1. What is motivation? Explain the three key elements of motivation.

Motivation is the process by which a persons efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal. The energy element is a measure of intensity, drive, or vigor. The high level of effort needs to be directed in ways that help the organization achieve its goals. Employees must persist in putting forth effort to achieve those goals. 2. Describe each of the four early theories of motivation. In Maslows hierarchy, individuals move up the hierarchy of five needs (physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization) as needs are substantially satisfied. A need thats substantially satisfied no longer motivates. A Theory X manager believes that people dont like to work or wont seek out responsibility so they have to be threatened and coerced to work. A Theory Y manager assumes that people like to work and seek out responsibility, so they will exercise self-motivation and self-direction. Herzbergs theory proposed that intrinsic factors associated with job satisfaction were what motivated people. Extrinsic factors associated with job dissatisfaction simply kept people from being dissatisfied. Three-needs theory proposed three acquired needs that are major motives in work: need for achievement, need for affiliation, and need for power. 3. How do goal-setting, reinforcement, and equity theories explain employee motivation? Goal-setting theory says that specific goals increase performance, and difficult goals, when accepted, result in higher performance than do easy goals. Important points in goal setting theory include intention to work toward a goal as a major source of job motivation; specific hard goals that produce higher levels of output than generalized goals; participation in setting goals as preferable to assigning goals, but not always; feedback that guides and motivates behavior, especially self-generated feedback; and contingencies that affect goal settinggoal commitment, self-efficacy, and national culture. Reinforcement theory says that behavior is a function of its consequences. To motivate, use positive reinforcers to reinforce desirable behaviors. Ignore undesirable behavior rather than punishing it. Equity theory focuses on how employees compare their inputsoutcomes ratios to relevant others ratios. A perception of inequity will cause an employee to do something about it. Procedural justice has a greater influence on employee satisfaction than does distributive justice. 4. What are the different job design approaches to motivation? Job enlargement involves horizontally expanding job scope by adding more tasks or increasing how many times the tasks are done. Job enrichment vertically expands job depth by giving employees more control over their work. The job characteristics model says five core job dimensions (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) are used to design motivating jobs. Another job design approach proposed looking at relational aspects and proactive aspects of jobs. 5. Explain the three key linkages in expectancy theory and their role in motivation. Expectancy theory says that an individual tends to act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a desired outcome. Expectancy is the effortperformance linkage (how much effort do I need to exert to achieve a certain level of performance); instrumentality is the performancereward linkage (achieving at a certain level of performance will get me a

specific reward); and valence is the attractiveness of the reward (Is it the reward that I want?). 6. What economic and cross-cultural challenges do managers face when motivating employees? During tough economic conditions, managers must look for creative ways to keep employees efforts energized, directed, and sustained toward achieving goals. Most motivational theories were developed in the United States and have a North American bias. Some theories (Maslows need hierarchy, achievement need, and equity theory) dont work well for other cultures. However, the desire for interesting work seems important to all workers and Herzbergs motivator (intrinsic) factors may be universal. 7. What challenges do managers face in motivating todays workforce? Managers face challenges in motivating unique groups of workers. A diverse workforce is looking for flexibility. Professionals want job challenge and support, and are motivated by the work itself. Contingent workers want the opportunity to become permanent or to receive skills training. Recognition programs and sincere appreciation for work done can be used to motivate low-skilled, minimum-wage workers. 8. Describe open book management, employee recognition, and pay-for-performance programs. Open-book management is when financial statements (the books) are shared with employees who have been taught what they mean. Employee recognition programs consist of personal attention, approval, and appreciation for a job well done. Pay-for-performance programs are variable compensation plans that pay employees on the basis of some performance measure. 9. Most of us have to work for a living, and a job is a central part of our lives. So why do managers have to worry so much about employee motivation issues? Even though most of us have to work for a living in order to support ourselves and those who are dependent upon us, managers still have to worry about employee motivation because some employees are not always willing to put forth the effort to do their job to the best of their ability. Even when employees are willing to put forth their best effort, managers must take steps to ensure that their motivation will be sustained over time, in spite of personal or professional setbacks and factors in the external environment over which they and their employees may have no control. Managers must have knowledge of motivational theories and understand the individual differences and perceptions of their employees in order to choose rewards that will be effective in motivating them to work together to reach organizational goals. 10. Can an individual be too motivated? Discuss. This question can serve as an excellent springboard for small group discussion. Students may express strong opinions in their answers to this question, depending upon their employment experiences and the types of managers and employees with whom they have already worked. Their answers to this question will likely introduce ethical considerations in relation to motivation and the willingness of some individuals to lose sight of ethical standards in pursuit of a goal.

