How Expectancy Theory Helps Manager

This article explores how Expectancy theory helps managers in motivating employees. It discusses the key foundations of the theory - expectancy, instrumentality, and valence - and how managers can apply the theory to motivate their employees. The article also highlights the challenges and limitations of the theory.

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How Expectancy Theory helps Manager
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Introduction
In every organization, motivation is a significant factor to drive employee performance
towards achieving the organizational objectives as well as realize their dreams. There are
numerous motivation theories that explain job satisfaction, such as Content theory, process
theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of requirements and Expectancy theory among others (Backhaus,
2012). The current paper thus focuses on exploring how Expectancy theory helps the manager in
motivating employees.
Expectancy Theory
Expectancy theory is an inspirational theory that was developed by Victor Vroom that
aimed at separating the effort that arises from the enthusiasm from functioning and the
consequences. The expectancy theory of inspiration is grounded on the assumptions: that
people’s performances are end results of the mindful selections among substitutes that are
focused on maximizing pleasure and at the same time maximize pain (Lee, 2018). The different
individual poses different needs and goals that need to be realized and achieved, and behavior in
organizations is a result of the conscious choices between the alternatives. The Anticipation
Theory is grounded on the above hypothesis possesses three major key foundations that are:
expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. Therefore every individual in an organization always
believes that each and every effort will always result into suitable operations /expectancy; that
every pardon will be incentives in accordance to the performance /instrumentality; and the values

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of the rewards are always favorably optimistic/valence.
Figure 1: Shows elementary expectancy framework, obtained from (Lee, 2018).
Expectancy refers to a person’s profitability estimate in relation to the effort exerted into
a particular task, and always grounded on the likelihood and runs between 0-1. Therefore, if an
employee perceives that the effort will not lead to the anticipated operations rank, then the
expectation becomes 0, while when the effort is perceived to bring a considerable amount of
performance, then the effort is seen as 1. Instrumentality refers to individualistic estimates of the
likelihood that a particular level of mission achievement will results in different effort outcomes
and always range from 0-1 (Ghoddousi, Bahrami, Chileshe & Hosseini, 2014). Thus when a
servant comprehends effective operation rating, will continuously cause salary increase thus the
instrumentality is rated at 1, while when there is no perception of a good relationship, then
instrumentality is rated at 1. Lastly, Valence refers to the employee’s strength in regard to
specific reward, therefore, rise in salary allocation, promotion, recognition, and acceptance by
the supervisors and peers have to an impact on the motivation level. Unlike both instrumentalit
and expectancy, valence cab is either positive or negative thus provided the link to the need of
motivation theories.
Inspiration = Anticipation x instrumentality x valence

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Application and usefulness of the theory in helping managers motivate their employees
The expectancy theory is instrumental to managers in motivating employees by aiding in
altering the individuals (Ohemeng & McCall, 2013):
Effort-to-performance-Through this, leaders strive to increase employee’s capability
belief of successfully undertaking a particular task. Thus effective managers need to make the
requirements clear to employees as well as assist in attaining the best performance through
recruiting employees with the prerequisite expertise and information; offer significant drill to
employees; clarification of job requirements and offering bets resources to accomplish the task.
Accomplishment-to- incentive Anticipation-Through this, managers are able to create a
perception that good performance is achievable through valued rewards to the employees, and
this can be done through: accurately measuring the job performance; clearly describing the
rewards that are obtained from good performance; proving examples of good performers among
many others. Doing these managers thus will be able to link organizations objectives and
performance with the rewards desired by employees, thus most managers adopt strategies such as
pay-for-performance, common strategies, and recognition of employees.
The valence of Incentives- Managers should strive to enhance the anticipated worth of
prize that resulted from the preferred performance since in diverse workforce different employee
value different rewards. Thus employers can motivate employees through various ways such as:
distributing the rewards of the value by the employee as well as individualizing the desired
rewards.
In my opinion, the theory seems good in motivation employee to perform; however, it is
too many variables that complicate it both in understanding and implementation. Employees

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might find it difficult in calculating the motivation as per the theoretical assumptions and on the
same note, managers may not possess the same parameters to make the right decisions in
motivating employees. Additionally, expectancy theory has restricted applications to an
individual who evidently recognize work-performance and performance-incentive connections.
Conclusion
From the theory, it is clear that employee’s motivating thoughts feelings and behaviors
change with time and experience since people only act on beliefs and perceptions. Therefore,
managers through the expectancy theory, they are able to inspire employee by varying the
individual’s accomplishment-to- incentive Anticipation, effort-to-performance and valence of
incentives.
References
Backhaus, K. (2012). Alternative Approaches to Understanding Motivation and
Leadership. Organization Management Journal, 9(3), 147-147. doi:
10.1080/15416518.2012.708848
Ghoddousi, P., Bahrami, N., Chileshe, N., & Hosseini, M. (2014). Mapping site-based
construction workers’ motivation: Expectancy theory approach. Construction Economics
And Building, 14(1), 60-77. doi: 10.5130/ajceb.v14i1.3712
Lee, H. (2018). Moderators of the Motivational Effects of Performance Management: A
Comprehensive Exploration Based on Expectancy Theory. Public Personnel
Management, 48(1), 27-55. doi: 10.1177/0091026018783003

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Ohemeng, F., & McCall-Thomas, E. (2013). Performance management and “undesirable”
organizational behavior: Standardized testing in Ontario schools. Canadian Public
Administration, 56(3), 456-477. doi: 10.1111/capa.12030