Let1 Task 317.1.1-06
LET1 Task 317.1.1-06
Organization Behavior and Leadership
The Expectancy Theory of Motivation
One of the most widely accepted theories of motivation is Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory. “Expectancy theory argues that the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual.” (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p.208) [i]
In other words, employees will have the motivation to put forth a strong effort, if: They believe the effort will give them positive recognition. (This is called the “effort-performance” relationship.) That positive recognition must then lead to some kind of desirable reward, such as more money or an increase in status or power. (This is called the “performance-reward” relationship.) That reward must also be something that fulfills a personal goal for the employee. (This is called the “rewards-personal goals” relationship.) All three components need to be present for an individual to exert the kind of effort needed to be considered an intense motivation for action and performance of a duty or task.
Let's consider the following example:
A company that produces a high quality audio products has recently introduced a new production process in an effort to help the employees meet a goal of high production standards. Supervisor A's team of employees are not doing well with the production process. Some do not strive to master the process, those that have mastered it are not putting forth effort to reach the goals, and even top-producers don't seem interested in achieving the goals.
After speaking to some of Supervisor A's team, Supervisor B has discovered that the following concerns are expressed by the team: Some do not feel they can be successful because they believe lack the dexterity needed to implement the process. Some feel that it is not worth the putting forth the extra effort
Organization Behavior and Leadership
The Expectancy Theory of Motivation
One of the most widely accepted theories of motivation is Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory. “Expectancy theory argues that the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual.” (Robbins & Judge, 2007, p.208) [i]
In other words, employees will have the motivation to put forth a strong effort, if: They believe the effort will give them positive recognition. (This is called the “effort-performance” relationship.) That positive recognition must then lead to some kind of desirable reward, such as more money or an increase in status or power. (This is called the “performance-reward” relationship.) That reward must also be something that fulfills a personal goal for the employee. (This is called the “rewards-personal goals” relationship.) All three components need to be present for an individual to exert the kind of effort needed to be considered an intense motivation for action and performance of a duty or task.
Let's consider the following example:
A company that produces a high quality audio products has recently introduced a new production process in an effort to help the employees meet a goal of high production standards. Supervisor A's team of employees are not doing well with the production process. Some do not strive to master the process, those that have mastered it are not putting forth effort to reach the goals, and even top-producers don't seem interested in achieving the goals.
After speaking to some of Supervisor A's team, Supervisor B has discovered that the following concerns are expressed by the team: Some do not feel they can be successful because they believe lack the dexterity needed to implement the process. Some feel that it is not worth the putting forth the extra effort