Expectancy theory

Expectancy theory explains motivation as a function of how strongly someone believes effort can produce performance, performance can produce outcomes, and those outcomes are desirable.

Expectancy: A belief that effort can produce the required level of performance. This effort-to-performance judgment is the first link in the theory.
Motivation: The processes that initiate, direct, and sustain goal-directed behavior. Expectancy theory is one account of how motivation arises.
Performance-related pay: A compensation system in which some pay depends on measured work performance. It ties performance to rewards, making instrumentality especially visible.
Victor Vroom: A Canadian organizational psychologist whose work developed expectancy theory of work motivation. Vroom’s 1964 formulation established the theory’s influential workplace model.
Instrumentality: A belief that achieving a level of performance will lead to particular outcomes. This performance-to-outcome judgment is the theory’s second link.
Effort: The physical or mental exertion directed toward completing a task. The theory asks whether anticipated performance and rewards justify exertion.
Management by objectives: A management approach that sets agreed objectives and evaluates results against them. Clear objectives can clarify the performance standard behind expected rewards.
Work and Motivation: Victor Vroom’s 1964 book presenting an expectancy-based theory of work motivation. This book set out the theory’s central account of occupational choice and effort.
Valence: The value or attractiveness a person assigns to a possible outcome. This judgment captures whether the anticipated reward is worth attaining.
Performance: The observable results of a person’s work or task activity. Performance is the intermediate outcome connecting effort to workplace rewards.

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