Q.From the following, choose the incorrect statement about the importance of 'Directing' function of management : (A) Directing helps to initiate action by people in the organization towards attainment of desired objectives. (B) Directing integrates employees' efforts in the organization in such a way that every individual effort contributes to the organization's performance. (C) Directing facilitates introduction of needed changes in the organization. (D) Directing helps in estimating manpower requirements for the organization.
Concept understanding — Motivational Techniques
Motivational Techniques — First Principles
Think about the last time you pushed yourself to study when you really didn't want to. Maybe you promised yourself a treat after finishing a chapter. Or you reminded yourself why you're preparing for that exam in the first place. That internal push — that's motivation at work.
Motivational techniques are simply the tools and strategies you use to get yourself (or others) to act, persist, and put in effort toward a goal. They're not magic. They're structured ways of answering one question: How do I make myself do what needs to be done?
The Core Idea: Two Kinds of "Push"
Every motivational technique falls into one of two broad categories:
- Intrinsic motivation — you do something because you genuinely find it interesting, enjoyable, or meaningful. The reward is the activity itself.
- Extrinsic motivation — you do something because of an external reward (marks, praise, money) or to avoid a punishment (scolding, failure, loss of privileges).
A good technique doesn't just rely on one. The most effective approaches blend both — using external structure to build internal drive.
The Precise Statement
Motivational techniques are systematic methods used to initiate, direct, and sustain goal-oriented behaviour. They operate by influencing either the expectancy (belief that effort leads to success), the value (importance of the outcome), or the affect (emotional state) associated with a task.
In exam-prep terms: you need to believe studying will work, care about the result, and not feel miserable while doing it.
Key Techniques You'll Actually Use
| Technique | How It Works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Goal Setting | Break a large task into specific, measurable, achievable steps | "Solve 10 integration problems today" instead of "study maths" |
| Self-reward | Link completion of a task to a small pleasure | "After finishing this chapter, I'll watch one episode" |
| Social accountability | Tell someone your plan — the fear of letting them down pushes you | "I'll send you a screenshot of my solved problems by 8 PM" |
| Visualisation | Mentally rehearse success to build confidence | Picture yourself writing the exam calmly, recalling answers |
| Pomodoro Technique | Work in focused 25-minute blocks with 5-minute breaks | Reduces the dread of "studying for hours" |
| Implementation intentions | Pre-decide when, where, and how you'll act | "At 7 AM, at my desk, I will open the physics textbook" |
The single most underrated technique is implementation intentions. Most people fail not because they lack desire, but because they never decide exactly when and where to start. The formula is: "When [situation], I will [action]."
The Psychology Behind It
Two theories explain why these techniques work:
Expectancy-Value Theory says motivation = (belief you can succeed) × (value you place on success). If either factor is zero, motivation collapses. So techniques either boost your confidence (expectancy) or make the goal feel more important (value).
Self-Determination Theory says sustainable motivation requires three things:
- Autonomy — you feel you chose the task, not that it was forced on you
- Competence — you feel capable of doing it
- Relatedness — you feel connected to others through it
A common mistake: relying only on external rewards (marks, prizes). Over time, this can kill intrinsic interest — a phenomenon called the overjustification effect. The goal is to use external structure to build internal drive, not replace it.
A Simple Framework to Apply Right Now
- Pick one task you've been avoiding
- Set a tiny, specific goal — not "study chemistry" but "read one page of the periodic table trends"
- Decide the exact time and place — "Tomorrow at 6:30 AM, at my study table"
- Add a small reward — "After that, I'll have my tea"
- Tell one person — "I'll message you when I'm done"
That's it. That's motivational techniques in action — not theory, but a repeatable system.
Motivation is not a feeling you wait for. It's a behaviour you start. Techniques are the scaffolding that makes starting easier. The first step is always the hardest — every technique is designed to lower the height of that step.
The question asks you to pick the incorrect statement about the importance of the 'Directing' function. Let's check each option against what directing actually involves.
Option (A) is correct — directing does initiate action; it is the function that actually gets people to work towards objectives. Option (B) is also correct — by guiding and supervising, directing integrates individual efforts so they align with organisational goals. Option (C) is correct as well — through proper communication and leadership, directing helps introduce changes smoothly by reducing resistance.
Option (D) says "Directing helps in estimating manpower requirements." That is not a function of directing. Estimating manpower requirements is part of the Staffing function, not Directing. Directing comes after staffing is done — it deals with guiding and motivating people who are already hired.
The incorrect statement is (D), because estimating manpower requirements falls under the Staffing function, not under Directing.
Directing is about guiding and supervising people to achieve goals; estimating manpower requirements belongs to the Planning and Staffing functions, not Directing.
Let’s first understand what the directing function of management really means. Directing is the process of instructing, guiding, supervising, and motivating people to work towards organisational goals. It is the heart of management because it actually gets things moving — plans and structures are useless unless people are activated to execute them.
Now look at the four statements given. Options (A), (B), and (C) are all accurate descriptions of directing’s importance. Directing indeed initiates action — without it, employees would simply not know what to do or when to start. It also integrates individual efforts, ensuring that everyone’s work aligns with the organisation’s overall performance. And yes, directing facilitates change by communicating new methods and motivating employees to accept them — this is a key aspect of the directing function.