Answers to Case Application Questions Searching For 1. Whats it like to work at Google? (Hint: Go to Googles Web site and click on About Google. Find the section Jobs at Google.) Whats your assessment of the companys work environment? There is also information provided by other companies, such as Fortune Magazine, on Googles high level of employee satisfaction. In 2010, Google was again ranked by Fortune Magazine as the number one, best company to work for. Generally, Google does very well providing benefits for its employees including generous 401K plans, health insurance, fitness memberships, job sharing, and even paid time off to work on social causes. Engineers also get a say in what projects they have to work on. 2. Google is doing a lot for its employees, but obviously its not done enough to retain several of its talented employees. Using what youve learned from studying the various motivation theories, what does this situation tell you about employee motivation? Students may apply several theories in answering this question. Two theories that may be particularly useful for students to think about are equity theory and expectancy theory. Applying equity theory, students can discuss the concepts of distributive justice and underreward inequity. Applying expectancy theory, students may discuss the concept of valence (attractiveness of the reward) and the idea being that employees are doing the majority of the work and do not perceive the reward as attractive enough. 3. What do you think is Googles biggest challenge in keeping employees motivated? Setting such a high bar, Google has created a situation where it will be difficult for the next set of benefits to outdo last years package. As Google continues to grow and expand into new markets, employees may see some of their benefits scaled down as the company becomes larger and more profit oriented. The idea of taking benefits away from employees is sure to be seen as a big loss and will not be welcomed. 4. If you were managing a team of Google employees, how would you keep them motivated? Google has excelled at providing employees with an exciting organizational culture and a wide array of benefits. They have effectively positioned themselves as a leader in the industry for providing a wonderful place to work (described as paradise by some). Ask students from a Generation Y perspective what could Google do to continue to develop this culture of success? Best Practices at Best Buy 1. Describe the elements of ROWE. What do you think might be the advantages and drawbacks of this program? From the Best Buy website, In the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) at Best Buy's corporate office, our employees are trusted to manage their lives - and their work - without being judged or micro-managed by others. ROWE means that employees are rewarded for outcomes, not activities, and leaders get to focus on the things that truly drive business results. It also means: increased productivity, reduced voluntary employee turnover, and increased levels of engagement for our people.

The disadvantages of such a program are perceived loss of control of employees, increased training time, and increased difficulty monitoring and evaluating employee behavior. 2. Using one or more motivation theories from the chapter, explain why you think ROWE works. This program fits in with several theories of motivation, Theory Y giving employee more discretion in what they do in their jobs and making work more challenging, Goal Setting by allowing employees to participate more in the goal setting process as far as the conditions of work, then employees are more likely to accept and accomplish the goal. Expectancy Theory this program uses some aspects of goal setting, generating expectancies for employees and establishing outcomes. 3. What might be the challenges for managers in motivating employees in a program like this? By allowing employees more flexibility in the when and where of work, it makes the managers job more difficult in evaluating employee inputs. Without evaluation and control, it is difficult to assign compensation and other reinforces for behavior. Most of these problems can be solved with appropriate communication and performance monitoring systems. 4. Does this sound like something you would be comfortable with? Why or why not? Most students should report a preference for this type of arrangement. This is especially true of Gen X and Gen Y employees who value greater flexibility. Some however, may be put off by the high degree of autonomy granted to employees. Too much freedom may actually intimidate some workers. 5. Whats your interpretation of the statement that Work isnt a place you goits something you do? Do you agree? Why or why not? Unfortunately, many employees see their contributions to their employers based on the amount of time they put in, not the amount of effort. Just being at work does not help the organization accomplish their goals. Too many people sit at work waiting for 5:00 so they can leave. Once employees see that an organizations survival depends on work being done, then they see the benefit of losing the focus on time and place.