The Expectancy Theory of Motivation, Research Paper Example

The expectancy theory of motivation as used in the discipline of organizational study was first coined by Victor Vroom of the Yale School of Management. It is used to explain how decisions by individuals are made with regard to behavioral alternatives. It is based on the fact that the performance of employees at the workplace is based on individual factors such as personality, knowledge, skills, abilities and experience (Lawler, 2003). This theory suggests that in order for a person to be motivated, there must be a connection between effort and performance. This theory is based on three beliefs or perceptions and they are Valence, Expectancy and Instrumentality (Fitz-enz, 2000). Valence is the importance placed by an individual on the expected outcome; it refers to the individual’s emotional orientation with regard to the outcome.

Expectancy is the individual’s belief that putting increased effort will lead to an increase in performance (Fitz-enz, 2001). This is influenced by the belief that hard work will lead to better conditions. Instrumentality is based on the belief that one will be appreciated by receiving a reward for an improved or good performance. Thus an individual believes that if they attain the performance targets there will be a reward. Thus the motivational force for employees in an organization is the product of these three perceptions and the value of any one of them is zero, then the motivation consequently becomes zero (Becker et al, 2001). These three beliefs interact psychologically to create a motivational force to enable the employees in an organization to act in ways that bring them pleasure and enable them to avoid any painful experiences.

Application of the Motivation Theory in an Organization

In the given scenario, the employees are not keen to meet the targets or production goals because their perception is that there is no reward or benefit that they will get as a result of meeting the targets. Their perception is that, mastering the new production process will involve putting in more effort but there is no reward for the increase in the effort put.  For successful application of the motivation theory in the organization various things need to be done; there must be provision of the right resources for the job on time, the workers must be trained to acquire the right skills needed for the job (Ulrich, et al, 2003). Next the supervisors must offer the necessary support to get the job done and also provide the necessary information about the job. The employees must be made to understand the relationship between their performance and the kind of reward that they will get.

The supervisors must create trust in the employees concerning the decision makers and ensure there is transparency in the process that decides the outcome due to each person. The supervisors need to create an environment whereby the employees feel that if they increase their efforts it will lead to an increased performance, an increase in performance will lead to an increase in the rewards and finally the employees must value the rewards the organization offers for their efforts to increase production. Since this theory is based on perceptions, the employee might feel that they have provided a favorable environment for the job and therefore the employees have the right motivation for the job, but still some employees might perceive that the conditions do not work for them (Lawler, 2003). Therefore the supervisors must interact with the employees to ensure that the conditions and the working conditions are favorable to them so at to get the required output. To get the new production process to produce the required output will therefore involve creating an attitude in the employees that it will lead to increased rewards also on their part and that the extra effort they put in the process will increase their performance and consequently lead to increased benefits on their part through rewards.

References

Becker, B., Huselid, Mark. & Ulrich D. (2001). The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance.Watertown, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Fitz-enz, J. (2001). How to Measure Human Resource Management. New York: McGraw Hill Publishers.

Fitz-enz, J. (2000). The ROI of Human Capital: Measuring the Economic Value of Employee Performance. New York: Amacom Publishers.

Lawler, E. (2003). Treat People Right! How Organizations and Employees Can Create a Win/Win Relationship to Achieve High Performance at All Levels. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass Publishers.

Ulrich, D., Zenger, J. & Smallwood, N. (1999). Results-Based Leadership. Watertown, MA: Harvard Business Press.