Back to the full dot-point answer
SingaporeBusiness ManagementQuick questions
Organisational Structure and Management
Quick questions on Motivation theories explained: H2 Management of Business
8short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are evaluating the theories?Show answer
The theories complement rather than contradict each other: Taylor explains routine, pay-driven work; Maslow and Herzberg explain why money alone plateaus and why enriched, recognised work motivates; McGregor links assumptions to management style. The exam rewards using them to diagnose a specific situation and prescribe a balanced package - competitive pay (hygiene) plus genuine motivators - matched to why those particular staff are or are not motivated.
What is taylor - scientific management?Show answer
Workers are motivated chiefly by money. Break work into simple, measured tasks, train workers in the "one best way", and pay by results (piece rates). Raises output for routine work, but treats people as machines, ignores higher needs, and can cause boredom and resistance.
What are maslow - hierarchy of needs?Show answer
People have a hierarchy of needs - physiological, safety, social, esteem, self-actualisation - and are motivated by the lowest unmet level. Managers should identify which level a worker is on and provide for the next (fair pay and security first, then belonging, recognition, and finally challenging, self-fulfilling work). Intuitive but hard to apply precisely, and people differ.
What is herzberg - two-factor theory?Show answer
Splits factors into hygiene factors (pay, conditions, policy, supervision) - whose absence causes dissatisfaction but whose presence does not motivate - and motivators (achievement, recognition, responsibility, the work itself, advancement) - which genuinely drive satisfaction and effort. Implication: pay must be adequate, but lasting motivation comes from enriching the work.
What is mcGregor - Theory X and Theory Y?Show answer
Two managerial assumptions about workers. Theory X: people dislike work and must be controlled and directed (leading to autocratic management). Theory Y: people seek responsibility and can be self-motivated (leading to participative management and empowerment).
What is q1?Show answer
State the five levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs in order. [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Explain why, according to Herzberg, a pay rise may fail to motivate staff in the long run. [4 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Analyse how a manager's assumptions (Theory X or Theory Y) might shape the way they manage a team. [6 marks]