The Expectancy Theory of Motivation

00:04:22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCFq2ibunvY

Summary

TLDRThe video explains the expectancy theory of motivation, which is process-oriented and focuses on how motivation occurs rather than the stimuli that cause it. This theory emphasizes understanding why people choose certain behaviors to meet their needs and how they judge their satisfaction once their goals are achieved. Vroom's expectancy theory suggests that people are motivated by their desires and the likelihood of achieving them. The theory is more comprehensive than equity theory, involving components like effort, performance, and expected outcomes. It highlights the relationship between these components through expectancy (effort to performance), instrumentality (performance to outcomes), and valence (outcome attractiveness). Key conditions for motivation to occur include a high probability of success (expectancy), expected realizable outcomes (instrumentality), and positive net value of outcomes (valence). Despite its complex nature and difficulties in application and testing, expectancy theory provides valuable insights for workplace motivation by requiring managers to identify and align rewards with employee values.

Takeaways

  • 💡 Expectancy theory focuses on process and how motivation occurs.
  • 🧠 It involves understanding choice of behavior options to satisfy needs.
  • 📈 Motivation is influenced by desire and likelihood of achieving goals.
  • 🔄 Key components: effort, performance, and outcomes.
  • 🔗 Linkages include expectancies, instrumentalities, and valences.
  • 🔍 Expectancy measures the probability of effort leading to performance.
  • 📊 Instrumentality assesses if performance leads to outcomes.
  • 📉 Valence evaluates the attractiveness of outcomes.
  • ⚖️ Three conditions for motivation: Expectancy, Instrumentality, Valence.
  • 🔧 Complexities in application and testing the theory.
  • 🧩 Provides insight for managers to align rewards with employee values.
  • ⚠️ Criticized for its complex and rational assumption-based nature.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:04:22

    Process-based perspectives in motivation focus on why people select certain behaviors to satisfy their needs rather than specific stimuli like pay. Expectancy theory, widely applied by Victor Vroom, proposes that motivation is driven by the desire for a particular outcome and the perceived likelihood of achieving it. The theory, complex and gradually developed, identifies three components: effort, performance, and outcomes, interconnected by expectancies, instrumentalities, and valences. Motivation is thought to occur if effort leads to performance, performance leads to valued outcomes, and overall outcomes have a positive valence. However, the theory's complexity poses challenges in validation and application in organizational settings.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What does the expectancy theory of motivation entail?

    Expectancy theory suggests that motivation is influenced by the desire for an outcome and the perceived likelihood of achieving it, involving effort, performance, and outcomes.

  • Who is credited with applying expectancy theory to the workplace?

    Victor Vroom is credited with applying expectancy theory to the workplace.

  • What are the key components of the expectancy model?

    The key components include effort, performance, outcomes, and the linkages between expectancies, instrumentalities, and valences.

  • What is meant by effort-performance expectancy?

    It refers to a person's perception of the probability that effort will lead to successful performance.

  • How does performance-outcome instrumentality work?

    It is the perception of the probability that performance will lead to certain outcomes.

  • How are valences defined in expectancy theory?

    Valences are the attractiveness or unattractiveness of specific outcomes to a person.

  • What are potential criticisms of expectancy theory?

    The theory is complex, making it difficult to test due to potential measurement invalidity and less scientific procedures. Additionally, it assumes rational behavior in decision-making, which may not always be true.

  • How can managers apply expectancy theory in the workplace?

    Managers need to assess individual employees' desired rewards, evaluate the value of these rewards, measure expectancies, and adjust relationships to motivate employees.

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  • 00:00:00
    [Music]
  • 00:00:07
    process-based perspectives are concerned
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    with how motivation occurs rather than
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    attempting to identify specific
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    motivational stimuli such as pay or
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    recognition process perspectives focus
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    on why people choose certain behavioral
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    options to satisfy their needs and how
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    they evaluate their satisfaction after
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    they've attained those goals let's take
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    a look at the expectancy theory of
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    motivation expectancy theory suggests
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    that people are motivated by how much
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    they want something and the likelihood
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    they perceive of getting it expectancy
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    theory is a more encompassing model of
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    motivation than equity theory over the
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    years since its original formulation the
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    theory scope and complexity have
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    continued to grow victor rom is
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    generally credited with first applying
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    the theory of motivation to the
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    workplace the theory attempts to
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    determine how individuals choose among
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    alternative behaviors the basic premise
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    of expectancy theory is that motivation
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    depends on how much we want something
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    and how likely we are to get it this
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    figure summarizes the basic expectancy
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    model the models general components are
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    effort the result of motivated behavior
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    performance and outcomes expectancy
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    Theory emphasizes the linkages among
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    these elements which are described in
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    terms of expectancies instrumentalities
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    and balances effort to performance
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    expectancy is a person's perception of
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    the probability that effort will lead to
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    successful performance performance to
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    outcome instrumentality is a person's
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    perception of the probability that
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    performance will lead to certain other
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    outcomes an outcome is anything that
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    might potentially result from
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    performance high performance conceivably
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    might produce such outcomes as a pay
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    raise a promotion recognition from the
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    boss fatigue stress less time to rest
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    among others the valence of the outcome
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    is the relative attractiveness or
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    unattractiveness the value of the
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    outcome to the person pay raises
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    promotions and recognition might all
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    have positive valence 'as
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    whereas fatigue stress and less time and
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    rest might have negative valence the
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    strength of outcome valances varies from
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    person to person work-related stress may
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    be a significant negative factor for one
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    person but only a slight annoyance to
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    another the basic expectancy framework
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    suggests that three conditions must be
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    met before motivated behavior occurs
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    first the effort to performance
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    expectancy must be well above zero that
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    is the worker must reasonably expect
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    that exerting effort will produce high
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    levels of performance second the
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    performance to outcome instrumentalities
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    must be well above zero in other words
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    the person must believe that performance
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    will realistically result in valued
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    outcomes third the sum of all the values
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    for the potential outcomes relevant to
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    the person must be positive one or more
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    valiance --is may be negative as long as
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    the positives outweigh the negatives
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    expectancy theory is so complicated that
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    researchers have found it to be quite
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    difficult to test in particular the
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    measures of various paths of the model
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    may lack validity and the procedures for
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    investigating relationships among the
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    variables have been less scientific than
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    researchers would like moreover people
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    are seldom as rational and objective in
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    choosing behaviors as expectancy theory
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    implies still the logic of the model
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    combined with the consistent albeit
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    modest research support for it suggests
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    that the theory has much to offer
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    because expectancy theory is so complex
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    it's difficult to apply directly in the
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    workplace a manager would need to figure
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    out what the rewards each employee wants
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    and how valuable those rewards are to
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    each person measure the various
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    expectancies and finally adjust the
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    relationships to create motivation
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    [Music]
Tags
  • Expectancy Theory
  • Motivation
  • Victor Vroom
  • Workplace Motivation
  • Process Perspective
  • Effort
  • Performance
  • Outcome Valence
  • Instrumentality
  • Employee Satisfaction