Employee Motivation: What Needs to Be Done
Chapter 14:
Motivating Organizational Members REVIEW QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTED ANSWERS
1. (Learning Objective 1) Define motivation. Motivation refers to the forces, either internal or external to a person, that act as inducements or that influence action to do something.
2. (Learning Objective 1) Explain how motivation is related to performance by describing the model M x A = P. Although the process of motivation is complex, organizations are primarily concerned with the relationship between motivation and performance, as implied by the formula shown above, where M refers to motivation, A refers to ability, and P refers to performance. The relationships in the formula can be explained through the following example. Suppose you are motivated to perform well as a computer analyst. Your performance as a computer analyst is a function of your (1) motivation and (2) ability to do the job. One is not enough. You must have both motivation and ability to perform.
3. (Learning Objective 2) How do needs-based models differ from process models of motivation? Needs-based models emphasize specific human needs, or the factors within a person that energize, direct, and stop behavior. Approaches based on needs explain motivation primarily as a phenomenon that occurs intrinsically, or within an individual. They describe what things motivate people. Process models take a more dynamic view of motivation; they focus on understanding the thought or cognitive processes that take place within the individuals mind and act to affect behavior. They describe how things motivate people.
4. (Learning Objective 3) Clarify hygiene and motivator factors in the two-factor model of motivation. How is satisfaction involved in the model? Motivator factors are related to job content, or what people actually do in their work, and are associated with an individuals positive feelings about the job. Motivator factors include the work itself, recognition, advancement, achievement, and
Motivating Organizational Members REVIEW QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTED ANSWERS
1. (Learning Objective 1) Define motivation. Motivation refers to the forces, either internal or external to a person, that act as inducements or that influence action to do something.
2. (Learning Objective 1) Explain how motivation is related to performance by describing the model M x A = P. Although the process of motivation is complex, organizations are primarily concerned with the relationship between motivation and performance, as implied by the formula shown above, where M refers to motivation, A refers to ability, and P refers to performance. The relationships in the formula can be explained through the following example. Suppose you are motivated to perform well as a computer analyst. Your performance as a computer analyst is a function of your (1) motivation and (2) ability to do the job. One is not enough. You must have both motivation and ability to perform.
3. (Learning Objective 2) How do needs-based models differ from process models of motivation? Needs-based models emphasize specific human needs, or the factors within a person that energize, direct, and stop behavior. Approaches based on needs explain motivation primarily as a phenomenon that occurs intrinsically, or within an individual. They describe what things motivate people. Process models take a more dynamic view of motivation; they focus on understanding the thought or cognitive processes that take place within the individuals mind and act to affect behavior. They describe how things motivate people.
4. (Learning Objective 3) Clarify hygiene and motivator factors in the two-factor model of motivation. How is satisfaction involved in the model? Motivator factors are related to job content, or what people actually do in their work, and are associated with an individuals positive feelings about the job. Motivator factors include the work itself, recognition, advancement, achievement, and