The Expectancy Theory

Question 8 – Provide an overview of Victor Vroom's expectancy theory and list and describe the three variables or relationships that support this theory. Using the expectancy theory, provide an example of when you have been motivated. Draw upon your own work experience or reflect on your experience at university to provide an example.

In today's society, motivation is a much talked about topic and not very clearly understood. Most companies look for ways to improve efficiency, productivity and quality. This is achieved by higher levels of motivation. People are generally motivated when they believe their efforts will yield an acceptable performance, performance will be rewarded and the value of the reward is highly positive. (Schermerhorn, John, James, Osborn & Richard 2005). This is otherwise known as Victor Vroom's expectancy theory. The purpose of this essay is to provide an overview of the expectancy theory by describing the three variables that support this theory and provide examples of how and when it has influenced my motivation within the work force.

The expectancy theory says that individuals have different sets of goals and can be motivated if they have certain expectation. Individuals choose behaviours based on the outcomes they expect and the values they ascribe to those expected outcomes (Borders 2004). Vroom's Expectancy theory is based upon the following three variables which he calls Valence, Expectancy and Instrumentality valances (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston & Scott-Ladd 2006).

Valence refers to the value an individual personally places on the reward or upon the expected outcome of a situation. The Valence is high if the reward available is of interest to us. When you have a higher valence you tend to have higher motivation (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston & Scott-Ladd 2006).

Expectancy is the belief that your efforts will result in attainment of the desired performance. This belief is generally based on an individuals past experience, self confidence. Expectancy would be zero if an individual felt it were impossible to achieve a given performance level (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston & Scott-Ladd 2006).

Instrumentality is the belief that the success of the situation is linked to the expected outcome of the situation, e.g. it's gone really well, so I'd expect praise. It is also the belief that if one meets the performance expectations, he or she will receive a greater reward. This reward may come in the form of a pay increase, promotion, recognition or sense of accomplishment. (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston & Scott-Ladd 2006)

The Wallace Company, a winner of the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in 1990 can be used to represent the expectancy theory. It was noted that the employees at Wallace had sufficient authority to work on their own and they were trained to improve quality. The reward for improvement was the Baldrige Award. The workers were clearly aware of the value of the reward, so this kept them motivated to continue working hard. This clearly demonstrates the works of Victor Vroom in that the motivation of the individual's perception regarding their capability to do a particular job, the reward associated with the accomplishment of the job, and the value the place in the reward (Halepota 2005).

We use the expectancy theory of motivation to help us understand how individuals make decisions regarding various behavioural alternatives. The expectation for reward is different from person to person. Individuals might undertake a job for self satisfaction and others for a financial gain. It is volatile to know the value of the reward for each participating individuals (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston & Scott-Ladd 2006).