Expectancy Theory
(Vroom)

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An employee's performance is based on individual factors. Explanation of Expectancy Theory of Victor Vroom. ('64)

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What is Expectancy Theory? Description

The Expectancy Theory of Victor Vroom deals with motivation and management. Vroom's theory assumes that behavior is a result from conscious choices among alternatives. The purpose of the choices is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Together with Edward Lawler and Lyman Porter, Vroom suggested that the relationship between people's behavior at work and their goals was not as simple as was first imagined by other scientists. Vroom realized that an employee's performance is based on individual factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities.

The expectancy theory says that individuals have different sets of goals and can be motivated if they have certain expectations.

Expectancy Theory expectations

There is a positive correlation between efforts and performance,
Favorable 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.

Vroom's Expectancy Theory is based upon the following three beliefs.

Expectancy Theory beliefs

Valence. Refers to the emotional orientations which people hold with respect to outcomes [rewards]. The depth of the want of an employee for extrinsic [money, promotion, free time, benefits] or intrinsic [satisfaction] rewards. Management must discover what employees appreciate.
Expectancy. Employees have different expectations and levels of confidence about what they are capable of doing. Management must discover what resources, training, or supervision the employees need.
Instrumentality. The perception of employees whether they will actually receive what they desire, even if it has been promised by a manager. Management must ensure that promises of rewards are fulfilled and that employees are aware of that.

Vroom suggests that an employee's beliefs about Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence interact psychologically. In this way they create a motivational force, such that the employee will act in a way that brings pleasure and avoids pain. This force can be 'calculated' via a formula:

Expectancy Theory formula

Motivation = Valence x Expectancy(Instrumentality).

This formula can be used to indicate and predict things as: job satisfaction, occupational choice, the likelihood of staying in a job, and the effort that one might expend at work.

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Expectancy Theory Forum

Recent User Comments

    			 
  			   Quirine - Netherlands
  	       
  		     Motivation in NPO's
  	  		 "I'm having difficulties finding a theory to help me research motivation, and the importance of it, in a non-profit organization. Could someone please give me some advice for the best possible theory? Thanks so much!"
  			   
    	  		 9

    			 
  			   alec fraher - UK
  	       
  		     Expectancy Theory
  	  		 "Beliefs are moveable and changeable - has anybody applied ET and shown its ability to handle value positions that arise from economic or political positions that are outside the indivbidual?"
  			   
    	  		 1

    			 
  			   Leo Paul - India
  	       
  		     Vrooms Theory
  	  		 "It's all about expecting something and fulfilling that expectation. Need not be such a long explanations like valence, expectancy and instrumentality."
  			   
    	  		 1

    			 
  			   Aju - UK
  	       
  		     Good Work
  	  		 "The various analysis on the subject are quite educating and eye opening. However with such criticism this does not mean that the demerits outway the merits of the theory?"
  			   
    	  		 2

    			 
  			   Kat - Philippines
  	       
  		     Vice Versa
  	  		 "Could this theory also explain how outcomes affect the performance?
(i.e., the higher the salary = the better the performance..)

thanks in advance"
  			   
    	  		 3

Best User Comments

    			   
    			     Andreas - Germany
  	         
  				   Working hard for a raise?
  				   "A consequence that should not be overlooked of the formula M = V * E * I is that even if only one of the 3 elements is zero, the resulting Motivation force will also be zero.

So if your employee either does not care about obtaining a raise at all (Valence=0) OR believes his hard work will not result in a better performance (Expectancy=0) OR thinks it is very unlikely that the organization will ever appreciate and reward his performance (Instrumentality=0), in any of these 3 cases his motivation force will be zero."
    			   
        	  		 31

    			   
    			     William P. - Canada
  	         
  				   Motivating an Employee by Valence
  				   "According to Vroom, Valence refers to a preference for one outcome over another. It can be positive, neutral or negative. For example, if an employee strongly desires  a promotion, and believes that arriving early for work each day will earn him that promotion, then he will attach a positive valence to arriving early, and be motivated to do so, because of the perceived value of the reward. And he will have a negative valence to arriving late."
    			   
