Expectancy theory was proposed by a professor named Victor Vroom who taught business at the Yale School of Management. Vroom's initial research was on the expectancy theory of motivation. This idea was an attempt to explain why people choose to obey certain courses of action and prefer certain goals and outcomes over others in the workplace, mainly in decision-making and leadership. In this theory of expectancy, Vroom suggests that motivation is influenced by a person's belief that their mindset will lead to performance, which then leads to specific results, and then those results are either nurtured by the person or neglected. So, for example, let's say there is a basketball player and he is already skilled. He does not believe that increasing the amount of time spent training will significantly take his game to another level. He will not train any harder because he does not see a positive outcome in doing so. Vroom broke the expectancy theory down into three different categories and that is expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.
Expectancy is the postulation that an increase in effort leads to an increase in performance. For instance, if you work hard in class, then you will prepare a great presentation for your upcoming project. There are numerous amount of variables that could affect this belief. Some examples of these components would be available resources like raw materials and time allotted to get the job done, having the necessary skills for the obligation, support from supervisors, and having correct intel about the job. These aspects point to the belief that the job is under control.
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Instrumentality is a belief that all suitable rewards will be received when the employee puts on the right type of performance. The reward for the first performance usually affects how the employee performs from that point moving forward. An example of a reward given in the workplace would be a pay raise, bonus, promotion, or extra time off. Valence is the importance that an individual puts on the result that is expected. For example, if you already have an income of $1500 a week, you would only be motivated by obtaining an amount that is higher than that. Thus, if that person cherishes bringing in money over anything else, then they will not be enthralled by the chance to take time off. Another strong example of instrumentality is a salary that is based on commission. When an employee’s performance is directly correlated to an outcome, which is the salary of the employee, the employee is more likely to work harder. the theory is affected by the following factors which are, the rules of the reward must be clear and cut. Meaning, that there should be a precise understanding of what the reward will be for having the appropriate performance. Everyone performing must have trust in the authority figures in charge because they decide the outcome of what will be received by which individuals. The process of rewarding for given performance must be straightforward.
A manager’s proficiency in the expectancy theory is significant in the workplace. It allows them to assign employees reasonably challenging objectives that trigger self-confidence and intellectual development. Instrumentality can also be enforced. Managers/ Leaders should strive to keep the promises they make to their workers as it maximizes the follower's ability to trust and have faith that a manager is capable. Instrumentality comes from the belief that performance generates promised results. Finally, valence dictates that a leader should be able to see the value of an outcome from their followers’ perspective.
Expectancy theory has a ton of strengths but there are also some weaknesses. First, let's start with the strengths. When it comes down to it, certain employee expectations are generated by receiving rewards and incentives. With the perfect goals set in mind, it can spark a motivational series that can improve production. Sometimes administration has an un-yielding grasp of expectancy principles. This is so they can use those ideas to be more effective when creating work groups to accomplish their business plans. Management will be able to better understand exactly what needs to be done to motivate their employees, look for any pauses in any specific techniques that need training, and commit to giving rewards. One of the advantages of expectancy theory being instilled in the workplace is that employees will be willing and determined to take place in work projects. This is mainly because they will be prompted by the opportunity to perform, and acquire rewards that they see as relevant.
