Expectancy Theory – Victor Vroom

Expectancy Theory is about your choices and how are you motivated by the results you expect following your actions.

You make an effort and expect a performance. If performance is achieved you have the expectancy of a reward that will satisfy a need. All this process will take place only if you decide that satisfying your need worth all the effort.

Victor Vroom – Expectancy Theory is based upon the following three beliefs:

• Valence (from latin valent-, valens – to be strong) – refers to the strength that an individual has to prefer a particular outcome. In short: What’s in it for me?
• Expectancy – is what you think you can do and what the result will be.
• Instrumentality – is your carrot & stick process. Your perception that the work you do will get you paid.

We have also a little formula for this: Expectancy x Instrumentality x Valence = Motivation. This formula can be used to analyze things like: job satisfaction, choices of occupation, stability on the same job, effort that an employee will put in at work.

What a manager can do according to Expectancy Theory is to clarify the path of the employee by providing proper tools and training, an easy to understand performance evaluation system and mostly by listening to his problems.

If every individual has preferences for defining outcomes (higher pay, promotion, etc) it will be only common sense for a manager to define a motivational package accordingly.

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