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Victor Vrooms Expectancy Theory: PowerPoint on VroomTweet

The focus of Vroom’s “Expectancy Theory” is that an employee’s motivation to complete a task is influenced by their personal views regarding:

1. The probability of completing the task and
2. The possible outcome or consequence of completing the task.

Expectancy Theory states that, individuals make decisions, which they believe will lead to reward or reduce the likelihood of pain. The ultimate goal does not matter, the important factor is the impact that achieving the goal will have on the individual. An individual’s opinion is formed by a combination of three factors which Vroom categorised as follows

1. Expectancy – Does the individual believe that they can achieve the task
2. Valence – Does the individual believe that completing the task will benefit them or cause detriment.
3. Instrumentality – What is the probability of completing the task leading to an outcome desired by the individual

1. Expectancy (Subjective Probability)

Expectancy is the individual’s belief about whether they can achieve the task. This view will be influenced by a number of things including

- The type of skills needed for the task,
- Support expectations of co-workers and line managers,
- Type of equipment/materials and
- Availability of pertinent information.

Another factor influencing expectancy is previous experience. If the task has been successfully completed in the past then expectancy will be high but if the task has failed in the past or was difficult to perform then expectancy will be low.

• There is a positive correlation between efforts and performance,
• Favourable performance will result in a desirable reward,
• The reward will satisfy an important need,
• The desire to satisfy the need is strong enough to make the effort worthwhile

If an individual feels that they can achieve the task then expectancy is measured as 1. On the other hand if they feel that the task can not be completed then expectancy is measured a 0. If the individual feels that the task may be achievable then it will be categorised between 0 and 1.
Eg. A task measured as 0.75 is believed to be more achievable than one measured as 0.45.

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