Expectancy Theory of Work Motivation

Among the most influential theories of work motivation to appear during the second half of the 20th century in Western psychology and organizational behavior was, in fact, a body of theories that were all variants of an expected-value formulation. In a nutshell, these theories held in common the premise that the motivational force a person would feel toward a particular choice (or position or alternative) was a joint, multiplicative function of the individual's beliefs about the expected value of the outcomes that the choice alternative would bring about, multiplied by the perceived probability that the outcome would result from selecting that choice (or position, or alternative). These models assume that an individual would form beliefs and perceptions about all (or at least some) of the most salient alternatives available at any choice point and select to act in accordance with the alternative that yields the highest subjective expected utility, or payoff.

A few key elements of the model must be emphasized. (We have acknowledged that a variety of expectancy theory models are available. For ease of description, however, we will refer to them as a collectivity, in the singular case.) First, notice that expectancy theory is a within-person decision-making model: the individual chooses to behave in accordance with the alternative that she or he associates with the highest subjective expected utility. It was never intended to be predictive of differences across individuals in terms of the choices they make.

Second, note the perceptual nature of the major parameters of the model. It is referred to as expectancy theory for a good reason. The major parameters are all perceptual and based on the individual's beliefs. Naturally, in any case, the person's perceptions may be inaccurate or his beliefs may be false. The nature of these various beliefs and perceptions, accurate or otherwise, determines the motivational force toward any particular decision alternative.

Third, the elements of the model are combined in the mind of the individual multiplicatively. Therefore, if a given decision alternative has no positive outcomes associated with it in the mind of the person, this zero value will result in a nullification of the force associated with that decision alternative. The same would occur if the person sees no likely connection between selecting an alternative and the receipt of the outcome.