DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Think of a significant mistake you've seen someone make on a job. How did the boss handle it, and what was the effect? 2. It is difficult for managers to empower their people successfully, in part because the process is not simple but complex. Discuss in depth. 3. Think of a job you hold or held in the past. How would you describe the psychological contract? How does (did) this affect your attitudes and behaviors on the job? 4. If a famous executive or sports figure were to give a passionate motivational speech, trying to persuade people to work harder, what do you think the impact would be? Why? 5. Give some examples of situations in which you wanted to do a great job but were prevented from doing so. What was the impact on you, and what would this teach you as you try to motivate other people to perform? 6. Discuss the similarities and differences between setting goals for other people and setting goals for yourself. When does goal setting fail, and when does it succeed? 7. Identify four examples of people inadvertently reinforcing the wrong behaviors or punishing or extinguishing good behaviors. 8. Assess yourself on Mcclelland's three needs. On which need are you highest, and on which are you lowest? What are the implications for you as a manager? 9. Identify a job you have held and appraise it on Hackman and Oldham's five core job dimensions. Also describe the degree to which it made you feel empowered. As a class, choose one job and discuss together how it could be changed to be more motivating and empowering. 10. Using expectancy theory, analyze how you have made and will make personal choices, such as a major area of study, a career to pursue, or job interviews to seek. 11. Describe a time when you felt unfairly treated and explain why. How did you respond to the inequity? What other options might you have had? 12. Provide examples of how outcomes perceived as unfair can decrease motivation. Then discuss how procedural justice, or fair process, can help overcome the negative effects. 13. Describe what you expect of your psychological contract with your employer after your graduation. How will you deal if it doesn't meet your expectations? 14. Set some goals for yourself, considering the relevant discussion in the chapter. 15. A long-standing research controversy is whether, when, and how extrinsic rewards overpower and undermine intrinsic motivation. Some believe extrinsic rewards hurt intrinsic motivation, and it can under some circumstance. Others insist that in the workplace people want both and the two sources can work together. What's your reaction to this debate