        	  		 16

    			   
    			     Jennifer - USA
  	         
  				   Thank You!
  				   "This short summary was extremely helpful for me.  Thank you!  This is a very interesting theory, and I am currently looking into possible applications to other fields of psychology (e.g. health), not just the industrial / organizational field."
    			   
        	  		 13

    			   
    			     Mahesh - London
  	         
  				   Critics of Vroom's theory
  				   "Nice explanation, but I didn't find criticizers of expectancy theory who advocated against his three elements?

"
    			   
        	  		 10

    			   
    			     Omotayo Fakoyede - Nigeria
  	         
  				   What is the distinguishing ratio?
  				   "My problem with this theory is that there is no distinguishing ratio as to the level of performance that leads to a particular outcomes.

E.g.: how do you rate coming late to work between someone that lives nearby to someone that lives far away? I think the theory would benefit from such an upgrade."
    			   
        	  		 5

    			   
                  - Philippines
  	         
  				   On Expectancy Theory
  				   "The discussion above enables commoners to understand more and to comprehend the concepts and principles this theory wanted to imply. The use of simple terms in the explanation, but without jeopardazing the real content of the theory itself is a big help. If I were Vroom I would greatly appreciate that my theory were understood by many and that you were able to deliver it effectively. As a reseracher seeking to analyze how people use expectancy theory in their work perfomance, this page is very useful... A huge thanks to everyone!"
    			   
        	  		 4

    			   
    			     Andreas - Germany
  	         
  				   Vroom versus Maslow
  				   "Unlike the Theory of Needs by Maslow, Vroom's Expectancy Theory (ET) does NOT a priori assumes there are certain needs present in a certain order or hierarchy. In ET, outcomes are (perceived as) valuable when they correspond with a personal goal. As a consequence, ET misses the general predictive capability of Maslow, but is stronger  in explaining individual motivation."
    			   
        	  		 3

    			   
                  - Philippines
  	         
  				   Relating Expectancy Theory to Sports Performance
  				   "GOOD DAY!!! I would like to ask help for our research paper. Our topic is about the influence of energy drinks on sprinting performance. The research includes two real energy drinks & placebo energy drink given to the athletes. Can you plese help me on how I'm going to relate my IV and Dv on Vroom's expectancy theory (expectancy, valence, instrumentality) in a very comprehensive manner and most appropriately. Thank you, hope to see replies.It would be a big contribution."
    			   
        	  		 1

    			   
    			     William P. - Canada
  	         
  				   Motivating an Employee by Expectancy
  				   "According to Vroom, Expectancy is the 'momentary belief concerning the likelihood that a particular act will be followed by a particular outcome'. It can range from zero (belief that the outcome will not follow on from the act) to one (certainty that the outcome will follow on from the act)."
    			   
        	  		 -10

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Expectancy Theory Education & Events

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12manage for:

	● rebecca (usa)	NPO Motivation	"I think the best motivator for a NPO would be a goal setting motivator. Allow the workers or managers themselves to set specific daily and weekly goals and watch the employees be more inclined to reach those goals than with any other tactic."
	● (UK)	Best articles to read on Commitment and Motivation of Employees?	"Hi - does anyone have any recommended text of motivation and commitment principles and research (ideally within a recessionary period)?"

                     
                      ●  (SA)
                      
                    Expectancy Theory
                    "I had difficulty using this method to answer a question in my assignment. Though the theory seems easy to understand, applying it to real situation was very challenging."

● Mark (USA)	Vroom Theory of Motivation	"I agree with Andrea’s observation. The fact that any one element can be zero will result in a Motivational Force of zero. Regardless of choice, motivation, or behavior, management will be unable to align expectations and confidence levels (expectancy), management will be unable to move in a direction of emotional orientation (valence), and/or satisfy individual perceptions surrounding the organization (instrumentality)."
● Dan (USA)	Vroom Theory of Motivation	"Excellent observation Andreas! Thank you for pointing out the significance of ensuring all elements of the theory must have a positive natural value in order to achieve their desired effectiveness! After reading your comment it struck me how the desired results can be lost due to the most basic principles. Once again, thank you!"
● (US)	Working Hard for a Raise	"How about eliminate zeroes. Use a scale i.e. one to five. So there is always a numeric value... Just a thought.."

