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Chapter 4 Discussion

Specific dimensions of a job that influence job satisfaction include: pay, the work itself, promotion opportunities, supervision, and co-workers. A person can have different attitudes toward each aspect that influence their over-all level of job satisfaction. A person with a negative attitude is not likely to be satisfied with their job. If a person is doing work they like and earn a generous paycheck, have supportive co-workers, opportunities to advance, and have quality supervisors, they are more likely to have high job satisfaction. Other factors that might influence job satisfaction include flexible work schedules, onsite daycare facilities, extended vacation time, and valuable benefit packages.

WIKI Chapter 5: Discuss the key components of Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation. Pay, the work an employee is assigned, and promotion opportunities can all be rewards. How does Vroom’s expectancy theory impact job satisfaction? Someone from your group bring your answer to class.

__ Chap 5 __ Vroom’s expectancy theory is based on the belief that good performance is rewarded and that the reward has value. If a person perceives that through effort their performance will improve and they will obtain the reward they desire, they will be motivated to achieve goals and become top performers. Managers can use this theory to design motivation programs. Jeremy

That was my understanding as well I think you pretty much summed it up Jeremy. In the big picture the most important thing is the outcome for both the company and the employee. For example if a company say that if a department meets a stated common goal by a specific deadline then they will all receive a 5% bonus then more likely then not you are going to have a bunch of people working together to do what it takes to get the job done so that they can get their bonus. It increases peoples willingness to go above the normal to get the job done. The busines in return looks good because they have met a deadline and in turn made a happy customer whom will hopefully come back again. If encentive/motivation programs were done on a consistant basis then there would be more consistant production. I think this theory increases job satisfaction because the employees know that the employers value them for their hard work and feel appreciated. When you have happy valued people working for a company you have positive energy running through it and in theory the company will be more solid and porductive for it. -Tanya

The expectancy theory of motivation is suggested by Vroom. Unlike Maslow and Herzberg, Vroom does not concentrate on needs, but rather focuses on outcomes. Vroom separates effort (which arises from motivation), performance, and outcomes. Vroom, hypothesizes that in order for a person to be motivated that effort, performance and motivation must be linked. He proposes three variables to account for this, which he calls Valence, Expectancy and Instrumentality. Expectancy is the belief that increased effort will lead to increased performance i.e. if I work harder then this will be better. This is affected by such things as: 1. Having the right resources available (e.g. raw materials, time) 2. Having the right skills to do the job 3. Having the necessary support to get the job done (e.g. supervisor support, or correct information on the job) Instrumentality is the belief that if you perform well that a valued outcome will be received i.e. if I do a good job, there is something in it for me. This is affected by such things as: 1. Clear understanding of the relationship between performance and outcomes – e.g. the rules of the reward ‘game’ 2. Trust in the people who will take the decisions on who gets what outcome 3. Transparency of the process that decides who gets what outcome Valence is the importance that the individual places upon the expected outcome. For example, if I am mainly motivated by money, I might not value offers of additional time off.

Angela _
 * __ Class 6 Discussion __

WIKI: Using anything from the previous chapters discuss how mangers can reward performance at the individual and group levels. How can managers integrate individual and group (or team) level rewards to maximize performance? Someone from your group bring your answer to class. **

Managers can reward performance at individual and group levels. They can award individuals who have acquired specific skills, become distinctively more knowledgeable, and remained loyal to the company for a long period of time. The rewards can vary depending on the individuals’ motivations or preferences such as additional pay, vacation time, and promotion. Managers can reward groups that wok well together to solve problems and produce innovative ideas. Rewards for groups could include an equally distributed bonus for all group members, additional shares in company stock, or additional resources to accomplish group tasks and projects. Jeremy \ Manager need to develope __processes__ to measure and reward team performance. This measure and reward team performance appropriately has become increasingly important as more and more companies are using teams to do work. Well-regarded studys point out the importance of establishing challenging performance goals as one of five team success factors, noting that __performance measurement__ is "an important element of all successful teams." Rewards can be gainsharing plans and skill-based pay plans. Gainsharing plans are typically based on organization-level performance and skill-based pay on individual performance. Rewards and/or Recognition can be formal or informal, recognition programs acknowledge employee contributions immediately after the fact. Awards can be cash or non-cash incentives. Angela. ___
 * Chapters 8&9

Discuss the components of nonverbal communication. What effects do phones, emails, text messaging, virtual discussion like we used in this class have on the communication process? You should have good and bad effects.**

There are many forms of non verbal communication. According to the book nonverbal communication is all elements of communication thtat do not involve words. It states that the ones a manger should know areproxemics, kinesics,facial and eye behavior and paralanguage. Proxemics has to do with Territorial space which can also be different with different cultures. Kinesics is body movement for example a persons posture. Facial and eye behavior are expressions that a preson makes and are perceived by another. Paralanguage is the variations in speech. These alone or together can help managers and co workers know how to work with a person, it can help with likes and dislikes so that an attempt at peaceful work environment can be made. -Tanya

Most of the meaning in a message is displayed through non-verbal communication. Facial expressions and body postures can have different meanings depending on the situation and the culture. Technology has made communication faster and more convenient, but it has also made it less personal and effective. An email or a phone call may provide instant communication, but the message may be misunderstood without the aid of nonverbal cues such as hand gestures or variations in speech. -Jeremy

Research indicates that at least 65% of communication between people is expressed through nonverbal messages. It further indicates that there are at least nine components of communication that are expressive in a nonverbal manner, leading to increased difficulties in understanding and explaining communication. These components include: the human body, in that physical characteristics often convey a message; kinesics, the language of body position and movement; the eyes, their contact and use; paralanguage, those voice qualities and characteristics that accompany spoken words; silence; tacesics and stroking, the language of touch and its substitutes; proxemics, the way that humans use space to communicate; chronemics, time in both its cultural and physiological dimensions; and color.1

In addition most people would agree that nonverbal communication in the business world is either somewhat or very important. There is a little doubt that effective management requires good communication. The ability to communicate well is known to a critical success factor in such things as increasing productivity, improving employee satisfaction, and being recognized as a leader.

Phones, emails, text messaging, virtual discussion are effective in transmitting information on a basic level, but not effective as far as tone or persuasiveness. I believe many people make decisions not solely on information but who and how the message or information is delivered. - Angela G.