Individual Essay: Expectancy Theory and Job Satisfaction in OB

This essay delves into the expectancy theory, initially proposed by Victor Vroom, and its impact on job satisfaction within organizations. It explores how employee motivation is linked to the expectation of achieving desired results through effort, considering individual factors like skills and experience. The paper examines the variables of expectancy, instrumentality, and valence, highlighting their roles in shaping employee behavior and performance. Furthermore, it analyzes job satisfaction, emphasizing its importance in employee retention and organizational development. The essay concludes by synthesizing the relationship between expectancy theory and job satisfaction, underscoring how employee motivation and cognitive processes influence organizational outcomes. The paper also discusses how employers can improve job satisfaction to improve employee retention and organizational performance.

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Introduction
The expectancy theory, initially proposed by Victor Vroom in the year 1964, deals with
the he fact that the desirability of the results of the concerned behavior or proper action tends to
motivate the concerned person to select a certain behavior. The motivation of a person is majorly
dependent on the expectation of the person that the intended results can be obtained by putting in
a certain amount of effort that is necessary for the achievement of the results. The theory implies
that the performance of an employee is measured with the help of the various individualistic
factors like abilities, experiences, knowledge, personality and skills (Miner, 2015). Vroom
argues that the motivation of the person is majorly linked to the performance of the person and
the efforts that are put forth by the person. The job satisfaction of the employee refers to the
contentment and the satisfaction that is received by the employees upon the completion of the
given job role.
The following paper attempts a discussion on the impact of the expectancy theory in the
overall development of the job satisfaction of the concerned employee. The paper opens with a
discussion on the expectancy theory as stated by Victor Vroom in the year 1964. The paper them
proceeds to shed light on the job satisfaction and the importance of the factor in the development
of the employee motivation within the organization. The report nears its conclusion with the
discussion of the impact of the implementation of the expectancy theory within the organization
as is related to the job satisfaction that is depicted by the employees of the organization.
Expectancy theory
The expectancy theory refers to the theory of motivation of an organizational employee
that prompts them to behave in a certain manner that is expected to provide them with a better

2ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
result. The followers of the expectancy theory suggest the fact that the desirability of the results
of the concerned behavior or proper action tends to motivate the concerned person to select a
certain behavior. The theory is based on the ways in which the given person might process the
various motivational elements that are presented by the given situation. The major focus of the
theory, however lies in the development of the processes of the cognition as demonstrated by the
concerned person. The cognitive processes are thus considered to be one of the major
determining factors of the choice alongside the results that might follow from the decision that is
undertaken by the person concerned (Barba-Sánchez & Atienza-Sahuquillo, 2017). The
expectancy theory is majorly based on the mental processes that a person undergoes while
making a choice. The theory was initially proposed by Victor Vroom in the year 1964.
The motivation of an individual as stated by the propounder of the theory is majorly
dependent on the choices that are made by the individual from the various alternative choices
that the situation offers. The individual is often observed to have been making choices on the
basis of the outcomes that the person expects to follow (Lloyd & Mertens, 2018). According to
Vroom, the motivation of a person is majorly dependent on the expectation of the person that the
intended results can be obtained by putting in a certain amount of effort that is necessary for the
achievement of the results.
The expectancy theory that has been put forth by Vroom states that the human behavior is
majorly dependent on the alternatives that are presented for the maximization of the pleasure and
the minimization of the pain. The theorist states that the performance of an employee is
measured with the help of the various individualistic factors like abilities, experiences,
knowledge, personality and skills (Purvis, Zagenczyk & McCray, 2015). The theorist further
stated that the motivation of the person is majorly linked to the performance of the person and

3ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
the efforts that are put forth by the person in discussion. The major variables that are used by
Vroom in this context are the variables of valence, instrumentality and expectancy (Kiatkawsin
& Han, 2017). The variable of expectancy deals with the thought that the efforts on the part of
the individual would lead to the increase in the performance of the employee. The expectancy of
an individual depends majorly on the availability of the proper resources, skills and the support
that is required for the proper completion of the job (Chen, Ellis & Suresh, 2016). The factor of
instrumentality refers to the belief on the part of the individual that states that the individual
might receive a better result if they perform well in a given job role. The instrumentation is
dependent on the issues that are implemented within the organization regarding the clarity in the
understanding of the existing relationship between the outcomes and the performance of the
individual. The trust and the transparency among the employees play a major role in the
achievement of the results of the activity (Baumann & Bonner, 2017). The valence factor refers
to the importance that is implemented by the concerned individual on the results that the person
expects from the activity.
Job satisfaction
The job satisfaction within the given workforce refers to the motivational extent that is
felt by the concerned person in the completion of the job that he or she has been assigned at the
given workplace. The job satisfaction of the employee refers to the contentment and the
satisfaction that is received by the employees upon the completion of the given job role. The
employees are reported to have been satisfied with their jobs on being influenced by several
factors that are necessary for the development of the issues that are presented within the
organization. These factors include the options for the growth within the organization, the
stability that is offered by the job and presence of the proper work-life balance on the part of the

4ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
employees of the organization (Pineau Stam, Spence Laschinger, Regan & Wong, 2015). The job
satisfaction of the employees is thus majorly dependent on the factors that lead to the conditions
wherein the individual is satisfied with the factors that are offered to him or her by the concerned
employers of the organization.
The job satisfaction on the part of the employees of the organization is found to be
extremely important since it motivates the employees of the organization to devote their
capabilities towards the development of the organization on a greater rate. The job satisfaction of
the employees is majorly important in the delivery of the best of their capabilities towards the
development of the overall performance of the given organization (Judge, Weiss, Kammeyer-
Mueller & Hulin, 2017). The satisfaction of the employees with the offerings by the concerned
organization helps in the retention of the employees of the organization and thereby helps in the
development of the issues that are presented within the organizational workforce as well as the
organizational management.
The impact of job satisfaction can be viewed from the perspectives of both the employees
as well as the employers. The factors that affect the job satisfaction of the employees refer to the
earning of the better and higher remuneration, having a greater stability of the jobs that are
performed by the employees. The employees are also motivated through the steady growth in the
career of the person and thereby lead to the brighter prospects in the career of the person as well
(Zablah, Carlson, Donavan, Maxham III & Brown, 2016). The majority of the employees are
motivated through the implementation of the various amounts and modes of recognition as well
as the rewards that are offered to the concerned employees by the concerned management of the
organization as well as the creation of the job opportunities within the organization as well
(Raziq & Maulabakhsh, 2015). The job satisfaction of an employee also affects the employers of

5ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
the organization. The majority of the ways that might be implemented by the organization for the
increment of the job satisfaction of the employees help the concerned employers to implement
the retention of the employees within the organization. The employees who have been satisfied
with the offerings of their jobs tend to contribute more towards the organizational performance
(Al‐Hamdan, Manojlovich & Tanima, 2017). This helps in the reduction of the attrition rate
within the company which in turn boosts the growth of the company as well.
Influence of expectancy theory on job satisfaction
The motivation of the employees plays a huge role in the development of the job
satisfaction among the employees of the organization. The expectancy theory as put forth by
Victor Vroom discusses the role that is played by the expectations on the part of the employees
in regards to the development of the overall performance of the organization. The expectancy
theory is based on the ways in which the given person might process the various motivational
elements that are presented by the given situation. The major focus of the expectancy theory,
however lies in the development of the processes of the cognition as demonstrated by the
concerned person (Barba-Sánchez & Atienza-Sahuquillo, 2017). The cognitive processes are
thus considered to be one of the major determining factors of the choice alongside the results that
might follow from the decision that is undertaken by the person concerned. The expectancy
theory is majorly based on the mental processes that a person undergoes while making a choice.
The human behavior, as stated by the expectancy theory, is majorly dependent on the alternatives
that are presented for the maximization of the pleasure and the minimization of the pain. Victor
Vroom further states that the performance of an employee is measured with the help of the
various individualistic factors like abilities, experiences, knowledge, personality and skills

6ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
(Miner, 2015). As stated by Vroom, the motivation of the person is majorly linked to the
performance of the person and the efforts that are put forth by the person in discussion.
The job satisfaction of the person plays a huge role in the development of the motivation
of the employees within the organization as well. The factors affecting the job performance of
the employees include the options for the growth within the organization, the stability that is
offered by the job and presence of the proper work-life balance on the part of the employees of
the organization (Huang et al., 2016). The job satisfaction of the employees is thus majorly
dependent on the factors that lead to the conditions wherein the individual is satisfied with the
factors that are offered to him or her by the concerned employers of the organization (Lu &
Gursoy, 2016). The satisfaction of the employees with the offerings by the concerned
organization helps in the retention of the employees of the organization and thereby helps in the
development of the issues that are presented within the organizational workforce as well as the
organizational management. The job satisfaction of the employees is majorly important in the
delivery of the best of their capabilities towards the development of the overall performance of
the given organization (Kianto, Vanhala & Heilmann, 2016). This in turn leads to the
development of the conditions wherein the employees tend to provide the support to the
organization to the best of their abilities within the organization.
Conclusion
In lieu of the above discussion, it might be stated that the employee motivation plays a
huge role in the development of the job satisfaction of the employees within a given
organization. The major focus of the theory, however lies in the development of the processes of
the cognition as demonstrated by the concerned person. The cognitive processes are thus
considered to be one of the major determining factors of the choice alongside the results that

7ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
might follow from the decision that is undertaken by the person concerned. The motivation of a
person is majorly dependent on the expectation of the person that the intended results can be
obtained by putting in a certain amount of effort that is necessary for the achievement of the
results. The job satisfaction of the employee is one of those factors that help in the development
of the motivation for the employees in performing to the best of their capabilities. The employees
who have been satisfied with the offerings of their jobs tend to contribute more towards the
organizational performance. This helps in the reduction of the attrition rate within the company
which in turn boosts the growth of the company as well. This in turn helps in the improvement of
the competitive advantage of the company in the given markets.

8ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
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