                       
                        ● Andreas (Germany)
                        
                      Valence
                      "The valence force is unique for each individual, depending on his experiences, and may vary over time. Once anterior necessities are satisfied, new ones will always appear. It has its focus on the relationship between personal goals and rewards."

● Remi (NIgeria)	Sociology	"I have found the summary useful in my study. I am applying it to the study of entrepreneurial event. Thank you.""
● Khurram Ali (Pakistan)	Human Resource Management	"Its great!!! simple, straight forward.. no fuss at all. I donno why books of hrm are not written in this way and why they long use less boring stories to explain a simple point, which most of the time only needs to be mentioed rather than explained."]"
● Nitin Mohan (uk)	HRM	"this is awesome. the way its written ,easy to understand,best part is that u can compare two different theories. very very helpful"
● Rochelle (Philippines)	Industrial Psychology	"This is great!!! i dont need to rush on any related books just to understand this theory... it helps me understand the topic easilly! good job!"
● Solomon (USA)	Expectancy Theory	"This summary is highly applicable to Organizational Development - especially Training and Learning Practices based on Andragogic methodology. Excellent work!"
● Ahmad (Mauritius)	Expectancy theory	"It kind of sums up current employment trends w.r.t. rewards and motivation. :-)"
● Jai (UK)	Great for students	"This summary is great for understanding one of the many motivational theories. Great help for assignments and summarising the basics!"
● Ajuga Chris (Uganda)	Expectancy theory	"The research work you have done is so helpful to me, and I believe it has added value to me, and to many others. Thanks, may you keep up the good work."
● Marin (Macedonia)	Organizational Behavior	"Very helpful, nothing more - nothing less. Great help for summarising the essentials of the theory."
● Yiting (China)	Expectancy theory	"Great. It's much better and easy to understand than the way written in my textbook. Thanks"
● BHAWNA (INDIA)	GREAT	"The summary is excellent and can be used in class room. The learners will never forget the concept if taught this way"
● Emily (USA)	Expectancy Theory	"The brief mention of using Vroom's Expectancy Theory for other areas of psychology -specifically health- was very helpful to me. Jennifer, I wonder if you are looking at how to engage consumers in their own health matters? I'm learning that everyone involved with delivering health care is pretty much puzzled about what motiviates people with respect to their own health behaviors and practies. Taking Vroom's model could be a huge help in this regard- which, as an IO pscyhologist, I should have thought of!! Thanks!!"

	● Nadir (Somalia)	Thanks for your preparation	"This is a fantastic information that everyone who reads will admire. Keep your effort to that point. Many thanks."
	● Adedara Oduguwa (Nigeria)	Motivation	"I think there can never be a better way of motivating employees than to meet their immediate work needs as opined by Abraham Maslow in his great Hierarchy of Needs Theory."

	● Jay (India)	ET is personal, individual	"Indeed, the formula derived by ET is related to the personal goal. Suppose you have a never ending need to satisfy the theory rightly, this would convert you into a machine that works non-stop to achive that. Well this can be called motivation but at what cost are you able to sustain such high motivation is to be debated. ET is a fantastic tool for understanding individual motivation."
	● Francis Mathew (UK)	Expectancy Theory vs Maslow's model	"ET does not need to have that predictive capability as all managers are concerned with how to get the maximum out of an individual. Once a manager realises that an individual knows that he can achieve a target and this will also give him that satisfaction, there is nothing more required for the manager in order to get the best off that individual."

                       
                        ● Andreas (Germany)
                        
                      Expectancy
                      "You should see expectancy as the perceived probability between effort and performance, from 0% (not all likely) to 100% or 1 (individual perceives it is sure that a given effort will lead to a desired performance)."

Expectancy Theory (Vroom)