Overview
This lecture covers Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory of motivation, explaining its three key components (expectancy, instrumentality, valence) and their impact on motivation.
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Overview
- Expectancy Theory explains why people may not be motivated even when incentives are present.
- The model is represented mathematically but focuses on three main factors: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.
Core Components of the Theory
- Expectancy: Belief that one's effort will lead to desired performance or outcome.
- Instrumentality: Belief that achieving the performance will lead to receiving a reward.
- Valence: Value or satisfaction a person expects from the reward offered.
Example Cases
- Low Expectancy: A person is not motivated if they doubt their effort will produce the desired result.
- Low Instrumentality: Motivation drops if a person doubts they’ll actually get the promised reward after performing.
- Low Valence: Even if results and rewards are certain, motivation is low if the reward is not valued by the person.
Managerial Implications
- Assign achievable tasks and equip people with needed resources to maintain high expectancy.
- Always deliver on promised rewards to ensure high instrumentality.
- Offer rewards that are meaningful and desirable to increase valence and motivation.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Expectancy — The belief that effort will lead to successful performance.
- Instrumentality — The belief that performance will lead to a specific reward.
- Valence — The perceived value or satisfaction from the reward offered.
- Motivation — The product of expectancy, instrumentality, and valence (Motivation = Expectancy x Instrumentality x Valence).
Action Items / Next Steps
- Assess and improve expectancy, instrumentality, and valence when motivating team members.
- Ensure promised rewards are meaningful and reliably delivered.
- No specific homework or readings were mentioned.