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Exam 10: Motivating Employees

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Question 171

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Alex, an employee at Green Spaces Irrigation Systems, is pleased that his old supervisor Wally retired. "Wishy" Wally, as the crew used to call him, seemed like a pretty nice guy, but seldom let Alex know if installations were adequate until something went wrong. The new supervisor starts each day with reviewing yesterday's successes and challenges, and gives everyone opportunity to voice their concerns. One of the best assets of __________ managers is their ability to provide timely feedback and to understand that employees want regular performance reviews.

A) Baby boomers
B) Gen X
C) Gen Y
D) Gen Z

E) A) and B)
F) C) and D)

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Question 172

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When studying the differences in generations, it is fair to say that many ideas that each group shares result from common experiences during the first 10 years of life.

A) True
B) False

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Question 173

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In order to understand how to motivate the various generations, we need to understand each generation's preferred mode of communication. Look at the following chart and fill in the blank cell.

Mini-Case The first meeting between the new CEO of Idle Time Gaming, Inc., John Noble, and Howie Spradlin, the production manager, did not go smoothly. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the problem of declining productivity and to develop a strategy to turn the situation around. Howie started the conversation by handing Mr. Noble the most recent production report. "I've always thought that most of our employees were lazy, and now I've got proof," Howie stated. "We pay these guys the highest wages in the industry, provide them with a safe place to work, and make the job as simple as possible. We aren't asking these guys to do brain surgery, but productivity still lags and our production costs increase. I've told all the supervisors to watch these lazy bums every second to make sure they put in a full day's work. If those guys think I'm going to let them get away with goofing off, they're in for a rude awakening." CEO Noble responded in a way that surprised Howie. "Maybe these employees aren't lazy, Howie, maybe they are just bored and resent the way we've treated them," he said. "The employees are experienced and well trained. They might work harder and smarter if the work were more interesting and rewarding. Their attitudes might even improve if we treated them with more respect. Maybe one of the best ways for you and me to understand where they're coming from is to spend some time alongside them." For the next hour, the two discussed ways to improve worker motivation and performance. Howie left the meeting with an unsettled feeling. Many of Mr. Noble's suggestions seemed naïve to Howie. "Mr. Noble is the boss, but I think he is too optimistic regarding human nature," Howie mused. Reluctantly, Howie had to admit that his own approach had not succeeded in improving the plant's performance. He decided to take a hard look at some of Mr. Noble's ideas. -John Noble speculated that Howie really didn't know much about his employees, including the types of rewards that they found meaningful and whether they personally felt that if they worked hard, they could achieve a reward. Noble's thoughts referred to:

Maureen's supervisor was so impressed by her work that he named her the employee of the month. This praise from her supervisor is an example of a(n) _________ reward.

Herzberg's research focused on determining which management style achieved the highest level of worker motivation.

During the first year at the Millennium Company, management trainees spend two months in each of six different departments, where they have the opportunity to learn skills in each functional area, and also to decide where they have the best match. Job rotation is a motivational strategy used by contemporary organizations.

You are a graduate student in the biology department at Fair University. You have several graduate student friends who have graduate appointments in the business department and the English department. While everyone's compensation and employee benefits are exactly the same, your department requires you to always show up and tutor students at least four hours each day and to serve on one university committee each semester. Graduate students at the other departments are not required by their management to follow these rules. Lately, you are doing your best to limit your daily obligation to 2 to 3 hours each day. Relating your situation to one of the theories we have studied, your goal of limiting inputs is explained by expectancy theory.

List the three generations in the workplace today, and provide at least two characteristics of each generation that affect their motivation.

The best way for U.S. firms to become more competitive is to adopt the Type J approach to management.

Becca is a manager in the credit department for 3STAR Motors. Joe Greene is a new employee in her department. While Joe has been learning his job, Becca has provided him with guidance by offering advice, encouragement, and instructions. However, she is careful to let Joe do the actual work, even if he struggles a bit. Becca's approach to getting Joe up to speed indicates that she is:

Members of Generation Y tend to be adaptable, tech savvy, and tolerant.

Hillary enjoys working with others to solve problems and make decisions, but is also able to assume individual responsibility. She prefers working for a company that takes a holistic view of its employees. These preferences suggest that Hillary might enjoy working at a company that uses a Theory Z approach to management.

Herzberg's findings suggest that many U.S. firms can help workers satisfy higher-order needs by identifying those things that motivate (inspire) them to work at their fullest potential.

By the time they graduate from high school, most people have received ample training to develop good listening skills.

Motivation is largely the result of external rewards and punishments.

Maslow believed that lower-level needs may emerge at any time when they are not met and take our attention away from higher-level needs.

Since hygiene factors do not motivate workers toward high achievement at work, managers can safely ignore these factors when trying to develop an effective work environment.

Why did the results of the studies conducted at the Hawthorne plant surprise Elton Mayo and his fellow researchers? How did these results change the direction of management research?

Which of the following statements is the best description of how scientific management viewed employees?