Directing helps in introducing changes by reducing resistance and gaining employee cooperation.
Option (D) says: “Directing helps in estimating manpower requirements for the organisation.” This is where the problem lies. Estimating manpower requirements — how many people are needed, with what skills, at what time — is part of the staffing function, not directing. Staffing involves manpower planning, recruitment, selection, training, and development. Directing comes after people are already hired and placed; it deals with guiding them once they are on the job.
Manpower estimation is a planning and staffing activity. Directing assumes the workforce is already in place and focuses on making them work effectively.
So the incorrect statement is clearly (D). It confuses the scope of directing with that of staffing.
The incorrect statement is (D) — estimating manpower requirements is part of the Staffing function, not Directing.
Showing the 12 most recent of 38 on this concept.
- CBSE 2026Set MARCH1 markMCQQ.Which is the first need as per Maslow's hierarchy of needs?(a) (A) Physical needs(b) (B) Safety needs(c) (C) Social needs(d) (D) Esteem needs
›Reveal solutionSolution
Physical (physiological) needs come first in Maslow's hierarchy.
This GSEB Class-12 Commerce directing question tests Maslow's need hierarchy: (1) physiological/physical, (2) safety, (3) social, (4) esteem, (5) self-actualisation. A higher need becomes a motivator only after the lower one is reasonably satisfied.
✓Final answer(A) Physical needs.
- CBSE 2026Set MARCH1 markMCQQ.Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory is based on certain assumptions. Identify the incorrect statement with respect to these assumptions.(a) People's behaviour is based on their needs.(b) A satisfied need can no longer motivate a person.(c) People's needs are in a hierarchical order, starting from basic needs to higher level needs.(d) A person moves to lower level of need only when a higher level need is satisfied.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The incorrect statement is (d), because Maslow's theory moves upward — a higher need becomes active only after the lower need is satisfied, not the other way round.
Abraham Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory rests on these assumptions:
-
People's behaviour is based on their needs — satisfaction of needs influences behaviour (statement a is correct).
-
A satisfied need can no longer motivate; only unsatisfied needs motivate a person (statement b is correct).
-
Needs are arranged in a hierarchy, from basic physiological needs up to self-actualisation (statement c is correct).
-
A person moves to the NEXT HIGHER level of need only when the lower level need is reasonably satisfied. Statement (d) reverses this by saying a person moves to a lower level only after a higher need is satisfied — which is wrong.
✓Final answer(d) is the incorrect assumption. Maslow held that satisfaction of a lower-order need activates the next higher-order need, so movement is upward, not downward.
-
- CBSE 2026Set MARCH1 markQ.____________ is an incentive offered over and above the wages/salary to the employees.
›Reveal solutionSolution
A Bonus is a financial (monetary) incentive paid to employees over and above their regular wages or salary to motivate and reward them.
✓Final answerBonus is an incentive offered over and above the wages/salary to the employees.
In the directing function, incentives are used to motivate employees. A bonus is a monetary incentive given in addition to the normal wage or salary, usually linked to good performance, higher productivity or the profits earned by the organisation. It encourages employees to work harder because they receive a reward beyond their fixed pay. Bonus is one of the common financial/monetary incentives discussed under motivation in Karnataka 2nd PUC Business Studies.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ._______ means a process of stimulating people to take action to accomplish desired goals. A) Supervision B) Motivation C) Leadership D) Communication
›Reveal solutionSolution
Stimulating people to act toward desired goals is the meaning of motivation, so the answer is B) Motivation.
In the directing function of management, motivation means the process of stimulating, inspiring or inducing people to take action and put in their best effort to accomplish desired goals. It arises from a need or motive that drives behaviour. The other options are related but different elements of directing:
- Supervision (A) — overseeing subordinates at work.
- Leadership (C) — influencing others to follow.
- Communication (D) — transferring information and understanding.
Only motivation specifically means stimulating people to take goal-directed action.
✓Final answerB) Motivation
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Fill in the blank: _______ is the highest level need in the hierarchy of needs. (Physical/Self Actualisation)
›Reveal solutionSolution
The highest need in Maslow's hierarchy is Self Actualisation, so that fills the blank.
Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory, used in the directing chapter to explain motivation, arranges human needs in five levels from lowest to highest:
- Physiological (basic) needs
- Safety/security needs
- Social/affiliation needs
- Esteem needs
- Self-actualisation needs — the need to grow and realise one's full potential.
Since self-actualisation is at the apex of the pyramid, it is the highest-level need, not the physical (physiological) need which is the lowest.
✓Final answerSelf Actualisation
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.What is positive motivation?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Positive motivation means motivating people to perform better by providing rewards and incentives.
Positive motivation is a technique of motivation in which employees are induced to improve their performance by holding out the promise of rewards — both financial (bonus, increment, incentive pay) and non-financial (praise, recognition, promotion, appreciation). The employee works willingly and enthusiastically in the expectation of gaining these benefits. It is the opposite of negative motivation, which uses fear or threat of penalty (such as demotion or punishment) to make people work. Positive motivation builds willingness and job satisfaction because it rewards good work.
