Expectancy Theory
Monday, November 25, 2013
How much are you motivated by your expectations?
If you expect to be promoted by following company policy "to the letter," how likely are you to interpret policy your own way and apply it differently to each situation?
If, on the other hand, your boss is unlikely to notice how closely you stick to company policy, how motivated will you be to stick to it?
If people expect a positive and desirable outcome, they'll usually work hard to perform at the level expected of them.
If we trust this relationship between expectation and outcome, then motivating people should come down to three things:
Effort – encouraging the belief that making more effort will improve performance.
Performance – encouraging the belief that a high level of performance will bring a good reward.
Outcome – making sure that the reward is attractive.
When these variables are high, we expect motivation to be high: The formula is quite simple. The tricky part is creating – and maintaining – a strong link between high effort and high performance.
This is what "Expectancy Theory" says. Because it's based on an intuitive, instinctive understanding of motivation, some say that expectancy theory is the most comprehensive explanation of motivation that we have.
Expectancy theory was introduced in 1964 by Victor Vroom, in his book "Work and Motivation." It argues that the strength of your motivation to act in a certain way depends on the strength of your expectation that (a) a given level of activity will cause a given outcome and (b) for a high level of activity, this outcome will be attractive.
So, to motivate people, you need to create two basic links:
Between high effort and high performance.
Between high performance and a positive outcome.
If you establish these first two links, you'll automatically create a third link – between high effort and a positive outcome. This is the fundamental source of high motivation: If you work hard, you'll be rewarded well, whether this is with job
satisfaction, money, recognition or promotion.
These links are shown in Figure 1 below:
Creating the Expectancy Theory Links
Managers nurture these links by praising good performance when it's been created by hard work, and by celebrating situations
where good performance has lead to good outcomes.
Sometimes, though, reality can creep into the equation and cause problems – like not having enough resources to provide the rewards that people want, not having people with the right skills to achieve high performance, or being outperformed by a powerful competitor with better technology.
In these situations, the challenge of applying expectancy theory is to manage people's beliefs. Where members of your team have worked hard and good outcomes haven't resulted, team members' hard work needs to be recognized, and lack of success needs to be explained. On the other hand, where outcomes are good and performance has been mediocre, managers need to nurture linkages by pointing out poor performance, attributing good outcomes to blind luck, and stressing how much more could have been achieved
if people had worked hard.
Step One: Provide Valuable Rewards and Outcomes
What perceived outcomes does the job offer, and how valuable are these outcomes?
Positive outcomes for a position may include things like good pay, job security, great relationships, opportunities for development, and a good match between the job and the worker's skills. However, negative outcomes may also exist – things like boredom, frustration, or anxiety.
We know from Frederick Herzberg that job satisfaction and motivation depend highly
on two types of factors. "Hygiene" factors – like good pay, good supervision, job security, and fair company policies – can cause job dissatisfaction when they're absent, but don't cause job satisfaction when they're present. On the other hand, "motivating" factors – like recognition, promotion, responsibility and interesting work – can help increase job satisfaction and motivation, but are unlikely to work unless the hygiene factors are in place.
Make sure that your team members' jobs are designed in such a way that you can apply Expectancy Theory. Then, think about the
reward. Ask these questions:
Does the worker value the reward you offer?
How can you make the reward more valuable?
What other reward can you offer that has high value?
Note:
This step is all about people's perceptions, and different people have different perceptions.
So how do you know what individuals within your team value? Talk to them regularly, and get to know them, and what motivates them, as individuals. Sure, some will be motivated only by benefits. However many more will be motivated by the whole range of things mentioned above.
Step Two: Link Effort and Performance
Team members need to know that their high efforts will result in
high performance. Make sure that they know the kinds of behavior
they need to exhibit to achieve a positive outcome.
The final outcome may not motivate workers unless they clearly
know what's expected in order to achieve high performance. Ask
these questions:
What is the definition "doing well"?
What behaviors do they need to show to perform
well?
Do you have a performance appraisal system?
Does it support workers' efforts? Does it give workers the tools
and direction they need to perform well?
Do you monitor and recognize good performance
consistently and fairly?
Step Three: Link Performance and Outcomes
How do workers view their chances of doing what's expected of them?
To link performance and outcomes (rewards), be sure that each
worker has the skills and resources needed to do a good job.
Create a situation where high effort can lead to high performance.
If people don't have the right tools or the right skills, then no
matter how hard they work, they may never achieve great results.
Also, encourage members of your team, and help them to believe in
their ability to control the variables that determine success.
This is what creates people's expectations that performing well
can help them reach the outcomes they want.
And make sure that you talk to each person as
an individual to find out what motivates him or her.
Key Points
Expectancy theory highlights the idea of payoff and reward in motivation.
For this to work, your staff must believe that the rewards offered are valuable. At its core, expectancy theory is about self-interest, and maximizing individual satisfaction. It's also about team members understanding what behaviors are considered "high performing." Make sure these expectations are clearly communicated and reinforced.
Finally, the theory is concerned with individual expectations. Remember that perception – what people believe to be true – can be more important than reality. It may not be enough for you to think that people have the tools and confidence needed to do a good job; you should also work to understand each worker's beliefs about his or her abilities, and manage these beliefs where you can.
Expectancy Theory is a comprehensive and well-respected explanation of motivation. It may seem simple, but don't let that fool you: Creating the link between effort and outcome isn't always easy. However, if you work at this, you can create a strong and motivating work environment where high performance is the norm.
