VROOM EXPECTATIONS THEORY: CHARACTERISTICS, PRINCIPLES, EXAMPLE - DUDAS - 2025

The expectations theory Vroom is a motivational theory which states that an individual acts or acts in a way that is driven to select a specific proceed on other, because what expected result for the selected procedure.

In the study of organizational behavior, expectations theory is a theory about motivation that Victor Vroom of the Yale School of Management first proposed.

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In essence, the motivation to select a procedure is determined by the desirability of the result. However, the center of the theory is the cognitive process about how a person deals with the different motivational components.

This is done before making the final choice. The result is not going to be the only conclusive element to decide how to behave.

Motivation and decision making

Vroom defines motivation as a process that governs choices between alternative forms of voluntary activities, a process controlled by the individual.

The individual makes decisions based on his estimates of how well the expected results of a certain behavior will match or ultimately lead to the desired results.

At first glance, expectations theory seems more applicable to a traditional work situation, where the employee's degree of motivation depends on whether he wants a reward offered for doing a good job and whether he believes that more effort will lead to that reward..

However, it could also apply to any situation where someone does something because they expect to get a certain result.

characteristics

Expectation theory has to do with the mental processes related to a choice. Explain the processes that an individual undergoes to make decisions.

This theory emphasizes the need for organizations to directly relate rewards to performance, and to ensure that the rewards given are the rewards that recipients seek and deserve.

Vroom claimed that effort and performance are linked to a person's motivation. Use the variables of expectation, instrumentality, and valence to account for this.

Fundamentally, Vroom's expectation theory works with different perceptions.

So even if an employer believes that they have provided everything appropriate for motivation, and even if this works for most of the people in that organization, it does not mean that someone does not perceive that it does not work for them.

Comparison with other theories

Whereas Maslow and Herzberg analyze the relationship between internal needs and the consequent effort made to satisfy them, the theory of expectations separates effort, which arises from motivation, performance, and results.

There is a useful link between expectations theory and Adam's theory of motivation equity. That is, people will compare the results of themselves with those of others.

Equity theory suggests that people will alter their level of effort to make it fair to others, based on their perceptions.

So if the same increase is achieved this year, but it is believed that another makes much less effort, this theory suggests that the effort that was made will be reduced.

Principle and factors of the theory

Expectations theory explains the behavioral process of why individuals choose one behavioral option over others.

This theory states that individuals can be motivated to achieve goals if they believe that there is a positive correlation between effort and performance, and that the result of a favorable performance will imply a desirable reward.

The reward for good performance must satisfy an important need to be worth the effort. There are three factors within the theory of expectations, which are:

Expectation

It is the belief that someone's effort will result in the achievement of desired performance goals.

That is, if you work harder, then you will get better. This is affected by things such as:

- Have adequate resources available.

- Possess the right skills to do the job.

- Have the necessary support to carry out the work.

It is based on self-confidence (self-efficacy), perceived difficulty of the goal, and control over the result.

Self-efficacy

The individual's belief in his ability to successfully perform a particular procedure. The individual will assess whether they have the desired skills or knowledge to achieve the goals.

Perceived control

People should think that they have a certain level of control over the expected outcome.

Goal difficulty

When goals are set too high, performance expectations become too difficult. This will likely lead to low expectation.

Instrumentality

It is believing that an individual will get a reward if they meet the performance expectation.

I mean, if you do a good job, you will get something for it. This is affected by factors such as:

- Clear understanding of the relationship between performance and results. For example, the rules of the reward game.

- Trust in the people who will make the decisions about who gets what result, based on performance.

- Transparency of the decision process on who gets what result.

Instrumentality is low when the payoff is the same for all delivered realizations.

Valencia

It is the value that an individual places on the reward for an expected result, which is based on their goals, needs, sources of motivation and values.

For example, if someone is primarily motivated by money, they may not value getting extra time off as a reward.

Valence is characterized by the extent to which a person values ​​an offered reward. This is the expected satisfaction from a particular result, and not an actual level of satisfaction.

Valence refers to the value that the individual personally places on rewards. For the valence to be positive, the person must prefer to achieve the result than not achieve it.

How to apply Vroom's expectation theory in a company?

Expectations theory is a management theory focused on motivation. This theory predicts that the employees of an organization will be motivated when they believe that:

- A greater effort will give a better performance at work.

- Better job performance will lead to rewards, such as an increase in salary or benefits.

- These anticipated organizational rewards are appreciated by the employee in question.

Expectation

As a manager, it is important to think clearly about the goals that you set for your team members.

These goals must lead to great expectation, the belief that effort will translate into success.

If the goals that are planned are not achievable for different reasons, they will not adequately motivate the team.

Instrumentality

If employees can reasonably expect to receive more pay when they can achieve performance goals, they will most likely do their best at work.

Another type of reward can be promotion to a higher rank, or even something as simple as recognition in front of others.

To be motivated by this variable, people need first of all to be able to trust the boss. They have to believe that it will keep the pay raise offer or any other type of reward available, by meeting performance goals.

In addition, the performance goals in question must be well defined, in order to avoid confusion and conflicts regarding the performance judgment.

One way that instrumental results work is commissions. If performance is high and many products are sold, the more money the person will make.

Valencia

When proposing a potential performance reward in front of employees, ensure that the award being offered is something that is truly valued by the workers.

They will only be motivated to work hard to get the reward that has been offered, if they really want that reward.

Of course, pay raises or bonuses are a pretty safe bet, but even these might not be as attractive to some workers as others.

For example, if you have a team of people who are already well paid for their efforts, those employees may prefer to receive time off rather than a bonus.

Example

Paper is recycled because it is believed that it is important to conserve natural resources and to be able to take a position with regard to environmental issues (valence).

There is a belief that the more effort you put into the recycling process, the more paper you can recycle (expectation).

It is believed that the more paper is recycled, the less natural resources will be used (instrumentality).

Therefore, Vroom's theory of motivational expectations is not about self-interest in rewards, but about the associations that people make to obtain expected results and the contribution they feel they can make to achieve those results.

Financial bonus

The impact of Vroom's theory of expectations is that people change their level of effort according to the value they place on the bonus they receive from the process, and on their perception of the strength of the links between effort and result.

For financial bonuses, people should feel that with more effort they will be able to reach the level necessary to get the bonus. If they don't need any extra effort, they won't push themselves.

This means that if a financial bonus is to be awarded, a balance must be struck between making it achievable and not making it too easy to achieve. There need to be clear achievement goals.

On top of that, the question is to what extent people really value financial bonuses.

If you look at Herzberg's theories of needs and motivators, money is only a small part of a much larger figure.

References

1. Yourcoach (2019). Vroom expectancy motivation theory. Taken from: yourcoach.be.
2. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2019). Expectancy theory. Taken from: en.wikipedia.org.
3. Mulder (2018). Vroom's Expectancy Theory. ToolsHero. Taken from: toolshero.com.
4. Free Management Ebooks (2019). Vroom's Expectancy Theory. Taken from: free-management-ebooks.com.
5. Business Balls (2019). Vroom's Expectancy Theory. Taken from: businessballs.com.
6. Business Jargons (2019). Vroom's Expectancy Theory. Taken from: businessjargons.com.