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Management Theory

Expectancy Theory

Behavioral, Human Relations and Contingency Theories

Victor Vroom's 1964 theory that motivation is a product of expectancy, instrumentality and valence: a person's belief that effort leads to performance, that performance leads to reward, and how much that reward is personally valued. In management practice it implies rewards should be tied closely and visibly to performance, and that training which strengthens an employee's confidence that effort actually improves outcomes raises motivation in its own right. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Core Claim
An individual chooses how to behave based on the expected result of that behavior: motivational force is a function of expectancy (belief that effort produces performance), instrumentality (belief that performance yields reward) and valence (how much the individual values that reward). 1
Origin Year
1964 2
Classification
Topic (Functional Area)
Human Resources 1
Connections

Associated With

Equity Theory, Management Theories

Equity theory and expectancy theory are the two classic process theories of workplace motivation, taught side by side.

Both are cognitive process theories of motivation frequently taught together in organizational behavior.

Source Wikipedia, Expectancy Theory

Hackman and Oldham's job characteristics model draws on expectancy-theory concepts of intrinsic motivation in its motivating potential score.

Source Wikipedia, Job Characteristics Model

Developed By

Source Wikipedia, Victor Vroom
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Expectancy Theory
Wikipedia
  • lead section, Model
    Motivational Force (MF) = Expectancy x Instrumentality x Valence
  • Application
    organizations should relate rewards directly to performance and to ensure that the rewards provided are deserved and wanted by the recipients
  • Introduction, functional area topic classification
    Expectancy theory proposes that an individual will behave or act in a certain way because they are motivated to select a specific behavior over others due to what they expect the result of that selected behavior will be.
  • Associated With: Goal-Setting Theory
View the Source
2. Wikipedia, Victor Vroom
Wikipedia
  • Wikipedia, Victor Vroom Publications section
    On the origins of expectancy theory. Great minds in management: The process of theory development, 239-258.
  • Developed By: Victor Vroom
View the Source
Wikipedia, Job Characteristics Model
WikipediaAssociated With: Job Characteristics ModelView the Source
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