Vroom’s expectancy theory assumes that behavior results
from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose it
is to maximize pleasure and to minimize pain. Vroom realized
that an employee’s performance is based on individual factors
such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and
abilities. He stated that effort, performance and motivation
are linked in a person’s motivation. He uses the variables
Expectancy, Instrumentality and Valence to account for this.
Expectancy is the belief that increased effort will lead to
increased performance i.e. if I work harder then this will be
better. This is affected by such things as:
1. Having the right resources available (e.g. raw materials,
time)
2. Having the right skills to do the job
3. Having the necessary support to get the job done (e.g.
supervisor support, or correct information on the job)
Instrumentality is the belief that if you perform well that a
valued outcome will be received. The degree to which a first
level outcome will lead to the second level outcome. i.e. if I do
a good job, there is something in it for me. This is affected by
such things as:
1. Clear understanding of the relationship between
performance and outcomes – e.g. the rules of the reward
‘game’
2. Trust in the people who will take the decisions on who
gets what outcome
3. Transparency of the process that decides who gets what
outcome
Valence is the importance that the individual places upon the
expected outcome. For the valence to be positive, the person
must prefer attaining the outcome to not attaining it. For
example, if someone is mainly motivated by money, he or she
might not value offers of additional time off.The three
elements are important behind choosing one element over
another because they are clearly defined: effort-performance
expectancy (E>P expectancy) and performance-outcome
expectancy (P>O expectancy).E>P expectancy: our
assessment of the probability that our efforts will lead to the
required performance level.P>O expectancy: our assessment
of the probability that our successful performance will lead to
certain outcomes.Crucially, Vroom’s expectancy theory works
on perceptions – so even if an employer thinks they have
provided everything appropriate for motivation, and even if
this works with most people in that organisation, it doesn’t
mean that someone won’t perceive that it doesn’t work for
them.At first glance expectancy theory would seem most
applicable to a traditional-attitude work situation where how
motivated the employee is depends on whether they want the
reward on offer for doing a good job and whether they believe
more effort will lead to that reward.However, it could equally
apply to any situation where someone does something
because they expect a certain outcome. For example, I recycle
paper because I think it’s important to conserve resources and
take a stand on environmental issues (valence); I think that
the more effort I put into recycling the more paper I will
recycle (expectancy); and I think that the more paper I recycle
then less resources will be used (instrumentality)Thus,
Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation is not about self-
interest in rewards but about the associations people make
towards expected outcomes and the contribution they feel
they can make towards those outcomes.
advantages and disadvantages
The expectancy theory principles have some
advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages
is that when used well, it can get employees to willingly
and happily engage and produce more at work. They
may become advocates for the organization because
their values align with their work.
A disadvantage of the expectancy theory is it may be
difficult to align all employees' values with those of the
organization. Everyone's values are different, even if
only slightly. This may lead to varying levels of
motivation and performance between the employees
