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VICBusiness ManagementQuick questions
Unit 3: Managing a business
Quick questions on Motivation theories: Maslow, Locke and Latham, Lawrence and Nohria (VCE Business Management Unit 3)
15short 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 is maslow's hierarchy of needs?Show answer
Abraham Maslow (1943) proposed that human needs form a hierarchy, with lower needs taking priority over higher needs.
What is locke and Latham's goal-setting theory?Show answer
Edwin Locke (1968) and later Gary Latham proposed that specific, difficult goals - paired with feedback - produce higher performance than easy or vague goals.
What is lawrence and Nohria's four-drive theory?Show answer
Paul Lawrence and Nitin Nohria (2002) proposed that human motivation comes from four innate drives that operate independently.
What is the five motivation strategies?Show answer
VCAA names five strategies a business uses to motivate employees.
What is appropriateness of strategies?Show answer
Different strategies fit different contexts.
What is implication for managers?Show answer
Lower needs must be met before higher needs become motivating. A business that lowers base wages below market level (compromising physiological) or that creates psychological-safety issues (compromising safety/belonging) loses the foundation for higher motivation. Recognition awards do not motivate employees worried about making rent.
What is limitations?Show answer
Maslow's research base is thin and the strict hierarchy has been challenged. Many employees pursue multiple levels simultaneously. The theory remains useful as a framework for thinking about layered motivation but not as a strict prescription.
What is application?Show answer
Most large Australian businesses now use OKR or similar goal-frameworks. NAB, Telstra, Atlassian and Macquarie all run formal goal-setting and review cycles.
What is 1. Drive to acquire?Show answer
Material and non-material goods - pay, status, recognition, possessions.
What is 2. Drive to bond?Show answer
Form social connections, loyalty and mutual care.
What is 3. Drive to learn?Show answer
Make sense of the world, build skills, master new challenges.
What is 4. Drive to defend?Show answer
Protect what one has - position, beliefs, fair treatment.
What is key insight?Show answer
All four drives need to be addressed. A strategy addressing only one (typically the drive to acquire, through pay) underperforms a strategy addressing all four. Lawrence and Nohria's research found that businesses scoring high on all four drives had significantly higher engagement.
What is plan?Show answer
Use the motivation theories to diagnose, then recommend strategies addressing the gaps.
What is confusing Locke and Latham with goal-setting practice?Show answer
The theory is about why goals motivate (specificity, difficulty, commitment, feedback). Practice (OKRs, SMART) is the application.