✓Final answerPositive motivation is the process of inducing employees to work better by offering them rewards and incentives (financial or non-financial) for good performance.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Maximum incentive giving function of management of employes is:(a) Staffing(b) Motivation(c) Organisation(d) None of these(a) Staffing(b) Motivation(c) Organisation(d) None of these
›Reveal solutionSolution
Motivation is the function that gives the maximum incentive to employees, so the correct option is "Motivation."
Management performs five broad functions — planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling. Directing is the function concerned with guiding, supervising and leading subordinates, and motivation is the specific element inside directing whose job is to stimulate people through rewards. Staffing is about acquiring the right people and organisation is about structuring work and authority — neither is primarily about giving incentives to employees who are already on the job. Only motivation is built around inducing people to act better through reward, both financial (pay rise, bonus, profit-sharing, perks) and non-financial (recognition, status, job enrichment, growth opportunity).
In the UK Board Class 12 Business Studies (Directing chapter) syllabus, this is exactly the kind of concept-check MCQ students should be able to answer by first recalling the five functions and then matching "maximum incentive" to motivation.
✓Final answerMotivation is the function of management that gives the maximum incentive to employees, because it works directly through financial and non-financial rewards to inspire best performance.
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.After completion of two years of services, John was confirmed as a permanent employee. Which Maslow’s need is being satisfied?(a) Esteem(b) Security(c) Self-actualization(d) Social
›Reveal solutionSolution
Confirmation as a permanent employee satisfies the Security (safety) need in Maslow's hierarchy.
Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ranks human needs as: (1) Basic/physiological needs, (2) Safety/security needs, (3) Social/affiliation needs, (4) Esteem needs, (5) Self-actualisation needs.
- Security needs include protection from economic/physical harm, including job security and stability of income.
- Esteem needs relate to recognition, status, and respect.
- Social needs relate to belonging, friendship, and acceptance by a group.
- Self-actualisation is about realising one's full potential and creative growth.
John's confirmation as a permanent employee, after two years of probationary service, removes the uncertainty around whether he will keep his job — it is a classic example of a safety/security need being satisfied, since it protects his income and employment stability going forward.
✓Final answer(b) Security — John's permanent confirmation satisfies his safety/security need by assuring continued employment and income stability.
- CBSE 2025Set MARCH1 markMCQQ.The Motivation theory which classifies needs in hierarchical order is developed by __________.(a) Fred Luthans(b) Scott(c) Abraham Maslow(d) Peter F. Drucker
›Reveal solutionSolution
The correct answer is (c) Abraham Maslow, who gave the Need Hierarchy Theory of motivation.
✓Final answerAbraham Maslow proposed the Need Hierarchy Theory, which states that human needs arise in a definite order, from lower to higher levels: (1) physiological (basic needs like food and shelter), (2) safety/security, (3) social/affiliation, (4) esteem, and (5) self-actualisation. A satisfied need no longer motivates; the next higher need then drives behaviour.
The other names do not fit: Fred Luthans and Scott wrote on organisational behaviour and management, and Peter F. Drucker is associated with Management by Objectives, not a hierarchy of needs. Hence (c) Abraham Maslow is correct.
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Maximum incentive giving function of management to employees is (A) Staffing (B) Motivation (C) Organisation (D) None of these
›Reveal solutionSolution
Motivation is the management function that provides the maximum incentive to employees.
Motivation means inducing people to work willingly and with enthusiasm towards organisational goals. It does this through incentives, both monetary (pay, bonus) and non-monetary (recognition, promotion, job security). Staffing and organising are important functions too, but it is motivation that directly offers incentives to energise employees. Hence motivation gives the maximum incentive to employees.
✓Final answer(B) Motivation — it provides the incentives that drive employees to perform.
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markQ."Motivation is an internal feeling." How?
›Reveal solutionSolution
Motivation is an internal feeling because it springs from a person's own needs and desires.
Motivation is the inner urge that moves a person to act. It is called an internal feeling because it originates within the individual — from unsatisfied needs, wants and desires (such as the need for food, security, status or recognition). These inner urges create a drive to work in a particular way; they cannot simply be injected from outside, though managers can create conditions that arouse them.
✓Final answerMotivation is an internal feeling because it is generated by a person's own inner needs and desires, not imposed from outside.
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Motivated employees are rewarded(a) Negative(b) Positive(c) Intrinsic(d) None of these
›Reveal solutionSolution
Motivated, good-performing employees are rewarded with positive incentives.
Incentives are of two kinds: positive (rewards such as pay rise, bonus, praise, promotion, recognition) which encourage good behaviour, and negative (penalties, demotion) which discourage undesirable behaviour. Employees who are motivated and perform well are rewarded with positive incentives to reinforce and sustain their good performance.
✓Final answerOption (b) Positive is correct.
🎓Unlock everything free for 14 days
- ✓Full step-by-step solutions
- ✓Concept-first explanations
- ✓Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- ✓PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.