question 25

Limitations of goal setting theory

Answer 25

1. More setting of goals won’t motivate a employee
2. It can make employees feel as if they have to concentrate on achieving the goals so fail to pay sufficient attention to the rest

Question 26

What is Tom peters in search of excellence motivation theory

Answer 26

He looked at how to improve corporate performance and try to gain a commitment of excellence from everyone working

His research found cautious executives who disliked change but were obsessed with numbers, bureaucracy and control

Question 27

Limitations of Tom Peter theory

Answer 27

1. He’s been accused on inconsistency
2. When he turns points in to a plan they have been neglected