Tags:
Skills, Team Management
If you expect to be promoted by following company policy "to the letter," how likely are you to interpret policy your own way and apply it differently to each situation?
If, on the other hand, your boss is unlikely to notice how closely you stick to company policy, how motivated will you be to stick to it?
If people expect a positive and desirable outcome, they'll usually work hard to perform at the level expected of them.
If we trust this relationship between expectation and outcome, then motivating people should come down to three things:
Effort – encouraging the belief that making more effort will improve performance.
Performance – encouraging the belief that a high level of performance will bring a good reward.
Outcome – making sure that the reward is attractive.
When these variables are high, we expect motivation to be high: The formula is quite simple. The tricky part is creating – and maintaining – a strong link between high effort and high performance.
This is what "Expectancy Theory" says. Because it's based on an intuitive, instinctive understanding of motivation, some say that expectancy theory is the most comprehensive explanation of motivation that we have.
Expectancy theory was introduced in 1964 by Victor Vroom, in his book "Work and Motivation." It argues that the strength of your motivation to act in a certain way depends on the strength of your expectation that (a) a given level of activity will cause a given outcome and (b) for a high level of activity, this outcome will be attractive.
So, to motivate people, you need to create two basic links:
Between high effort and high performance.
Between high performance and a positive outcome.
If you establish these first two links, you'll automatically create a third link – between high effort and a positive outcome. This is the fundamental source of high motivation: If you work hard, you'll be rewarded well, whether this is with job
satisfaction, money, recognition or promotion.
These links are shown in Figure 1 below:
Creating the Expectancy Theory Links
Managers nurture these links by praising good performance when it's been created by hard work, and by celebrating situations
where good performance has lead to good outcomes.
Sometimes, though, reality can creep into the equation and cause problems – like not having enough resources to provide the rewards that people want, not having people with the right skills to achieve high performance, or being outperformed by a powerful competitor with better technology.
In these situations, the challenge of applying expectancy theory is to manage people's beliefs. Where members of your team have worked hard and good outcomes haven't resulted, team members' hard work needs to be recognized, and lack of success needs to be explained. On the other hand, where outcomes are good and performance has been mediocre, managers need to nurture linkages by pointing out poor performance, attributing good outcomes to blind luck, and stressing how much more could have been achieved
if people had worked hard.
Step One: Provide Valuable Rewards and Outcomes
What perceived outcomes does the job offer, and how valuable are these outcomes?
Positive outcomes for a position may include things like good pay, job security, great relationships, opportunities for development, and a good match between the job and the worker's skills. However, negative outcomes may also exist – things like boredom, frustration, or anxiety.
We know from Frederick Herzberg that job satisfaction and motivation depend highly
on two types of factors. "Hygiene" factors – like good pay, good supervision, job security, and fair company policies – can cause job dissatisfaction when they're absent, but don't cause job satisfaction when they're present. On the other hand, "motivating" factors – like recognition, promotion, responsibility and interesting work – can help increase job satisfaction and motivation, but are unlikely to work unless the hygiene factors are in place.
Make sure that your team members' jobs are designed in such a way that you can apply Expectancy Theory. Then, think about the
reward. Ask these questions:
Does the worker value the reward you offer?
How can you make the reward more valuable?
What other reward can you offer that has high value?
Note:
This step is all about people's perceptions, and different people have different perceptions.
So how do you know what individuals within your team value? Talk to them regularly, and get to know them, and what motivates them, as individuals. Sure, some will be motivated only by benefits. However many more will be motivated by the whole range of things mentioned above.
Step Two: Link Effort and Performance
Team members need to know that their high efforts will result in
high performance. Make sure that they know the kinds of behavior
they need to exhibit to achieve a positive outcome.
The final outcome may not motivate workers unless they clearly
know what's expected in order to achieve high performance. Ask
these questions:
What is the definition "doing well"?
What behaviors do they need to show to perform
well?
Do you have a performance appraisal system?
Does it support workers' efforts? Does it give workers the tools
and direction they need to perform well?
Do you monitor and recognize good performance
consistently and fairly?
Step Three: Link Performance and Outcomes
How do workers view their chances of doing what's expected of them?
To link performance and outcomes (rewards), be sure that each
worker has the skills and resources needed to do a good job.
Create a situation where high effort can lead to high performance.
If people don't have the right tools or the right skills, then no
matter how hard they work, they may never achieve great results.
Also, encourage members of your team, and help them to believe in
their ability to control the variables that determine success.
This is what creates people's expectations that performing well
can help them reach the outcomes they want.
And make sure that you talk to each person as
an individual to find out what motivates him or her.
Key Points
Expectancy theory highlights the idea of payoff and reward in motivation.
For this to work, your staff must believe that the rewards offered are valuable. At its core, expectancy theory is about self-interest, and maximizing individual satisfaction. It's also about team members understanding what behaviors are considered "high performing." Make sure these expectations are clearly communicated and reinforced.
Finally, the theory is concerned with individual expectations. Remember that perception – what people believe to be true – can be more important than reality. It may not be enough for you to think that people have the tools and confidence needed to do a good job; you should also work to understand each worker's beliefs about his or her abilities, and manage these beliefs where you can.
Expectancy Theory is a comprehensive and well-respected explanation of motivation. It may seem simple, but don't let that fool you: Creating the link between effort and outcome isn't always easy. However, if you work at this, you can create a strong and motivating work environment where high performance is the norm.
