EXPECTANCY THEORY OF MOTIVATION By Victor Vroom

The expectancy theory of motivation was suggested by Victor Vroom. Unlike Maslow, Vroom does not concentrate on needs as motivational factors, but rather he focuses on outcomes.

This theory argues that the tendency to behave in a particular way depends on the strength of an expectation that the behaviour or act will be followed by a given outcome and the attractiveness or value of that outcome to that person. In short, this is where someone does something because they expect a certain desired outcome.

Whereas Maslow and Herzberg look at the relationship between internal needs and the resulting effort expended to fulfil them, Vroom’s expectancy theory separates effort (which arises from motivation), performance, and outcomes.

Vroom’s expectancy theory assumes that behaviour results from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose is to maximise pleasure and to minimise pain. Vroom realised 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

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)

For instance, one need to study hard in order to pass an examination with good marks. But this requires the appropriate materials to get right information and enough time to prepare for exam (resource), they should also be able to study for quite some time without distraction (Skills) and should be provided with suitable environment for prep, right materials and time both at home and school.

Instrumentality

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

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 does not mean that someone will not perceive that it does not 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 is 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.

Classroom implication of the Expectancy Theory

Expectancy theory predicts that learners in a school or classroom will be motivated when they believe that:

• Putting in more effort will yield better academic performance
• Better academic performance will lead to further academic rewards, such as promotion from one grade to the next, moral appreciation by teacher or even best learner’s awards.
• These predicted academic rewards are valued by the learner in question

In order to enhance the performance-outcome tie, teachers should use systems that tie rewards very closely to performance. Teachers also need to ensure that the rewards provided are deserved and wanted by the recipients. In order to improve the effort-performance tie, teachers should engage in better or advanced practices to improve their learners’ capabilities and improve their belief that added effort will in fact lead to better performance.

(1) They should make clear to students why a specific outcome is desirable (e.g. getting an A/A+ at GCSE speaking exams). Make sure you list as many benefits as possible, especially those that most relevant to their personal preferences, interests and life goals;

(2) They should provide them with a clear path to get there. This may involve showing them a set of strategies they can use (e.g. autonomously seeking opportunities for practice with native speakers in school) or aclearcourse of action they can undertake which is within their grasp (e.g. talk to your teacher about how to improve your essay writing; identify with their help the two or three main issues; work out with them some strategies to address those issues; monitor with their help through regular feedback and meetings with them that they are working and if they are not why; etc.).

A clear path gives a struggling student a sense of empowerment, especially if they feel that they are being provided with effective tips and support to overcome the obstacles in the way;

They should support their self-belief that that outcome can be achieved (e.g. by mentioning to them examples of students from previous cohorts of similar ability who did it) and by reminding them of similar/comparable challenges they successfully undertook in the past.