Unit 6

Question 1

Motivators brought into the organisation by the employee

Answer 1

Homeostatic drive theory:

the human body aims to maintain a balanced state, or
homeostasis, through various physiological mechanisms

Question 2

Motivational theories focusing on organisational factors

Answer 2

Herzberg’s two-factor theory:
This theory suggests that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction arise from motivation and hygiene/maintenance

Question 3

Theories focusing on employee factors

Answer 3

-Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
-Alderfer’s ERG theory
-McClelland’s needs theory

Question 4

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Answer 4

Maslow’s theory proposes that people are motivated by needs that are hierarchical, in that needs at the bottom of the hierarchy must be satisfied before those higher up can be fulfilled.

Question 5

Maslow’s lower-order

Answer 5

-Physiological needs relate to staying alive and procreation

• Safety/security needs relate to physical safety and psychological safety
• Social needs relate to interaction and being with others

Question 6

Maslow’s higher-order needs

Answer 6

-Ego needs relate to people’s desire for recognition of both their achievements and of the fact that they are
unique individuals.

-Self-actualisation needs are an individual’s desires to achieve one’s full potential

Question 7

McClelland’s needs theory

Answer 7

states that humans work to fulfil three basic internal needs that influence behaviour.

• the need for affiliation (NAff)
• the need for achievement (NAch)
• the need for power (NPow)

Question 8

Alderfer’s ERG theory

Answer 8

According to the Alderfer’s ERG theory people have three sets of needs :

Existence:Includes all material and physical desires that are required to survive

Relatedness:
Involves the need to have relationships in which feelings and thoughts are shared, including feeling secure as a member of a social group or family.

Growth:
The need to be productive and change oneself and thus progress towards one’s ideal self.

Question 9

People with high NAch tend to:

Answer 9

• Set achievable goals for themselves
• Consistently strive to improve themselves
• Have a strong sense of initiative

Question 10

Motivating people by facilitating change in behaviours

Answer 10

-Goal-setting theory
-Behaviour modification

Question 11

Goal-setting theory

Answer 11

Based on the principle that employees are motivated
by conscious goals that direct and energise them

Question 12

Three key propositions that underlie the goal-setting theory

Answer 12

-Specific goals lead to higher levels of performance than no goals or abstract goals

• Depending on the level of commitment, the higher the goal, the higher the level of performance.

-Issues such as monetary incentives, participative decision-making, and feedback affect performance only when employees are committed to goals

Question 13

Behaviour modification

Answer 13

Behaviours followed by a positive outcome are more likely to be repeated, whereas those
followed by negative outcomes are less likely to be repeated

Question 14

Theories focusing on people’s beliefs

Answer 14

Expectancy theory

Question 15

Expectancy theory

Answer 15

-States that people are rational beings who analyse the costs and benefits of possible behaviours

-People are motivated by the expected results of their behaviour

Question 16

Three elements whose expected results motivate employees

Answer 16

-Valence
-Expectancy
-Instrumentality

Question 17

Instrumentality

Answer 17

The belief of the employee that their actions will lead to the desired outcome,

Question 18

Expectancy

Answer 18

The belief (probability) the individual holds as to whether they will achieve their desired goal

Question 19

Valence

Answer 19

The degree of satisfaction an employee anticipates they will receive from a particular outcome,
that is, how much the person values the outcome.