9990 · 4.1.3
Motivators at work flashcards
Revision flashcards for Cambridge 9990 Motivators at work (syllabus 4.1.3). Flip, recall, then mark a real past-paper question.
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Job enlargement vs enrichment?
Enlargement adds more tasks at the same level; enrichment adds responsibility, planning, and feedback — deeper not just wider.
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Hackman & Oldham's five core job characteristics?
Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback from the job itself.
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Three critical psychological states (JCM)?
Experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility, knowledge of results — mediate characteristics → outcomes.
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Growth need strength?
Individual difference — high GNS workers respond more strongly to enriched jobs.
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Financial motivator limitation?
Pay satisfies hygiene needs (Herzberg) but may not sustain intrinsic motivation; can even crowd out internal drive.
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Empowerment at work?
Giving employees authority, resources, and confidence to make decisions — boosts autonomy and accountability.
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What is 'vertical loading' in the context of job enrichment?
The practice of giving employees tasks with greater responsibility, autonomy, and control, which were previously reserved for higher levels of management. This increases the depth of a job, not just its breadth.
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Define 'job empowerment'.
A management practice of sharing information, resources, and authority with employees so they can take initiative and make decisions to solve problems and improve service. It fosters a sense of ownership and accountability.
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What is Performance-Related Pay (PRP)?
A financial reward system where an employee's pay is directly linked to their individual, group, or organisational performance, measured against pre-agreed objectives. It is a form of extrinsic motivation.
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According to Spreitzer (1995), what are the four psychological components of empowerment?
1. Meaning (value of the work goal), 2. Competence (self-belief in ability), 3. Self-determination (autonomy over one's work), 4. Impact (influence on strategic outcomes).
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Distinguish between a motivator and a hygiene factor in Herzberg's theory.
A motivator (e.g., achievement, recognition) is an intrinsic aspect of a job that, when present, leads to satisfaction. A hygiene factor (e.g., pay, working conditions) is an extrinsic aspect that, when absent, leads to dissatisfaction, but its presence does not guarantee satisfaction.