According to Maslow's hierarchy, which needs come at the lowest level?

Physiological needs (food, water, shelter, clothing) form the base of Maslow's hierarchy.

Which leadership style gives complete freedom to subordinates to make decisions?

Laissez-faire (Free-rein) leadership gives complete freedom to subordinates. The leader provides only resources and information without interfering in day-to-day decisions.

What type of barrier is 'premature evaluation' in communication?

Premature evaluation is a psychological barrier — forming a judgment before the message is fully received or understood.

What is Directing in management?

Directing is the function of management that activates the organisational methods to work efficiently and effectively. It involves issuing instructions, guiding, inspiring, and overseeing people at work. Its four elements are supervision, motivation, leadership, and communication.

What are the five levels in Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory?

Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory has five levels (lowest to highest): 1) Physiological needs (food, water, shelter), 2) Safety/Security needs (job security, physical safety), 3) Social/Belonging needs (friendship, acceptance), 4) Esteem needs (status, recognition), and 5) Self-actualisation (realising full potential). A satisfied need is not a motivator — each level motivates once the level below is reasonably satisfied.

What are the three leadership styles in Chapter 7?

The three leadership styles are: (1) Autocratic/Authoritative — leader makes all decisions unilaterally with no subordinate participation; (2) Democratic/Participative — subordinates participate in decision-making with two-way communication; (3) Laissez-faire/Free-rein — complete freedom given to subordinates, leader provides only resources and information.

What is the difference between financial and non-financial incentives?

Financial incentives are direct monetary rewards — salary, bonus, profit sharing, co-partnership, productivity-linked wages, retirement benefits, and perquisites. Non-financial incentives are non-monetary motivators — status, organisational climate, career advancement, job enrichment, employee recognition, job security, employee participation, and employee empowerment. Financial incentives address lower-level needs; non-financial incentives address higher-level needs in Maslow's hierarchy.

What are the four types of barriers to communication?

The four types of communication barriers are: (1) Semantic barriers — badly expressed messages, symbols with different meanings, faulty translations, unclarified assumptions; (2) Psychological barriers — premature evaluation, inattention, loss by transmission, distrust; (3) Organisational barriers — rigid structure, wrong choice of channel, status-consciousness; (4) Personal barriers — fear, lack of confidence, poor listening habits.

What is the role of a supervisor in Directing?

A supervisor's role in directing includes: maintaining direct contact with workers, ensuring execution of plans at the ground level, providing feedback to management about worker performance and ground-level realities, and maintaining discipline among workers. The supervisor is a crucial link between management policies and actual operations.

75 MCQs 50 Flashcards Unit 7 · 8 marks weightage Updated April 2026

Ch 7 · Unit 7 · Part A

Chapter 7: Directing

Master Directing — supervision, motivation and Maslow's Need Hierarchy, the three leadership styles, financial and non-financial incentives, and the barriers to effective communication. A high-yield, application-heavy chapter for CBSE Class 12 Board exams.

▶ Practice Test — Ch 7 All BST Chapters

What is Directing?

Directing is the management function that instructs, guides, inspires and supervises people so they work towards organisational goals. It sets the other functions — planning, organising and staffing — into action by getting people to actually perform. Its four elements are supervision, motivation, leadership and communication.

Directing initiates action, integrates effort, brings balance and stability, and helps people cope with change. It flows from top to bottom — every manager directs the subordinates under them — and is a continuous activity that lasts throughout the life of the organisation.

What You'll Practise in This Chapter

Supervision — meaning and the role/importance of the supervisor
Motivation — meaning, the motivation process, and features
Maslow's Need Hierarchy — the five levels and the principle that a satisfied need stops motivating
Incentives — financial (pay, bonus, profit-sharing, perquisites) vs non-financial (recognition, job enrichment, status, empowerment)
Leadership styles — autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire (free-rein)
Communication — formal/informal, vertical/horizontal, verbal/non-verbal, and the communication process
Barriers to communication — semantic, psychological, organisational and personal

Key Concepts at a Glance

Element 1

Supervision Overseeing work in real time. The supervisor keeps direct contact with workers, ensures plans are executed on the ground, gives feedback to management, and maintains discipline.

Element 2

Motivation & Incentives Stimulating people to act. Financial incentives: pay, bonus, profit-sharing, perquisites. Non-financial: job enrichment, recognition, status, employee participation and empowerment.

Theory

Maslow's Need Hierarchy Five levels — Physiological → Safety → Social → Esteem → Self-actualisation. A satisfied need is no longer a motivator; the next level becomes dominant.

Element 3

Leadership Styles Autocratic: leader decides alone. Democratic: two-way communication and joint decisions. Laissez-faire: complete freedom to subordinates, leader only provides resources.

Element 4

Communication Exchange of information and understanding. Formal/informal, vertical (upward/downward), horizontal/lateral, and verbal/non-verbal channels.

Pitfalls

Barriers to Communication Semantic (language & meaning), Psychological (premature evaluation, inattention), Organisational (rigid structure, wrong channel), Personal (fear, poor listening).

Sample MCQs — Chapter 7: Directing

1. According to Maslow's Need Hierarchy, which need comes immediately after 'Safety needs' are satisfied?

Physiological needs
Social / Belonging needs ✓
Esteem needs
Self-actualisation needs

Correct answer: B — Once safety needs are reasonably satisfied, social needs (love, belonging, friendship) emerge as the dominant motivator — the third level in Maslow's hierarchy.

2. A research team of highly skilled scientists is given full freedom to design their own experiments. The team leader provides laboratory resources and is available for guidance but does not interfere. This is an example of:

Autocratic leadership
Democratic leadership
Laissez-faire (Free-rein) leadership ✓
Bureaucratic leadership

Correct answer: C — Laissez-faire leadership gives complete freedom to highly skilled, self-motivated individuals. The leader provides resources without interfering in day-to-day decisions — most effective with expert professionals.

3. A manager dismisses a subordinate's suggestion without hearing it fully because he assumes it won't be useful. This is a:

Semantic barrier
Psychological barrier — premature evaluation ✓
Organisational barrier
Personal barrier due to fear

Correct answer: B — Premature evaluation — forming a judgment before receiving the complete message — is a psychological barrier to communication. It closes off information flow and discourages subordinates from sharing ideas.

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