SOAL-SOAL PSIKOLOGI INDUSTRI DAN ORGANISASI
Pertemuan 12 & 13:
Motivasi, Kepuasan kerja, dan Job Involvement
1. Explain the differences between content theories and process theories of motivation. Give
an example of each. What do these types of theories have in common?
a. Content theories focus on the importance of work itself, dealing with the specific
needs that motivate and direct behavior. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is
one such example.
b. Process theories deal with the cognitive processes we use in making decisions and
choices about our work. One example is the equity theory of motivation which
addresses the issue of fairness and equity in receipt of outputs from work itself.
c. Content and process theories share the common goal of trying to explain why
people behave the way they do at work.
2. What two types of goals can satisfy the need for achievement?
a. Two types of goals can satisfy the need for achievement: mastery and
performance.
b. Mastery refers to developing competence and self-satisfaction through acquiring
knowledge and skills.
c. Performance goals involve developing competence by performing better than
other people who are in the same situation.
3. Describe the characteristics of people who are high in the need for achievement.
a. They favor a work environment in which they can assume responsibility for
solving problems.
b. They tend to take calculated risks and to set moderate, attainable goals.
c. They need continuing recognition and feedback about their progress so they will
know how they are doing.
4. What are the needs in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory? Which needs can be satisfied
on the job?
a. There are five needs: physiological, safety, belonging and love, esteem, and selfactualization.
b. In general, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs can be satisfied on the
job if conditions are appropriate.
5. Distinguish between motivator and hygiene needs. Describe how each type affects job
satisfaction.
a. The motivator needs motivate employees to high job performance. They are
internal to the work itself, and include: nature of tasks, responsibility,
achievement, recognition, advancement, and career development and growth.
They motivate by their presence, but do not lead to dissatisfaction by their
absence.
b. Hygiene needs produce job dissatisfaction by their absence. They are external to
the tasks of a job, and include: work environment, company policy, supervision,
interpersonal relations, working conditions, and salary and benefits. They do not
produce motivation by their presence.
6. How would you enrich the job of an automobile assembly line worker?
a. The job could be enriched using job-characteristics theory.
b. An enriched job provides:
i. skill variety
ii. task identity
iii. task significance
iv. autonomy
v. feedback
c. The assembly line job could be designed to combine small, specialized tasks;
arrange the tasks in natural meaningful work units; give the workers authority,
responsibility, and control over tasks; and provide frequent feedback as to how
they are doing.
d. A work team could perform interchangeably; allow the team to build the whole
car; give the team authority to stop the line to correct deficiencies; place the team
members names in the car once built; provide feedback as to the number and
quality of cars produced as compared to other teams.
7. In what ways does the motivator-hygiene theory differ from the job-characteristics
theory? In what ways are they similar?
a. Herzberg’s theory focused on the importance of internal job factors as motivating
forces for employees.
b. The two theories are similar in that they both propose increasing motivation by
adding challenge, complexity, and responsibility to jobs. Proper job enrichment
involves more than giving the workers extra tasks - it also means expanding the
level of knowledge and skills needed to perform the job.
c. Job characteristics theory went further and focused on which specific job
characteristics could be enriched. It states that specific job characteristics lead to
psychological conditions that lead, in turn, to higher motivation, performance, and
satisfaction (if employees have a high growth need to begin with).
8. Give an example of how the VIE theory can be applied to your job as a student.
a. If you decide that a high grade is important, then that outcome has a high Valence
(importance) for you. If you want high grades, you likely have developed the
Expectancy that attending class and studying hard will be Instrumental in
achieving good grades.
b. This process is multiplicative. If any of the factors is extremely low (or missing),
the effort to study will be significantly diminished.
9. According to equity theory, what are three ways of responding to perceived equity or
inequity? Which way best describes you?
a. Benevolent - altruistic individuals feel satisfied when under-rewarded and guilty
when equitably rewarded or over-rewarded.
b. Equity sensitive - feel distressed when under-rewarded and guilty when overrewarded.
c. Entitled - believe everything they receive is their due. They are satisfied only
when they are over-rewarded and distressed when under-rewarded or equitably
rewarded.
