Define the three factors that determine a person's motivation according to expectancy theory. For each factor, describe one action a manager could take to increase an employee's motivation based on that factor.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The expectancy theory identifies three major factors that determine a person's motivation: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. Expectancy is a person's perception about the extent to which effort (an input) results in a certain level of performance. A person's level of expectancy determines whether he or she believes that a high level of effort results in a high level of performance. A manager can provide training or express confidence in subordinates to increase their level of expectancy. Instrumentality, the second major concept in expectancy theory, is a person's perception about the extent to which performance at a certain level results in the attainment of outcomes. A manager can use a credible pay-for-performance approach to distributing outcomes in order to boost motivation due to instrumentality. The third factor, valence, refers to how desirable each of the outcomes available from a job or organization is to a person. A manager could meet with each employee to determine what is important to them.