mcq practice questions

• Scientific Management


  Observing people at work to determine the one best way to complete a task
• Principle of scientific management theory


  Determining the one best way of working
• Scientific Management Theory


  Built on time and motion studies
• Fordism


  Work design characterised by the introduction of the mechanised assembly line
• Henry Ford's goal with the mechanised assembly line


  Efficient mass production
• Mass production according to Henry Ford

  A form of work design that includes mechanical pacing of work, no choice of tools or methods, repetitiveness, minute division of product and minimum skill requirements
• Lack of autonomy for workers is a criticism of Taylorism and Fordism
• Purpose of Elton Mayo's Hawthorne experiments

  To assess whether changes in the working environment effect productivity levels
• Stages of the Hawthorne experiments


  Illumination experiments, relay assembly test room studies, mass interviewing programme, bank wiring experiments
• Key findings from Elton Mayo's Hawthorne experiments

  Productivity levels of workers increased in control groups and experimental groups when measuring the impact of different environmental factors on productivity
• Hawthorne effect


  The idea that simply paying attention to someone causes their behaviour to change
• Human Relations Movement


  Theories that emphasised the fulfilment of social needs by recomposing fragmented jobs
• Process of motivating employees


  The creation of incentives and working environments that enable people to perform to the best of their ability
• Extrinsic motivation


  Tangible' rewards, often determined at organisational level and outside the control of individuals
• Intrinsic motivation


  'Psychological' rewards, determined by action and behaviour of individuals that require heightened awareness of who we are
• Types of extrinsic motivation


  • Monetary rewards, security, promotion, the work environment and conditions of work
• Types of intrinsic motivation

  • Opportunity to use one's ability, sense of challenge and achievement, receiving appreciation or positive recognition and being treated in a caring and considerable way
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory


  Human needs are arranged in a series of levels, a hierarchy of importance
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory: A need is not necessarily fully satisfied before a subsequent need arises, the hierarchy is not necessarily in a fixed order, a satisfied need is no longer a motivator
• Physiological needs at work according to Maslow

  Food, water, job security
• Security needs at work according to Maslow


  Job security, pension, safe working conditions
• Social needs at work according to Maslow


  Acceptance by work groups, clients or wider associations
• Esteem needs at work according to Maslow


  Recognition, status, promotion
• Self-actualisation needs at work according to Maslow


  Challenge, creativity, personal development
• Criticisms of Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory

  • Individuals may place higher value on some needs compared to other needs, Maslow's model is mainly applicable to understanding behaviour of middle-class workers in the UK and USA, Individual behaviour responds to several needs, not just one need
• Hygiene factors according to Herzberg

  • Company policy, working conditions, salary
• Motivational factors according to Herzberg


  • Career advancement and personal growth
• Consequence of only hygiene factors being present according to Herzberg

  Dissatisfaction and demotivation
• Consequence of neither hygiene nor motivational factors being present according to Herzberg

  Not dissatisfied but not motivated
• Criticisms of Herzberg's two factor theory

  • Satisfaction level is always related to performance, Motivators always lead to satisfaction, Motivators can lead to both satisfaction and dissatisfaction
• How people are motivated at work according to Vroom's expectancy theory

  Motivational force comes from expectation that certain behaviour leads to certain rewards and the amount that the employee values the reward
• Benefit of Vroom's expectancy theory compared to other motivational theories

  Vroom's expectancy theory accounts for individual differences regarding perception, expectations and rewards
• Criticisms of Vroom's expectancy theory

  • Time limits and limited information pose difficulties in determining preferential outcomes for individuals, Vroom's expectancy theory may be more applicable to routinised work, Vroom's expectancy theory may only work in goal orientated cultures
• Effective team according to Katzenbach and Smith


  Small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose for which they hold themselves mutually accountable
• Belbin's definition of team roles

  The way in which a person behaves in a group
• High performing team according to Belbin

  A team where all nine team roles are strongly represented
• Belbin's team role categories

  • Thinking, people, action
• Tuckman's stages of team development

  Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
• Norming stage according to Tuckman


  Members of the team know their individual roles and responsibilities and there is a clear collective goal
• Forming stage according to Tuckman


  Individual members of the team are getting to know one another and experience heightened anxiety regarding trying to find their place in the team and are excited about the work