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Critically explain Vroom's Expectancy Theory of Motivation.
Posts: 755
Threads: 467
Joined: Oct 2010
Content theories of motivation tell us about what energises human behaviour. They throw light on the various human needs and incentives which cause behaviour. On the other hand, process theories of motivation answer the question of how individual behaviour is energised. Vroom's Expectancy Theory is one of the process theory.
Vroom's Expectancy Theory is also known as Instrumentality Theory. It was originally proposed by Talman in 1932. He argued that an individual's purpose in behaving must be analysed with respect to the individual's perceived likelihood that an action will lead to a certain outcome or goal. Vroom related this theory to motivation. According to Vroom, motivation is a process governing choices made by persons among alternative forms of voluntary activity. Following are the basic concepts of this theory.
First and second-level outcome: First-level outcome is the job-associated behaviour of an individual which is determined by his preference for a particular goal among several goals known as second- level outcomes. Thus, an individual's preferred second-level outcome may be to get promotion in his job though there can be several other second-level outcomes also such as increase in salary, social approval. Self-esteem, etc. The desire to get promotion will then determine the individual's choice of a first-level outcome. He may have several first-level outcomes available to him such as turnover, absenteeism, joining a group, knowing his boss better, bribery, better performance, etc. The individual will choose that first- level outcome which he thinks is most likely to produce the second-level outcome. In other words he will try to adopt the most appropriate strategy.
2. Valence. Valence means the preference of a person for a particular outcome. This can be positive, negative or zero.
The valence is positive when the person prefers to attain a particular outcome. It is negative when he prefers not to attain it and it is zero when he is indifferent toward it.
The concept of valence applies to both types of outcomes. However, the valence towards the first- level outcome is the combined result of the valence towards the second level outcome and instrumentality.
3. Instrumentality. This is individual's perception of the relationship that exists between two outcomes. In other words, it is his subjective estimate of the probability that a given first-level outcome will lead to a certain second-level outcome. This probability can range between -1 and +1. -1 would indicate a belief that the second-level outcome is certain without the first-level outcome; 0 would indicate a belief that the second-level outcome is impossible with the first-level outcome, and + 1 would indicate a belief that the second-level outcome is certain with the first-level outcome.
4. Expectancy. Expectancy like instrumentality is also a probability estimate. But it differs from instrumentality in that it relates efforts to first-level outcomes whereas instrumentality relates first-and second-level outcomes to each other. Expectancy depends on the requisite skills and abilities of the individual to produce first-level outcome. The individual asks himself "Can I do it?" and makes an estimate of the probability.
Being action-outcome association expectancy takes only positive values ranging from O, indicating complete impossibility that an act will be followed by an outcome, to 1, indicating complete certainty that the act will be followed by the outcome. Negative expectancy has no meaning. This is not so, however, in the case of instrumentality which being an outcome-outcome association can assume even negative values.
The theory gives three major principles
1. Performance by an individual is a multiplicative function of motivation and ability.
2. Motivation is a multiplicative function of the valence for each first level outcome and the believed expectancy that a given behaviour will be followed by a particular first-level outcome.
3. Valence associated with a first level outcome is the sum of the products of valences attached to the second level outcomes and corresponding instrumentalities.
Although Vroom's theory does not directly contribute to techniques of motivating personnel in an organisation, it is of value in analysing the process of motivation. The theory tells us that what an individual does depend on a three-step thought process. First of all, he determines the relative importance of his various personal goals such as money, security, recognition, etc. These are the second-level outcomes for him. He then determines the probability of the organisational goals i.e., the prescribed standards of output and behaviour (which are first-level outcomes) leading him to his second level outcome. This is the instrumentality of the first-level outcomes. Finally, he decides what is his ability to achieve each first-level outcome. This is expectancy.
This model has several important applications for a manager. It tells him that to motivate people it is not enough to offer the rewards. They must also feel:
1. Attracted towards those rewards;
2. Convinced that the prescribed effort will lead them to those rewards ; and
3. That they have the ability to do the prescribed effort.
This model, however, operates in those situations only where the employees have the freedom to make their choices among alternative courses of action or behaviour. In those situations where this freedom does not exist this model will not operate.
