chapter 5: theories of work motivation Flashcards
what is motivation?
extent to which persistent effort is directed toward a goal
what are the four basic characteristics of motivation?
amount of effort
persistence in applying effort
channeling the persistence effort in a direction
goal or objective
what does direction as a characteristic of motivation mean?
The extent to which worker’s channel their persistence effort in a direction that benefits the
organization
Motivation means working smart as well as working hard
true or false
Employees goals are sometimes contrary to the objectives of the organization
true
give examples of employees having different goals that do not benefit the organization they work in
absenteeism
sabotage
embezzlement
why is motivation especially important in contemporary organizations?
Need for increased productivity
Global competitiveness
Rapid changes
Need for flexibility
Attention to customers
Intrinsic (autonomous) motivation
arises from the direct relationship between worker and task
usually self-applied (r easons from within)
what are some examples intrinsic (autonomous) motivation?
feelings of achievement
accomplishment
challenge
competence derived from performing one’s job
the interest in the job itself
what is extrinsic motivation?
stems from the work environment external to the task
usually applied by others (r easons from outside)
what are some examples of extrinsic motivation?
pay
policies
various forms of supervision
which has more influence on motivation, extrinsic or intrinsic??
why?
extrinsic motivation
The availability of extrinsic motivators can reduce the intrinsic motivation stemming from the task itself
can extrinsic and intrinsic motivation both be compatible and enhance our motivation?
yeeeee
what is the Self-determination theory’
theory of motivation that considers whether peoples’ motivation are autonomous (intrinsic) or controlled (extrinsic)
what are the two types of motivations that apply to the self determination theory?
Autonomous (intrinsic) motivation (SDT)
Controlled (extrinsic) motivation (behavior is externally controlled)
what is Autonomous (intrinsic) motivation (SDT)?
when people are self motivated by intrinsic factors
Individuals are engaged in a task because they choose to be and their actions are internally regulated
it is also related to other work outcomes such as positive attitudes and psychological well-being
true or false
autonomous motivation facilitates effective performance incomplete and simple tasks?
truuuue
Controlled (extrinsic) motivation (behavior is externally controlled)
when people are motivated to obtain a desired consequence or extrinsic reward
they are motivated by an external force
When motivation is controlled, individuals feel they have no choice and they have to engage in a task
what is performance?
extent to which an organizational member contributes to achieving the objectives of the organization
conscientiousness linked to performance
what are factors that predict performance
general cognitive ability
task understanding
emotional intelligence
chance
General cognitive ability
refers to a person’s basic information processing capacities and cognitive resources ( intelligence)
individual’s overall capacity and efficiency for processing information
Emotional Intelligence
ability to understand and manage one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions
involves empathy and self regulation
what are the set of skills in Peter Salovey and John Mayer’s emotional intelligence model?
Perceiving emotions accurately in oneself and others
Using emotions to facilitate thinking and decision making
Understanding emotions, emotional language, and the signals conveyed by emotions
Managing emotions to attain specific goals (to suit situation)
emotional intelligence predicts performance in what type of areas?
job performance
academic performance
true or false
EI predicts job performance above & beyond cognitive ability and the Big Five personality variables
true
EI is most strongly related to job performance in jobs that require what?
high levels of emotional labour
is emotional intelligence most important with individuals with lower levels of cognitive ability or higher levels of cognitive ability?
lower levels of cognitive ability
what can be another reason for poor performance apart of personality, general cognitive ability, and EI?
poor understanding of the task and luck and chance factors
is it possible for performance to be low even if the person is highly motivated?
yeeee
what is McClelland’s needs theory?
nonhierarchical need theory of motivation
outlines the conditions
under which certain needs result in particular patterns of motivation
in McClelland’s needs theory, what are the needs that motivate people the most?
achievement
affiliation
power
what best job positions would be the result of the need for achievement?
sales jobs (commissions) or entrepreneurial positions
describe the need for achievement
Strong desire to perform challenging tasks well
Preference for situations in which personal responsibility can be taken for outcomes
Tendency to set moderately difficult goals that provide for calculated risks
Desire for performance feedback
describe the need for affiliation
strong desire to establish & maintain friendly, compatible interpersonal relationships
People with a high need for affiliation have an ability to learn social networking quickly
tendency to communicate frequently with others
they prefer to avoid conflict and competition
what are some job positions that are the result of the need of affiliation?
social work (participant in the process) or customer relations
describe the need for power
A strong desire to influence others
seeking out social settings in which they can be influential
what job positions would be the result of a need for power?
journalism and management (dictates the path to follow)
what are the characteristics of managers?
