MGMT 335 EXAM 2 NIU QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS
• What is motivation? - ANSWER A psychological process that causes direction,
intensity, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed
• What affects motivation? - ANSWER o Individual differences
1. Personality/disposition
2. Cognitions: attitudes, values, beliefs
o The situation
1. Nature of work
2. Working conditions
3. Interpersonal/group influences
o Organizational context
1. Resources, systems, rewards
o How are motivation and performance the same or different? (4,5) - ANSWER 1.
Performance = F (Motivation x Ability x Environment)
2. Poor performance does not equal lack of motivation
3. Effective managers need to diagnose causes of performance problems
a) Lack of ability (A)
b) Contextual factors (E)
c) Motivational direction (M)
Types of motivation theories - ANSWER • Need Theories
o Need for achievement, power, and affiliation
• Cognitive Theories
o Self-efficacy; Expectation Theory
o Equity Theory/Justice
• Behavioral Theories
o Reinforcement/Operant Conditioning
• Job Design
• Social Influence
• What are the three main components of Vroom's Expectancy Theory and how
do they work to influence motivation? - ANSWER o 1. Expectancy - Will I succeed
at the task?
1. Ability, resources, environment
2. Self-efficacy
3. Mood
o 2. Instrumentality - Will I be rewarded for succeeding?
, 1. Company policies, past experiences
2. Locus of control
3. Information
o 3. Valence - Do I want the reward?
1. Needs
o Motivational Force - F = V x I x E
1. E = 0-1; I = 0-1; V = -1-1
o People pursue performance that maximizes best interests
o No motivation if E, I, or V is zero
o Motivation increases as you add desired outcomes linked to performance
o Implications of VIE
1. Define expectations
2. Make outcomes valuable
3. Make work doable
4. Provide feedback
5. Reinforce employees who meet expectations
• What is self-efficacy and how does it impact motivation and performance? -
ANSWER o A person's belief about his/her ability to successfully accomplishing
a specific task; task-specific confidence
o Low self-efficacy Learned helplessness
o High self-efficacy Maximum performance
o How can you increase self-efficacy? - ANSWER 1. Mastery experiences
2. Feedback
3. Modeling
4. Social persuasion
o Managers, coworkers, job design, training, and rewards can provide some or
all of these
• What are the main components of goal setting theory and how do they impact
motivation and performance? - ANSWER o Goal Specificity - Specific goals are
better than "do your best"
o Goal Difficulty - Difficult goals are better than easy goals
How difficult is difficult?
o Necessary Conditions - Goal acceptance/commitment
Feedback
o How can you make goals SMARTER? - ANSWER Specific - What, how, where,
when, and with whom the task needs to be accomplished
Measureable - How much, how well, at what cost
Achievable - Challenging, yet accepted
Relevant - Within employee's control
Time-framed - Due date and when assessed
Exciting - Employee commitment, not just compliance
Reviewed - Feedback and recognition on goal progress and accomplishment
CORRECT ANSWERS
• What is motivation? - ANSWER A psychological process that causes direction,
intensity, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed
• What affects motivation? - ANSWER o Individual differences
1. Personality/disposition
2. Cognitions: attitudes, values, beliefs
o The situation
1. Nature of work
2. Working conditions
3. Interpersonal/group influences
o Organizational context
1. Resources, systems, rewards
o How are motivation and performance the same or different? (4,5) - ANSWER 1.
Performance = F (Motivation x Ability x Environment)
2. Poor performance does not equal lack of motivation
3. Effective managers need to diagnose causes of performance problems
a) Lack of ability (A)
b) Contextual factors (E)
c) Motivational direction (M)
Types of motivation theories - ANSWER • Need Theories
o Need for achievement, power, and affiliation
• Cognitive Theories
o Self-efficacy; Expectation Theory
o Equity Theory/Justice
• Behavioral Theories
o Reinforcement/Operant Conditioning
• Job Design
• Social Influence
• What are the three main components of Vroom's Expectancy Theory and how
do they work to influence motivation? - ANSWER o 1. Expectancy - Will I succeed
at the task?
1. Ability, resources, environment
2. Self-efficacy
3. Mood
o 2. Instrumentality - Will I be rewarded for succeeding?
, 1. Company policies, past experiences
2. Locus of control
3. Information
o 3. Valence - Do I want the reward?
1. Needs
o Motivational Force - F = V x I x E
1. E = 0-1; I = 0-1; V = -1-1
o People pursue performance that maximizes best interests
o No motivation if E, I, or V is zero
o Motivation increases as you add desired outcomes linked to performance
o Implications of VIE
1. Define expectations
2. Make outcomes valuable
3. Make work doable
4. Provide feedback
5. Reinforce employees who meet expectations
• What is self-efficacy and how does it impact motivation and performance? -
ANSWER o A person's belief about his/her ability to successfully accomplishing
a specific task; task-specific confidence
o Low self-efficacy Learned helplessness
o High self-efficacy Maximum performance
o How can you increase self-efficacy? - ANSWER 1. Mastery experiences
2. Feedback
3. Modeling
4. Social persuasion
o Managers, coworkers, job design, training, and rewards can provide some or
all of these
• What are the main components of goal setting theory and how do they impact
motivation and performance? - ANSWER o Goal Specificity - Specific goals are
better than "do your best"
o Goal Difficulty - Difficult goals are better than easy goals
How difficult is difficult?
o Necessary Conditions - Goal acceptance/commitment
Feedback
o How can you make goals SMARTER? - ANSWER Specific - What, how, where,
when, and with whom the task needs to be accomplished
Measureable - How much, how well, at what cost
Achievable - Challenging, yet accepted
Relevant - Within employee's control
Time-framed - Due date and when assessed
Exciting - Employee commitment, not just compliance
Reviewed - Feedback and recognition on goal progress and accomplishment
