Student

1. When looking at the Expectancy Theory I am not sure that I would say that this type is motivating to employees. From the reading and the way that I understood Expectancy Theory it seems that employees will work hard or produce more if they are expecting a reward for doing so. Does this really motivate employees? According to the book Expectancy Theory has proved to have high levels of importance, validity and usefulness however, I would see this theory as not being as successful. When an employee works hard and expects something in return then does not get anything in return for his hard work it will discourage the employee which could lead to lower morale and low production. I can’t say that Equity Theory would be any better because when you have employees that are competing against each other it will take away from the camaraderie and could cause tension amongst them. When an employee is working hard and working longer hours buts gets a smaller raise than the employee that is not putting in the extra effort it will also lower morale and could possibly hinder production. I can’t agree with either of these theories being more effective that the other as both could lead to disappointment for employees in the appraisals process.

2. Although Equity Theory seems to try to achieve a fair balance between an employee’s inputs and an employee’s outputs this balance may not always be achieved. Finding this fair balance could ensure a strong and productive relationship between the company and the employee which would in turn have employees that are content and motivated however; if employees do not receive the rewards they feel they should receive it would lead to negative reactions such as low motivation, low morale, and possibly a high turn-over as unhappy employees will look for a job elsewhere.

3. Based on Chapter 5, if you decided not to use forced rankings at your company, how would you motivate employees?
Money or incentives are not the sole means to