low need for affiliation
high need for power
the ability to direct power toward organizational goals
true or false
people will be motivated to seek out and perform well in jobs that match their needs
true
what is the expectancy theory
process theory the states that motivation is determined by the outcomes that people expect to occur as a result of their actions on the job
what are the components of the expectancy theory?
first level outcomes
second level outcomes
instrumentality
valence instrumentality
expectancy
force
what are first level outcomes
particular interest to the organization
i.e. high vs. average productivity
what are second level outcomes
consequences that follow the attainment of a particular first level outcome
what does the expectancy theory specify regarding employees and the first level outcome?
it specifies how employees attempt to choose a first level outcome over another first level outcome
what is instrumentality?
link between first level and second level outcomes
the probability that a particular first-level outcome (e.g., high productivity) will be followed by a particular second-level outcome (e.g., pay)
High productivity → 80% chance of a pay increase
Average productivity → 30% chance of a pay increase
what is valence instrumentality?
The expected value of outcomes
the extent to which they are attractive or unattractive to the individual
what does the valence of a first level outcome depend on?
the extent to which it leads to a favorable second-level outcomes
what is expectancy?
the probability that the worker can actually achieve a particular first-level outcome
→ High performance 50% certain
→ Average performance 100% certain
what is the force?
the power that the Jedi have
what gives life to everything
everything contains it
—(how much effort you put in a task): It represents the relative degree of effort that will be directed
towards various first-level outcomes:
force = first-level valence x expectancy
We can expect an individual’s effort to be directed toward the first-level outcome that has the largest
force product.—
nah but for real, what is force?
how much effort you put in a task
represents the relative degree of effort that will be directed towards various first-level outcomes
force = first-level valence x expectancy
true or false
We can expect an individual’s effort to be directed toward the first-level outcome that has the largest force product
truuuuuuue
people will be more motivated to to perform in what attracts them the most and what they can accomplish
yay or nay?
yay
The attractiveness of various work activities depends on the extent to which they lead to disgusting personal consequences
true or false
false
they have to lead to favourable personal consequences
managers have to consider three expectations in the expectancy theory.
what are they?
boost expectancies
clarify reward contingencies
appreciate diverse needs
what odes boosting expectancy mean
ensure that their employees expect to be
able to achieve first-level outcomes that are of interest to the organization
will workers pursue goals if the expectancy is low?
nah boy
what are the forms that low expectancy can take?
poor equipment and tools
lazy coworkers
Lack of understanding what the organizations considers good performance and how to achieve it
how can expectancies be enhanced?
proper equipment
training
demonstrating correct work procedures
explaining how performance is evaluated
listen to employee problems
basically, clarify the path to first level outcomes first-level outcomes
how do you clarify reward contingencies?
Managers should try to ensure that the paths between first- and second-level outcomes are clear
Employees should be convinced that first-level outcomes are clearly instrumental in obtaining positive second-level outcomes and avoiding negative outcomes
To ensure that instrumentalities are strongly established, they should be clearly stated and then acted on by the manager
Managers should provide stimulating, challenging tasks for workers who are interested in such work
how do you appreciate diverse needs?
Managers should analyze the diverse preferences of employees
attempt to design
individualized “motivational packages” to meet their need
what is the equity theory?
compares my outcomes and my inputs to some else’s outcomes and inputs
what are some tactics for reducing inequity?
Perceptually distort one’s own inputs or outcomes
Perceptually distort the inputs or outcomes of the comparison person or group.
Choose another comparison person or group.
Alter one’s inputs or alter one’s outcomes.
Leave the exchange relationship (“I don’t want it, take it”)
true or false
Both men and women tend to choose same-sex comparison persons
truuuuuue
what might provide a partial explanation for why women are paid less than men, even for the same job?
the fact that both men and women tend to choose same-sex comparison persons
what must managers consider regarding the equity theory and their subordinates
Perceived underpayment will have a variety of negative motivational consequences for the organization
e.g., low productivity, low quality, theft
Understand that feelings about equity stem from a perceptual social comparison process
what does the feeling of equity stem from?
a perceptual social comparison process
what are the characteristics of a goal in order for them to be considered motivational
specific
challenging
organizational members are committed
feedback about progress towards goal is provided
what are factors what might affect the commitment to challenging, specific goals?
participation
rewards
management support
what are the mechanisms that will influence one’s performance to c¡achieve a goal?
direction
effort
persistence
task strategies
are motivation theories the same across cultures?
nah nah
do not always apply to workers elsewhere
culutral limitations
e.g., equity versus equality
how are collective cultures regarding motivaton
tendency to favour reward allocation based on equality rather than equity
why is the expectancy theory very effective when applied cross culturally?
because of tis flexibility
how can goals be motivational across all cultures?
by setting specific and challenging goals