Even though the expectancy theory has helped a lot of people in the workplace, it also has its negative effects. The model describing the expectancy theory of motivation says, “Motivation is equal to expectancy multiplied by Instrumentality multiplied by Valance. Under the theory if any of the factors are zero, the employee will be unmotivated”. But, in real-life situations, individuals tend to work hard at most times even if they're not so sure they'll get the reward they think they earned. As such, research included in the 'Oxford Handbook of Motivation states, “The equation should be additive: Motivation equals Expectancy plus Instrumentality plus Valance”. Expectancy theory's biggest strength turns out to be one of the biggest weaknesses. This theory is logical, implying that employees always act purely out of self-interest, and their need for a reward. Nevertheless, the theory also excludes the possibility that an employee may be motivated by other factors. Many workers are motivated to do the right thing or to be team players, regardless of the reward. Because the theory doesn't account for this, it can lead to an employer missing out on an excellent motivational tool. The theory of expectancy peeks at every motivational factor. While viewing the theory, employees work on a task for certain types of rewards, then they go on to the next level for the next reward. The expectancy theory does not take into consideration an employee who does the right thing on an assignment out of a want to get a raise. Employees are motivated by rewards, but not motivated by rewards tied to a task. This makes the expectancy theory fragile at foreshadowing long-lasting patterns of behavior. Employees usually don't stroll into their managers' cubicles with planned-out lists of the rewards they want, arranged in order of how desperate they want them. nonetheless, expectancy theory speculates, ‘that managers have access to employee instrumentality and valence factors. Without knowing exactly what employees want and how badly they want it. it becomes quite difficult to foretell how motivated they will be to take on a project, even if a reward is offered. In the article “Problems with Expectancy”. It states, “Sales contests are a microcosm of this. Invariably, the prize gets a few producers excited while the rest tune the contest out and achieve slight if any, productivity gains. This event happens because, in the real world, managers do not always know how to motivate each member of their teams”.
Expectancy theory has a lot of illustrative examples that produce useful outcomes and un-useful outcomes. Optimism is one of them. Optimistic people always view the positive side of things. Optimists believe if they stay positive and put forth a great effort, then they will be rewarded. Sometimes optimist can get their feelings hurt though. This is because if they aren’t given the reward they thought they would receive. But this won’t stop them from being positive. Individuals who are mentees can also be affected by expectancy theory. This is because if someone worked hard their whole life to obtain the things they want, mentees might look up to them. If those mentees see that their mentor is happy and living the life they want. Their mentees will be inspired and motivated to improve their performance to get a reward. But if those mentees see that their mentor is unhappy then that can shy them away from being motivated. Gamification is the action of turning tasks into a competitive state like gaming. This usually increases motivation towards a project, especially if the individual is competitive. They think that doing the best job on a task will reward them. This will motivate them and others to do their best. However, in other cases, this demoralizes employees because they believe if they do not come out on top then they won’t get the reward they want. This ends up decreasing motivation.
I believe that the expectancy theory is vital when it comes to businesses and everyday life situations. In this paragraph, I would like to talk about my personal experiences. When I learned what expectancy theory was I realized that I have been using this theory throughout most of my life, and it helped me a lot. This theory helped me figure out when I should go hard for something I want and when I should give little effort. For example, I remember when I was in the 8th grade and the staff announced to us that we had to pass all of our classes with B’s or better to graduate. If achieved, we didn’t have to pass the compass test at the end. After hearing that, I realized that all I had to do was ace my classes. The whole school year I worked as hard as possible to get all A’s because I was motivated by the end goal of not having to take the course seriously. After attaining the grades I wanted, I was no longer motivated to finish out the school year strong. My parents insisted that I still study for the course, but after considering all of the possible outcomes I knew it was in my best interest to not study or try my best. There was no reward in the end for me. Another example is when I used to work at Gwinnett Place Honda. This example of expectancy theory is a little different than others. My job was commission-based. I was motivated to get as much work done as possible, and I made sure I did my best because I thought I would be rewarded with more money. But after a while, I noticed that there were ways to make more money while putting less effort into my work. This made me less motivated to do my best work but made me more determined to find shortcuts to make work easier.
As stated in the beginning, expectancy theory has a lot of pros and cons. The main objective of expectancy theory is to come up with the greatest possible outcomes. With that being said, to retrieve the maximal performance from individuals, managers must use clear and cut systems that can come close to relating rewards regarding performance. One more thing to take as food for thought is that the rewards propounded must be yearned for by the employees. The essential aspect is that employees must believe that the more effort they put in, the better the result will be for them. Expectancy theory has been around since 1964 and I believe it’s never going anywhere. This is because everyone will always have decisions to make. Individuals will always weigh the advantages and disadvantages of situations which then affects their thrive and motivation to obtain whatever is offered.
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