Vroom's Expectancy Theory Of Motivation

The Oxford English Dictionary defines motivation as ‘a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way’. Motivation seeks to explain the 'why ' of behaviour (Gorman, 2004). Moreover, motivation is the internal process whereby a person moves towards a certain goal or outcome. At a simple level, it seems obvious that people must work in order to achieve something. People are often motivated by incentives, markedly money. However, it is imperative that we understand that motivation cannot be directly examined nor can it be directly measured. One can only observe someone’s behaviour and make assumptions based upon their actions. For this reason, it is difficult to make objective decisions with regard to what motivates people in general and more specifically what motivates employees in the workplace. Many different researchers have proposed theories to try to explain human motivation. Notably Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory and Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. While one can both commend and criticise these theories, one cannot deny that they do provide a substantial explanation into human motivation.

Expectancy is defined as how much effort an individual decides to exert toward successful job performance; it is a perceived probability (Pool, 1997). If an individual believes their behaviour impacts their performance, then expectancy is considered high (Pool & Pool, 2007). For example, “Improving my performance will lead to me making more money”. Managers should increase belief among employees that they are capable of performing successfully. Expectancy can be influenced by managers by selecting individuals with particular skills and abilities, providing training, and providing support to achieve a particular level of performance (Ugah, 2008). The strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectancy that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the value or attractiveness of that outcome to the person (Lawler,