What is the Hawthorne effect, as discovered during the studies led by Elton Mayo?

Correct answer: Employees will perform better when they feel singled out for special attention or that management is concerned about their welfare.

Explanation

The Hawthorne effect marked a shift from purely economic views of motivation to understanding the importance of social and psychological factors in the workplace.

Other questions

Question 1

According to Frederick Taylor's principles of scientific management, what is the first principle for improving performance?

Question 3

According to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which level represents the most basic human needs that motivate a person to find a job?

Question 4

In the discussion of Maslow's hierarchy, what is the employee turnover rate at Wegmans supermarkets, which is noted for its low rate compared to competitors?

Question 5

Which of the following assumptions is central to Douglas McGregor's Theory X view of human nature?

Question 6

According to William Ouchi's Theory Z, what is the approach to length of employment?

Question 7

In Frederick Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory, what are factors such as achievement, recognition, and responsibility called?

Question 8

What did Herzberg's studies imply about the relationship between job satisfaction and dissatisfaction?

Question 9

What are the three important relationships that determine an employee's motivation, according to expectancy theory?

Question 10

If an employee perceives an inequity in the workplace, which of the following is NOT listed as a choice they might make according to equity theory?

Question 11

What are the three main components of goal-setting theory?

Question 12

What is the term for the horizontal expansion of a job that involves increasing the number and variety of tasks a person performs?

Question 13

What work-scheduling option allows employees to decide their own work hours, provided they work a certain number of hours per week?

Question 14

What percentage of U.S. companies offered a compressed workweek in 2017, according to the Society for Human Resource Management?

Question 15

What is the scheduling option that allows two individuals to split the tasks, responsibilities, and work hours of one 40-hour-per-week job?

Question 16

What term is used for variable pay programs where a portion of an employee's pay is directly linked to an individual or organizational performance measure?

Question 17

What type of incentive did Google create that once awarded a $12 million prize in restricted stock to the winners for great work on a project?

Question 18

What is the primary difference between an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and stock options?

Question 19

According to the National Center for Employee Ownership, approximately how many ESOPs exist in the United States?

Question 20

What benefit does Zillow, the online real estate giant, offer to employees at all levels after six years of service?

Question 21

According to a recent Gallup survey mentioned in the text, what percentage of current employees are looking to leave their current job?

Question 22

What is the term for a theory of motivation based on the premise that an individual’s intention to work toward a goal is a primary source of motivation?

Question 23

In the context of reinforcement theory, what is defined as anything that decreases a specific behavior?

Question 24

What motivational job design option involves the vertical expansion of an employee's job by providing more autonomy, responsibility, and decision-making authority?

Question 25

What is the term for delegating decision-making authority to employees at all levels of the organization?

Question 26

In what year did Sony appoint Sir Howard Stringer, a non-Japanese CEO, in an effort to transform its management philosophy?

Question 27

What is the primary flaw identified in Frederick Taylor's scientific management theory?

Question 28

In Maslow's hierarchy, what needs are at the fourth level, just below self-actualization?

Question 29

What type of incentive pay plan is based on overall company profitability, where management distributes a portion of profits to all employees?

Question 30

What is the term for a work-scheduling option that allows employees to work from home via a computer linked to their office?

Question 31

According to the chapter, a survey by CareerBuilder found that what percentage of unscheduled absences in 2017 were due to employees calling in sick when they were not actually sick?

Question 32

What is the term for a theory of motivation that holds that worker satisfaction is influenced by employees’ perceptions about how fairly they are treated compared with their coworkers?

Question 33

What motivational tool is defined as a one-time lump-sum monetary award, often given for achieving a particular performance level?

Question 34

According to the text, what percentage of annual payroll do companies commit for pay-for-performance bonuses?

Question 35

What is the term for a work-scheduling option where employees work the traditional 40 hours but fit those hours into a shorter workweek, such as four 10-hour days?

Question 36

What is the primary difference between job enlargement and job enrichment?

Question 37

Which company, mentioned as an example of Theory Y management, has a culture that celebrates success and allows employees to give on-the-spot awards to colleagues for extraordinary effort?

Question 38

In the discussion of international differences in motivation, which country is noted as ranking high on security and fringe benefits and also among the highest on getting ahead?

Question 39

How much did Wegmans supermarkets spend on college scholarships for its employees over the past 20 years, as cited in the example for Maslow's theory?

Question 40

What type of rewards come from within an individual, such as satisfaction, contentment, and a sense of accomplishment?

Question 41

In the example of pay-for-performance at Allstate, one worker may receive a bonus of 5.5 percent of her annual pay, while another worker in the same job might receive what percentage?

Question 42

What are the two biggest reasons cited for increasing employee turnover rates?

Question 43

What is the term for a scheduling option that involves the shifting of workers from one job to another, also known as cross-training?

Question 44

Under the Amazon pilot project for a four-day workweek, what percentage of pay did the tech team employees receive?

Question 45

What did the company Buffer do to avoid laying off an employee, as an example of learning sabbaticals?

Question 46

In the comparison of management approaches, which style is characterized by lifetime employment and the use of layoffs never being used to reduce costs?

Question 47

Which early management theorist is sometimes called the 'father of scientific management'?

Question 48

In Herzberg's theory, which of the following is considered a motivating factor (or job satisfier)?

Question 49

According to the chapter, what is the absence rate for full-time workers in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics?

Question 50

What is the name for groups of similar professional employees from across an entire organization who meet to share expertise, as exemplified by Schlumberger's Eureka groups?