Expectancy Theory

The focus of Vroom’s “Expectancy Theory” is that an employee’s motivation to complete a task is influenced by their personal views regarding:

1. The probability of completing the task and
2. The possible outcome or consequence of completing the task.

Expectancy Theory states that, individuals make decisions, which they believe will lead to reward or reduce the likelihood of pain. The ultimate goal does not matter, the important factor is the impact that achieving the goal will have on the individual. An individual’s opinion is formed by a combination of three factors which Vroom categorised as follows

1. Expectancy – Does the individual believe that they can achieve the task
2. Valence – Does the individual believe that completing the task will benefit them or           cause detriment.
3. Instrumentality – What is the probability of completing the task leading to an outcome     desired by the individual

1. Expectancy (Subjective Probability)

Expectancy is the individual’s belief about whether they can achieve the task. This view will be influenced by a number of things including

- The type of skills needed for the task,
- Support expectations of co-workers and line managers,
- Type of equipment/materials and
- Availability of pertinent information.

Another factor influencing expectancy is previous experience. If the task has been successfully completed in the past then expectancy will be high but if the task has failed in the past or was difficult to perform then expectancy will be low.

• There is a positive correlation between efforts and performance,
• Favourable performance will result in a desirable reward,
• The reward will satisfy an important need,
• The desire to satisfy the need is strong enough to make the effort worthwhile

Eg. A task measured as 0.75 is believed to be more achievable than one measured as 0.45 If an individual feels that they can achieve the task then expectancy is measured as 1. On the other hand if they feel that the task can not be completed then expectancy is measured a 0. If the individual feels that the task may be achievable then it will be categorised between 0 and 1.

2. Valency

Valency measures how much an individual wants the consequences of completing the task. If task completion, leads to an outcome desired by the individual, than valence is positive. Examples of positive valence are praise, promotion, recognition and pay rises.

On the other hand if the individual believes that completing the task will lead to something they don’t want then valence for the task is negative. Examples of negative valence are tiredness, wet clothes, redundancies and boredom.

3. Instrumentality

Instrumentality focuses on the probability of securing the desired outcome, following successful completion of the task.

Probability 1 – achievement of task will lead to second outcome ie desired outcome
Probability 0 – achievement of task will not lead to second outcome ie desired outcome.
Probability between 0 and 1 – There is a chance that completion of the task will lead to the desired outcome. The higher the number, the more the individual believes that they will be rewarded with the desired outcome following completion of the task.

Employees will put in more effort if they believe that performing well, will lead to a desired outcome. Performance related pay (PRP) initiatives centre on instrumentality. However, it is unlikely that PRPs will be successful, unless employees believe that their pay, will increase in line with high performance.

Mathematical Relationship

Vroom said that the valence and expectancy and motivation are linked through the following equation:

Force (Motivation) = Valence x Expectancy

Force is the effort that an individual puts into a task.

Example

In the example below employee A and B’s task is to achieve targets and the desired outcome of achieving targets is a pay rise.

	Valence (V) ie Desired outcome	Expectancy (E) ie employee’s assessment how likely it is that the task will be achieved	V X E = F Ie valency multipled by expectancy	F ie Force which is the employees’s motivation
Employee A	The employee believes that the outcome is very attractive. = 0.8	As past performance is poor, employee assessed the task as difficult to achieve = 0.2	0.8 x 0.2 = F	F = 0.16
Employee B	The employee believes that the outcome is relatively attractive. =0.6	As past performance is reasonable, employee assessed the task as reasonably achievable = 0.6	0.6 X 0.6 = F	F = 0.36

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