Week 2 - Motivation theories Flashcards
Social identity theory:
Which three processes underly Social Identity theory?
Social categorization
Social Comparison
Social Identification
Social identity theory:
Which three factors are important in work motivation, according to the article by Ellemers?
Energize
Direct
Sustain
Social identity theory:
What is social categorization?
People organize social information by categorizing individuals into groups. This enables them to focus on relevant collective properties, and ignore the ‘noise’ of other (individual) variations. This kind of categorization only occurs when it’s useful (so when the group is relatively steady and when a career system is not based on individual merit).
Social identity theory:
What is social comparison?
Social comparison is the process where social categorization gets meaning. Contrasting your group with other groups helps determine which features distinguish your group from others.
Social identity theory:
What is social identification?
Social identification is the process by which information about social groups is related to the self: when do you see yourself as representative of a certain group. People are more willing to identify with groups that contribute to their positive sense of self, and are more likely associate with a group that has distinctive features. Identifying with a group means adopting their norms and ideas as your own, and is dependent on the situation.
Social identity theory:
Which two factors (… fit) are important for social comparison?
Comparative fit
Normative fit
Social identity theory:
How do identification (with the team/organization) and commitment relate to each other?
Identification is the cognitive awareness that the self constitutes part of the organization; commitment refers to the affective ties between the individual and the group. Both are relevant predictors of group-oriented efforts.
Social identity theory:
When is a leader most likely to be successful?
When there is shared identity between him and the group.
Social identity theory:
When is shared identity between group and leader most likely?
When it is made salient
- by a threatening outgroup
- by sharing a common identity
- by the leader being seen as prototypical of the ingroup
Social identity theory:
When is shared identity between leader and followers in danger?
When (s)he is perceived as an outgroup, for instance because of different reward structures, or has distinctive individual qualities.
Social identity theory:
According to social identity theory, what is the secret to successful leadership?
This lies in the capacity of the leader to induce followers to perceive the leader as the embodiment of a positive social identity that they have in common and that distinguishes them from others.
Social identity theory:
What is social loafing (a.k.a. Ringelmann effect)?
People put in less effort when they perform a collective task than when they work on the same task individually.
Social identity theory:
What is the conventional way to deal with social loafing?
Making the work situation less social by treating team members more as individuals.
Social identity theory:
What is social identity theory’s solution to social loafing?
Enhance salience of collective identity. This will contribute to the motivation to achieve collective goals and thereby avoids motivation losses.
Social identity theory:
When will people work harder for the group collective?
- If the group is threatened
- if it helps promote the identity of the group
- when collective performance improvement seems feasible
