R&J Chapter 7 Flashcards
What is motivation?
The processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal.
Intensity and Direction
Intensity is how hard a person tries. This is the element most of us focus on
when we talk about motivation. However, high intensity is unlikely to lead to favorable
job-performance outcomes unless the effort is channeled in a direction that benefits the
organization.
Persistence
how long a person can maintain effort
Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of five needs—physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization—in which, as each need is substantially satisfied, the next need becomes dominant. Criticized because studies show that not all cultures organize needs in this direction.
Two Factor Theory
A theory that relates intrinsic factors to job satisfaction and associates extrinsic factors with dissatisfaction. Also called motivation-hygiene theory. In Herzberg's two factor theory model, the opposite of satisfaction is not dissatisfaction, it is no satisfaction. Conversely, the opposite of dissatisfaction is no dissatisfaction. This theory is criticized for assuming productivity is heavily tied to satisfaction, and assuming that hygiene factors don't affect satisfaction, only dissatisfaction. Some people gain satisfaction from hygiene factors.
This theory is popular in Asia.
Hygiene Factors
Conditions such as quality of supervision, pay, company policies, physical work
conditions, relationships with others, and job security. When these factors are present, people will not be satisfied nor dissatisfied. However, when they are absent, people will be dissatisfied.
McClelland’s Theory of Needs
A theory that achievement (nAch), power (nPow), and affiliation (nAff) are three important needs that help explain motivation.
These needs are more motivating factors than needs for survival.
Need for achievement (nAch)
the drive to excel, to achieve in relationship to a
set of standards
Need for power (nPow)
the need to make others behave in a way they would not have otherwise
Need for affiliation (nAff)
the desire for friendly and close interpersonal
relationships.
What are some characteristics of high achievers according to McClelland?
They enjoy 50/50 chances, risk that isn’t too high because it is still achievable given hard work and not by pure chance. They don’t like lower risk because they enjoy being challenged.
Assuming that high nAch acts as a motivator assumes what two things?
—willingness to accept
a moderate degree of risk (which excludes countries with strong uncertainty-avoidance
characteristics, see Chapter 5), and concern with performance (which applies to countries
with strong achievement characteristics). This combination is found predominantly in
Anglo-American countries such as the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, and
much less in collectivistic countries like Chile and Portugal
What are some factors that highly motivate high nAch people?
jobs that have a
high degree of personal responsibility and feedback, along with an intermediate degree
of risk.
Are high nAch people inherently good managers?
No, especially in large organizations it cannot be assumed that high nAch people are good managers. They are interested in how well they do personally, not in influencing others to do well.
Under McClelland’s theory, what factors make a good manager?
the most effective leaders are high in nPow and nAff, according to recent research—the “rough edges” of nPow may be tempered by the nAff desire to be
included
How valid is McClelland’s theory of needs?
McClelland’s theory has research support, particularly cross-culturally (when
cultural dimensions including power distance are taken into account)
Modern theory: self determination theory
People like having agency/control over their lives, the same task is enjoyed more as a choice rather than as an obligation, more motivation when you choose to do a task
Cognitive Evaluation Theory
A version of self-determination theory in which allocating extrinsic rewards for behavior that had been previously intrinsically rewarding tends to decrease the overall level of motivation if the rewards are seen as controlling.
Self-concordance
The degree to which people’s reasons for pursuing goals are consistent with their interests and core values.
goal-setting theory
proposed by Edwin Locke, a theory that specific
and difficult goals,
with feedback, lead to
higher performance, intentions to work toward a goal are considered a major source of work
motivation
Goal commitment
Goal-setting theory assumes an individual is committed to the
goal and determined not to lower or abandon it. The individual (1) believes he or
she can achieve the goal and (2) wants to achieve it.28 Goal commitment is most
likely to occur when goals are made public, when the individual has an internal
locus of control, when the goals are self-set rather than assigned, and when they are
based at least partially on individual ability.29
Task characteristics
Goals themselves seem to affect performance more strongly
when tasks are simple rather than complex, well learned rather than novel, independent
rather than interdependent, and on the high end of achievable.30 On interdependent
tasks, group goals are more effective.
National characteristics.
Goals may have different effects in different cultures.
In collectivistic and high power-distance cultures, achievable moderate goals can
be more motivating than difficult ones.31 However, research has not shown group based
goals to be effective in collectivist than in individualist cultures (see Chapter
4). More research is needed to assess how goal constructs might differ across
cultures.
Promotion focus
strive for advancement and accomplishment, and approach conditions that move them closer toward desired goals (studying for a test)
Prevention focus
A self-regulation strategy that involves striving for goals by fulfilling duties and obligations while avoiding conditions that pull them away from desired goals (avoiding distraction in the way of a test, e.g. video games)
A person’s job satisfaction will be more heavily impacted by failure when they have a ____ focus
Prevention
Management by
objectives (MBO)
Popular in the 70s, emphasizes goals that are tangible, verifiable, and measurable. A program that
encompasses specific
goals, participatively
set, for an explicit time
period and including
feedback on goal
progress. A version of MBO, called Management by Objectives and Results
(MBOR), has been used for over 30 years in the governments of Denmark, Norway,
and Sweden
What are the most common failures of MBO?
unrealistic expectations, lack of commitment
by top management, and inability or unwillingness to allocate rewards based on
goal accomplishment
Self-efficacy theory
An individual’s belief that he or she is capable of performing a task
What are the four ways self-efficacy can be increased?
- Enactive mastery.
- Vicarious modeling.
- Verbal persuasion.
- Arousal.
Enactive mastery
