Discussion Questions for Week 5

Please answer all the questions with enough details.

Assignment instructions:

Ropes Part 2, Section 3, Chapters 13-16
Part 2
What is Taylor’s view of motivation?
Why do you think that few if any managers use Taylor’s view of motivation?
How is Taylor’s view of motivation different from the cognitive evaluation Theory discussed in Chapter 5 of the Essentials book?
What are bounded rationality and satisficing?
According to this part, do managers typically make decisions that are best for the ENTIRE organization?
Section 3
Define the following terms:
Positive reinforcement
Punishment
Negative reinforcement
Can you think of any examples from your previous experience of each of the following:
Rewarding A and Hoping for B
Punishing A and hoping for B
Chapter 13
What is meant by “a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay”?
Why do employees engage in the kind of behavior Ginny Szekely advocates?
How is the mainstream concept of “norms” illustrated in this tale?
Why does Ted feel that the phrase “work smarter not harder” will motivate the mill hands?Why will the phrase probably just make the mill hands angry?
Chapter 14
How do the traditional/rational and the cultural/interpretive perspectives clash with one another in this tale?
Who understands the phrase “work smarter not harder” better?Ted or the mill hands
When implementing a new program or trying to increase productivity, what are some strategies that managers can use to get mill hands or the like to buy in?
Can you think of examples of similar programs that management has introduced in your previous experience?Were they successful?Why or why not?
Chapter 15
What does this tale have to say about the limits of incentive systems per se in motivating human beings?
How does the view of compensation stressed in this tail fit into theories of motivation in general?
Why do many performance appraisal sessions turn out this way?Do you think most managers intend to only bring up negative things in a performance appraisal?
Chapter 16
Can you think of some examples of diffused, displaced, or deferred responsibility in your own work experience?
What could you, as a manager, do about these sorts of behaviors?