Assignment

1) Which of the content theories discussed in the chapter do you believe offers the best explanation of motivation? Which of the process theories? Overall, do you feel that the content approach or the process approach best explains motivation?

2) Think back to the last time you felt unfairly treated at work or at school.  Which of the four components of organizational justice, distributive, procedural, interpersonal, or informational, best explains why you felt this way?

3) How important a role does perception play in determining whether an employee is receiving equitable treatment? What kinds of things might a manager do to influence those perceptions?

4) What is the significance of the idea of quality of life work (QWL)? In particular, what would seem to be the trade-offs between meaningful jobs and productive jobs during periods of declining economic activity and unemployment?

5) Assume that you are a restaurant supervisor in charge of 10 waiters. You notice that they appear bored with their jobs and that customer service is starting to decline. How can you redesign their jobs to make their work more interesting and more meaningful? Would you enrich or enlarge their jobs? Explain.

6) A person with low self-esteem can have low expectancy. To such a person, it might seem that her efforts lead to disproportionate outcomes. She will be satisfied even when working below her potential. How can you motivate such a person to produce greater effort? Create a fictional scenario describing the person and the task. Describe managerial actions to motivate her and explain the expected outcomes.