10. Can goal-setting theory be applied to the workplace? If so, give an example of how it
would work.
a. Goal-setting theory is based on the idea that our level of motivation on the job is
influenced by our desire to achieve a particular goal.
i. setting specific, challenging goals can motivate us
ii. difficult goals may stimulate our motivation to achieve at the expense of
helping others
iii. individual goal commitment is the strength of our determination to reach
our goal, and is influenced by external, internal, and interactive factors
b. The motivating effects of goal-setting are strongest for easy tasks rather than
complex tasks
c. Management-by-objectives (MBO) is an application of goal-setting theory in the
workplace, and involves a mutual agreement between employee and manager on
goals to be achieved in a given period.
11. How can I-O psychologists measure job satisfaction? What personal characteristics can
influence our level of job satisfaction?
a. The anonymous questionnaire is the most frequently used method to measure job
satisfaction (e.g., Job Descriptive Index and the Minnesota Satisfaction
Questionnaire). Personal interviews are sometimes used.
b. Personal characteristics linked with satisfaction include: age, gender, race,
cognitive ability, job experience, use of skills, job congruence, organizational
justice, personality, job control, and occupational level.
12. Describe some effects of losing one’s job. How does job loss affect the company
employees who were not laid off?
a. Specific consequences of job loss include: feelings of guilt, resentment,
depression, anxiety, physical complaints, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, divorce,
spouse and child abuse, and thoughts of suicide.
b. Those left at work worry they may be next, resulting in increased stress, lower
morale, and less commitment.
13. What is prosocial behavior? How does it relate to job satisfaction?
a. Prosocial behavior is that behavior directed toward supervisors, co-workers, and
clients that is helpful to an organization.
b. Prosocial behavior correlates highly with job satisfaction.
c. Counterproductive behavior correlates highly with job dissatisfaction in older
workers.
14. Discuss the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance for individual
employees and for work groups.
a. Most job satisfaction research has focused on individual employees.
b. Recently, efforts have focused on collective (team) measures of job satisfaction.
c. Employee satisfaction at the collective level is positively related to customer
satisfaction and loyalty, and to employee productivity and safety on the job. It is
also related to reduced turnover rates.
15. Why is it difficult to conduct research on absenteeism? What organizational policies may
contribute to high absenteeism rates?
a. Much of the research comes from self-reports, which can be inaccurate.
b. Individuals tend to self-report in a favorable light.
c. Attendance records are often not reliable if they exist at all.
16. Distinguish between functional turnover and dysfunctional turnover.
a. Functional turnover - when poor performers quit.
b. Dysfunctional turnover - when good performers quit.
17. How does a merit pay system differ from a wage-incentive pay system? What are
problems with each of these approaches?
a. Merit pay is a wage system that is based on level of performance. Disadvantages
include that greater pay for performance is valued more by employees who are
introverted, pessimistic, and less energetic. Those with higher positive affectivity
are more independent of the circumstances of their employment. Also, supervisors
who receive a substantial pay raise are likely to reward their subordinates in kind.
There is also disagreement as to the nature of behaviors that should be rewarded.
b. Wage-incentive system is the primary pay system for production workers, in
which the more units produced, the higher the wage. Many groups establish their
own standard of performance. Regardless of incentive, work will be spread out to
comfortably fill the hours. Most workers prefer a straight hourly payment system.
18. What is the difference between job involvement and organizational commitment?
a. Job involvement is the intensity of a person’s psychological identification with
the job.
b. Organizational commitment is related to both personal and organizational factors,
and is the degree of psychological identification with or attachment to the
company for which we work.
19. Discuss personal and organizational factors that can influence organizational
commitment.
a. Personal factors include age, growth needs, and belief in the traditional work
ethic.
b. Organizational factors include job enrichment, autonomy, opportunity to use
skills, and positive attitudes toward the work group.
20. Describe three types of organizational commitment.
a. Affective (attitudinal) - the employee identifies with the organization, accepts its
values, and complies with its demands
b. Behavioral (continuance) - the employee is bound by extrinsic factors (“golden
handcuffs”)
c. Normative - involves a sense of obligation to the employer
21. What is organizational citizenship behavior? Give two examples of organizational
citizenship behavior and tell what you think motivates it.
a. Organizational citizenship behavior involves putting forth extra effort, doing more
than the minimum requirements for the job. Such behavior is consistent with that
of a “model” employee.
b. Examples include taking on more assignments and voluntarily assisting others at
work.
c. Some is self-serving; some is altruistic. Such individuals tend to be conscientious,
extraverted, optimistic, and altruistic.