Expectancy Theory of Motivation

Expectancy theory developed by Victor Vroom states that an individual tends to act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual (Robbins, et al., 2013).

Expectancy theory describes the cognitive process that employees go through to make a choice between various voluntary actions. The theory suggests that our choice depends on three specific beliefs that are based on our past learning and experience: Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence (Colquitt, et al., 2015).

Expectancy is the perceived probability that an individual applying a certain amount of effort will lead to a certain level performance (Robbins & Coulter, 2018).

Instrumentality is the degree to which the individual believes that performance at a certain level is instrumental in achieving the desired result (Robbins & Coulter, 2018).

Valence represents the attractive (seductive) force, i.e., affective orientation of the individual towards a specific target result. The valence or value of goals can change positive (when the individual achieves a certain goal), has zero value (when the individual is indifferent to the goal), and negative (when the individual wishes to escape the attainment of the goal) (Ramosaj, 2013).

The below video explains the expectancy theory in more detail.

(Victor Vroom and Expectancy Theory: Process of Model of Motivation, 2020).

Apple Inc. uses expectancy theory to motivate employees to achieve goals that are measurable, achievable, and specific. Employees try to increase their level of performance at work to get the valuable rewards.

However, it appears to be idealistic as most people perceive a strong correlation between rewards and performance. So, Apple Inc. cares about each of the employees and provides them with a beneficial welfare. This can improve the performance level of the employees, although the rewards are not what the employees want. Apple can ensure that the employee can achieve the targeted level of performance by observing the employee's ability to make the company's operations more efficient.

 

References

Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A. & Wesson, M. J., 2015. Organizational Behavior: Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Ramosaj, B., 2013. Management, Fundamentals of Management. Prishtina: University of Prishtina.

Robbins, S., Cenzo , D. D. & Coulter, M., 2013. Fundamentals of Management: Essential Concepts and Applications. 8th ed. USA: Pearson Education Inc.

Robbins, S. P. & Coulter, M. K., 2018. Management. 14th ed. New York: Pearson Education.

Victor Vroom and Expectancy Theory: Process of Model of Motivation, 2020 (video file) Available from; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDgF7Avijlc (Accessed on 18th of August 2022).


Comments

  1. Virosha AriyawanshaAugust 29, 2022 at 8:44 AM

    Expectancy theory is primarily interested in the cognitive preconditions of motivation and their interactions. Consequently, expectancy theory is a cognitive process explanation of motivation founded on the assumption that individuals think there are connections between the effort they put forth at work, the performance they gain from that effort, and the rewards they receive from their effort and performance. In other words, people will be motivated if they think that putting forth a lot of effort would result in good work, and good work will result in the benefits they want (Lunenburg, 2011).

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    Replies
    1. Reshan FernandoAugust 29, 2022 at 10:15 AM

      Yes, even though there are many merits of expectancy theory as you mentioned it should also be noted that a potential weakness of expectancy theory is that it assumes that all necessary conditions are in place, which is not always true. Employees must have the ability, resources and opportunity to perform the job well. An example of this is the potential role of genetics as a biological constraining factor of performance (Walker, 2003).

      Delete
  2. shiran rodrigoSeptember 2, 2022 at 10:07 AM

    Parijat and Bagga (2014) explain in their journal article " Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory of Motivation – An Evaluation", how the Expectancy theory works. According to the article, Employees work in organizations because they have personal goals that they would like to accomplish. Organizational benefits or professional accomplishments may help you reach these personal objectives. Therefore, the link between organizational incentives or work outcomes and personal goals—specifically, how much and how attractively organizational rewards satisfy an employee's personal goals—is crucial. The value the employee places on the results of their labor can also be used to describe this relationship. Second, an employee's performance at work depends on organizational rewards or job outcomes.

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    Replies
    1. Reshan FernandoSeptember 3, 2022 at 7:45 AM

      Expectancy theory provides a general framework to assess, interpret and evaluate employee behavior learning, decision making, attitude formation and motivation (Chen and Lou, 2002). However, Mitchell (1974) suggested that the construct validity of the components of expectancy theory remain poorly understood.

      Delete

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