Motivation

Question 1

performance appraisal

Answer 1

more historical focused, and is used to test an employee’s performance like an evaluation (are they performing effectively)

Question 2

performance management

Answer 2

more focused on continuous management, and is used to continually motivate employees and keep them aligned with the organization’s strategic goals

Question 3

what do organizations often spend more of their time on?

Answer 3

We often focus on PA and less about PM, even though its equally important

• like SPOT surveys are an example of PA but don’t tell profs how to improve

Question 4

purposes of PM

and what is the one most effective tool for evaluation and development of future performance?

Answer 4

help predict future performance and shape it

should always separate the evaluation of performance with the coaching of how to get better

Question 5

should employees be surprised when they see their perfromance review?

Answer 5

NO - they should know what they’re getting …

if they are surprised that means they have a bad manager, that isn’t coaching them well

Question 6

3 characteristics of a good PA system

Answer 6

reliable: consistently returns same results for same inputs
valid: measures relevant aspects of performance
specific: should give guidance on what is expected

Question 7

leniency error, central tendency error and severity error

Answer 7

Leniency Error: consistently rates employees at high end of the scale

Central Tendency Error: consistently rates employees at scale midpoint

Severity Error: consistently rates employees at low end of the scale

Question 8

halo error

Answer 8

evaluation of employee performance on one dimension creates overall impression that drives ratings on other dimensions

Question 9

recency error vs. contrast error

Answer 9

Recency Error: rating is heavily influenced by most recent performance

Contrast Error: current employee rating is boosted after rating a poor employee or lowered after rating an excellent employee

Question 10

similar to me error

Answer 10

Similar-to-me Error: rating is inflated because of a personal connection

Question 11

issues with graphical rating scales, and why should we use behavioral scales?

Answer 11

the main issue with graphical scales is that they use words like likely … highly likely on a scale and these can be subjective

behavioral scales are better because they outline the criteria for each level of the ranking system

Question 12

results based approach to management

Answer 12

setting clear goals of what to achieve to hit a 5/5 evaluation

• these are good because they’re specific, only issue is that they can be hard to measure across employees of different skill levels

Question 13

comparative approach

Answer 13

Ranking employees from best to worst in terms of a particular attribute

Gives forced distribution

Paired comparison, comparing two employees head to head (who’s better at what)

Question 14

pros and cons of comparative approach

Answer 14

pros: Good for differentiating individual performance
Easy to use and socially acceptable

cons: rivalries, doesn’t give feedback on how to improve, can lead to collusion

Question 15

extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation

Answer 15

ext: anything external that motivates you (pay, praise, making someone else happy)

int: enjoying the task itself, doing something bc it’s fun, passionate about it

Question 16

are extrinsic and intrinsic motivation mutually exclusive

Answer 16

NO, you can have both

• enjoy running, but also running to look good in front of others

Question 17

what’s the pitfall of adding extrinsic motivators into something you have intrinsic motivation for?

Answer 17

it can cause people to lose enjoyment of doing something, like when you’re paid to play a sport - it becomes less fun and feels like work

Question 18

Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory

Answer 18

argues that certain things in the workplace lead to satisfaction while others reduce motivation (hygiene factors)

You can’t improve motivation by removing hygiene factors, but you can reduce demotivation

Question 19

challenges to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 19

can be countered because the lines between each stage are not clear + some people flip the pyramid upside down and pursue self actualization while giving up physical belongings (monks)

Question 20

McClellands Need Theory

Answer 20

Based on State based personality characteristics

Different needs over time

Need for achievement, power and affiliation

Question 21

what are the 3 needs in McClelland’s Need Theory

Answer 21

achievement: people who are goal oriented and like performing at a high level

power: people want power over others and like making big decisions

affiliation: people like being associated with certain people, leads to more democratic leadership

Question 22

Skinner’s Reinforcement theory

Answer 22

behavior is the result of consequences

Question 23

4 stages of skinners theory

Answer 23

for GOOD BEHAVIOR
pos. reinforcement: adding a good stimulus
neg. reinforcement: removing a harmful stimulus

for BAD BEHAVIOR
punishment: adding a harmful stimulus
extinction: removing a good stimulus

Question 24

Vroom’s expectancy theory

Answer 24

all parts of the chain must be intact for it to work
- expectancy + instrumentality + valence = motivation

Question 25

describe the 4 stages of Vroom’s expectancy theory

Answer 25

expectancy: belief that effort will lead to performance

instrumentality: belief that performance will be rewarded

valence: belief that the reward is valuable

= motivation

Question 26

House Path Goal Theory (related to Vroom)

Answer 26

increasing the links of the chain will lead to better motivation

Question 27

Goal setting theory

Answer 27

believes that self-made goals that are public can lead to strong motivation

• engages self efficacy and self-generated feedback

Question 28

Equity theory

Answer 28

Motivation is directly impacted by our perception of how fair the systems for inputs and outputs are

comparing the perceived inputs and outputs to see if they’re balanced

• having a comparative other in this case is very important as a reference point

Question 29

autonomy, mastery and purpose theory

Answer 29

if a project at work has any of these characteristics then people will be motivated to do it

• i.e. if the project gives someone purpose in life, or if they’re really good at the task, or if they’re given full responsibility

Question 30

distributive vs procedural justice

Answer 30

in the 100 metre race example, everyone was starting on a different line (not knowing where they were), yet they still benefitted from being ahead