BUSS5080 · Succeeding In The Accounting Profession
Managing People & Motivation
This chapter gives BUSS5080's practical answer to one question: how do you turn intention into sustained effort — first in yourself, then in others? You manage people both formally (as a manager) and informally (whenever you need a teammate's or client's help), and both run on motivation. The core tools are goal-setting theory and the unit's own SMART goal, coaching, self-regulation (the marshmallow test), three daily-motivation habits, and Schwartz's map of what people value. In the closed-book multiple-choice exam you must recognise each framework, know whose it is, and choose when to apply it.
What this chapter covers
- 011. Motivation as the core of managing self and others — you manage people formally and informally
- 022. Goal-setting theory (Latham & Locke) — specific, difficult goals beat vague 'do your best' ones
- 033. SMART (unit version) — Specific, Measurable, Achievable-but-difficult, Reason, Time-bound
- 044. Coaching to motivate — show warmth first, raise the person's sense of control (Google's 'good coach' finding)
- 055. Self-regulation and the marshmallow test — design the situation rather than rely on willpower; it is trainable
- 066. Three daily-motivation tools — chunked checklists, Covey's time-management matrix, the RACI matrix
- 077. RACI roles — Responsible (does it) vs Accountable (signs off), Consulted (two-way) vs Informed (one-way)
- 088. Schwartz's ten basic values — the circumplex where adjacent values are compatible and opposite ones conflict
Applied short-answer — re-motivating a capable teammate who has stalled
- +2Coach with warmth first. Open a supportive one-to-one that raises Sam's sense of control rather than a blame session — clarify how Sam's part links to the team's outcome, because people sustain effort when they believe their actions lead to results, and they accept feedback far more readily from someone who is visibly on their side.
- +2Set a SMART goal (Latham & Locke). Replace 'help out more' with a specific, measurable, achievable-but-difficult, time-bound target — e.g. 'draft the two-page findings section, with three supporting exhibits, by Friday.' Crucially attach a Reason (the unit's R): why this piece matters to Sam and the team, because difficulty plus personal meaning is what drives effort.
- +2Frame the Reason using Schwartz's values. Because Sam values benevolence and universalism (helping others, meaningful work) rather than power or achievement, pitch the task as 'this section is what actually helps our client and lifts the whole team' — the same task, framed to the values Sam holds, lands far better than an appeal to individual glory.
Key terms
- Goal-setting theory
- Latham & Locke's finding that specific, difficult (but achievable) goals produce higher performance than vague 'do your best' goals, because a hard, clear target focuses attention, effort and persistence.
- SMART goal (unit version)
- Specific, Measurable, Achievable-but-difficult, Reason and Time-bound. Note this unit's twist: R is Reason (why it matters to you), not merely 'Relevant', and difficulty in the A genuinely matters.
- Self-regulation
- The capacity to control impulses and delay gratification in service of a goal; in this unit it is treated as trainable and best supported by changing the situation, not by raw willpower.
- Marshmallow test
- Mischel's delay-of-gratification studies, in which waiting for a larger later reward predicts long-run outcomes; the examinable point is that the children who waited redesigned the situation (looked away, distracted themselves), so situation design beats willpower.
- Chunking
- Breaking a large task into small, prioritised, startable pieces on a visible checklist, so the first step is obvious and inertia is beaten; even a small daily productivity gain compounds over a career.
- RACI matrix
- A task-by-role chart tagging who is Responsible (does the work), Accountable (owns the decision/sign-off, ideally one person), Consulted (gives two-way input before) and Informed (kept in the loop one-way after).
- Covey time-management matrix
- A 2x2 that sorts tasks by Important x Urgent; the career payoff is protecting Quadrant 2 — important but not-yet-urgent work such as planning, prevention and relationship-building.
- Schwartz basic values
- Ten values that recur across cultures, arranged in a circle on two axes — Self-Enhancement vs Self-Transcendence and Openness to Change vs Conservation; adjacent values are compatible and opposite ones conflict.
Managing People & Motivation FAQ
Is Managing People & Motivation on the exam?
Yes — it is Week 6 core content and prime material for the closed-book, 120-minute multiple-choice final. You need to recognise each framework (goal-setting, RACI, Schwartz), know whose it is, and pick when to apply it. These tools are also directly useful in the group 'people problem' case project.
What is different about this unit's SMART goal?
Two letters. The unit teaches R as Reason — the personal 'why' that fuels motivation — rather than 'Relevant', and A as Achievable-but-difficult, meaning difficulty genuinely matters because easy goals do not motivate. A goal missing a deadline or a personal reason is the usual wrong answer.
What is the difference between Accountable and Responsible in RACI?
Responsible means you do the hands-on work; Accountable means you have the authority to decide and sign it off, ideally a single owner per deliverable. Also keep Consulted (two-way input given before the work) separate from Informed (one-way updates given after). Exam questions love to swap these.
Does the marshmallow test mean willpower is fixed?
No — reading it that way is a trap. The unit stresses that self-regulation can be trained, and that the real lesson is to change the situation rather than out-muscle temptation: put the distraction out of reach, pre-commit, shrink the first step, use a cue and add accountability.
How do Schwartz's values help me motivate someone?
Read a person's dominant values, then frame the ask in those terms. Pitch a stretch task to an achievement-driven colleague as a chance to excel, and the same task to a benevolence-driven colleague as a chance to help the team or client. Because opposite values conflict (Power/Achievement vs Benevolence/Universalism), one appeal will land and the other will fall flat.
Is this page official or affiliated with the University of Sydney?
No. This is an independent AskSia study guide to help you revise BUSS5080; it is not produced, endorsed by or affiliated with the University of Sydney. Always confirm current content, assessment weights and dates against your official unit outline and Canvas site.
Exam move
Treat this chapter as a set of tools you must be able to name and apply, not just define. Memorise the unit's SMART (R = Reason, A = Achievable-but-difficult) and practise scoring candidate goals against all five letters, because that is exactly how the MCQ is built. Lock the RACI distinctions cold — Accountable (signs off, one owner) vs Responsible (does it), Consulted (two-way, before) vs Informed (one-way, after) — and remember Covey's payoff quadrant is Q2 (important, not urgent). For Schwartz, learn the four higher-order poles and which oppose which (Self-Enhancement vs Self-Transcendence; Openness vs Conservation) so you never pair two opposite values as compatible. Finally, rehearse the integration move the group case rewards: given a stalled or unmotivated person, coach with warmth, set a SMART goal with a real Reason, and frame that reason in the values they actually hold.
