Vroom’s Expectancy Theory: What It Is And What It Says About Work
Vroom’s expectancy theory is contextualized within social and organizational psychology It refers to human motivation, a concept widely studied in basic and social psychology.
This theory maintains that motivation depends on three factors: expectancy, instrumentality and valence. In this article we will learn about these components, the characteristics of the theory and how all this is related to effort and work performance.
The theory was proposed by Victor Vroom, a psychology professor originally from Canada, in 1964. Through Vroom’s expectancy theory, It is established that human motivation depends on three factors: expectation, valence and instrumentality V. Vroom focuses his theory on the field of organizations, and that is why he makes special reference to motivation at work.
Thus, based on Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, the following formula is proposed, which relates these three components: Motivational strength = Expectation x Instrumentality x Valence. That is, it refers to the three components mentioned for explain what it depends on for a person to feel and exercise said motivational force
Components
The basic components that determine the motivation of workers are: expectation, instrumentality and valence. Let’s see what each of them consists of:
1. Expectation
It consists of the expectation that by investing “X” effort, “X” results will be obtained. To do this, it is essential that the employer knows what motivates his workers, so that he can motivate them properly.
Expectation has a lot to do with the concept of self-efficacy introduced by Albert Bandura an important Canadian psychologist born in 1925. This concept refers to the person’s perceived ability to face obstacles and achieve what they set out to do.
Another factor that comes into play in the worker’s expectation is the difficulty of the task; That is why the employer must ensure that the person, in addition to having the skills required to carry out the task, has the resources or support that he or she needs.
Within Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, and referring to the second essential element that leads to motivation, we find instrumentality. This has to do with the fact that Each worker will have their role and will be an essential part for the entire system to work the organization itself as a whole.
The objective will be for the employee to perform well, allowing the desired results to be obtained; That is, it has to be a “functional” piece that adds value. Hence the name of this concept.
3. Valencia
Finally, the third component of Vroom’s expectancy theory formula is valence, and it has to do with what each employee values; There will be some who value salary more, others vacation days, others free time (which implies working fewer hours), etc.
The role of the employer, in this case, will be to discover what his workers value, in addition to knowing what value they give to their own results. That is, the results or performance obtained by each worker will be valued by each of them in a unique, idiosyncratic way.
Motivation and effort
Vroom knew that motivation was closely related to effort. Thus, and logically, the more motivated we are in relation to a task or an objective, the more we will strive to achieve it. And furthermore, the fact that we are more or less motivated will be determined by the value that we give to said task or objective, that is, the personal value it has for oneself.
It is a kind of intuitive sequence; the more value, the more motivation and by extension, the more effort Thus, alluding to this concept, Vroom differentiates three elements: the individual effort that each person makes to achieve a goal, the performance they obtain and the final result of that task.
These three elements are connected and constantly interrelate, influencing each other.
Decisions and personal factors
On the other hand, Vroom’s expectancy theory establishes that workers will make decisions based on what motivates them most in their work, and also, the more motivated they are, the more they will try.
Besides, The person’s personality and personal characteristics will also have an influence when it comes to guiding the person themselves in their decisions. According to Vroom, we behave by constantly choosing what we want, that is, deciding between different options or alternatives.
Fundamental ideas: how can the entrepreneur act?
Vroom’s expectancy theory also relates some concepts already mentioned: effort, motivation and performance. But… what way?
According to Victor Vroom himself, and as we have already mentioned, a person will work harder if they feel more motivated towards a certain task; Furthermore, if he tries hard, his performance will be more likely to be good. They are, thus, factors that are interrelated, and although Vroom’s expectancy theory focuses on the field of work, it can be extrapolated to the educational field, for example, or to others.
Self-efficacy and self-esteem
What can (or should) a boss do to motivate his employees? According to Vroom’s expectancy theory, a good option will be maintain a positive correlation between the worker’s performance/performance and his or her effort That is, the worker feels that the more he tries, the better his job performance is. In other words, that his feeling of self-efficacy is high (self-efficacy expectations), and that he sees himself capable of achieving what he sets out to do.
If this is applied correctly and consistently, the worker will end up trusting himself and his abilities, a fact that will maintain or increase his own self-esteem. All of this will favor his personal and work well-being.
What we mentioned, in addition, It has to do with the person’s perception of themselves, their work, their achievements etc., and this is why it is important to reinforce that positive correlation between effort and performance.
Processes in the workplace
Within Vroom’s expectancy theory we can find three main processes that can develop in the work context. These processes consist of relationships between different elements of the theory. Let’s see them:
As we have mentioned before, the theory proposes this point; It is a relationship between worker effort and performance. This relationship is proportional; That is, the greater the effort, the greater the performance. We also see this outside of the workplace although we must keep in mind that there will always be strange variables that we cannot control that may interfere with our performance.
2. Relationship between performance and reinforcement
Vroom’s expectancy theory also refers to the relationship between performance and reinforcement or rewards (“rewards”). Maintains that The higher the performance, the greater the rewards we will obtain
In the work context, we can relate this to the objectives established by some companies, which consist of financially rewarding the worker based on their performance; For example, if you reach the goal of selling “X” products, or billing “X” amount of money, you will be rewarded with a salary increase or extra pay that month.
3. Relationship between reinforcement and value
The third point or process proposed by Vroom’s expectancy theory is the relationship that appears between the reinforcement or reward received by the worker, and the value that the worker gives it.
That is, the ideal is for the rewards to be valued by the workers, because, as we have already seen, the more value the reward (or the objective, task,…) has for the worker, the more motivation they will have and the more effort they will invest. to develop the task or work.
Non-compliance with processes
According to Vroom’s expectancy theory, the three types of relationships that we have exposed are actually “conditions” to ensure good work performance. It is because of that If one of the three is not met, it will be very difficult to motivate the worker and, by extension, for him to be efficient or productive
