Vroom’s expectancy theory: what it is and what it says about work.

A theory that talks about decision making and motivation in organizations and companies.

Vroom's expectancy theory is contextualized within social and organizational psychology.. It refers to human motivation, a concept widely studied in basic and social psychology.

This theory holds that motivation depends on three factors: expectancy, instrumentality and valence. In this article we will learn about these components, the characteristics of the theory and how it relates to effort and job performance.

Vroom's expectancy theory: characteristics.

The theory was proposed by Victor Vroom, a psychology professor originally from Canada, in the year 1964. Through Vroom's expectancy theory, it is established that human motivation depends on three factors: expectancy, valence and instrumentality.. V. Vroom focuses his theory in the field of organizations, and that is why he makes special reference to motivation at work.

Thus, based on Vroom's Expectancy Theory, the following formula is proposed, which relates these three components: Motivational Strength = Expectancy x Instrumentality x Valence. That is to say, it alludes to the three components mentioned above to to explain what determines whether a person feels and exerts this motivational force..

Components

The basic components that determine workers' motivation are: expectancy, instrumentality and valence. Let's see what each of them consists of:

1. Expectancy

It consists of the expectation that by investing "X" effort, "X" results will be obtained. To this end, it is essential for the employer to know what motivates his workers, so that he can motivate them adequately.

Expectancy has a lot to do with the concept of self-efficacy introduced by Albert Bandura, an important Canadian psychologist born in 1925.an important Canadian psychologist born in 1925. This concept refers to a person's perceived ability to cope with obstacles and achieve what he or she sets out to do.

Another factor that comes into play in the expectation of the worker is the difficulty of the task; that is why the employer must ensure that the person, in addition to having the skills required to perform the task, has the resources or support he/she needs.

2. Instrumentality

Within Vroom's Expectancy Theory, and alluding to the second essential element that leads to motivation, we find instrumentality. This has to do with the fact that each worker will have his or her function and will be an indispensable part of the whole gear, the organization as a whole.the organization as a whole.

The objective will be that the employee has a good performance, which allows to obtain the desired results; that is to say, it has to be a "functional" piece, which contributes value. Hence the name of this concept.

3. Valencia

Finally, the third component of Vroom's expectancy theory formula is valence, which has to do with what each employee values; There will be some who value pay more, some who value vacation days more, some who value time off (which means working fewer hours), some who value work time more (which means working fewer hours), etc.

The role of the employer, in this case, will be to discover what his employees value, as well as to know what value they place on their own results. In other words, the results or performance obtained by each worker will be valued by each of them in a unique, idiosyncratic way.

Motivation and effort

Vroom knew that motivation was closely related to effort. Thus, logically, the more motivated we are in relation to a task or an objective, the more effort we will make to achieve it. Moreover, the fact that we are more or less motivated will be determined by the value we attach to that task or objective, i.e., the personal value it has for us.

This is a kind of intuitive sequence; the more value, the more motivation and, by extension, the more effort.. Thus, alluding to this concept, Vroom differentiates three elements: the individual effort made by each person to achieve a goal, the performance obtained and the final result of that task.

These three elements are constantly connected and interrelated, influencing each other.

Personal decisions and factors

On the other hand, Vroom's expectancy theory states that workers will make decisions based on what motivates them most in their work, and furthermore, the more motivated they are, the more they will make an effort.

In addition, the more motivated they are, the harder they will work, the individual's personality and personal characteristics will also exert an influence in guiding the person's own decisions. According to Vroom, we behave by constantly choosing what we want, that is, by deciding between different options or alternatives.

Fundamental ideas: how can the entrepreneur act?

Vroom's expectancy theory also relates some concepts already mentioned: effort, motivation and performance. But... which way?

According to Victor Vroom himself, and as we have already mentioned, a person will make more effort if he feels more motivated towards a certain task; moreover, if he makes a lot of effort, his performance will be more likely to be good. Thus, these factors are interrelated, and although Vroom's expectancy theory focuses on the work environment, it can be extrapolated to the educational environment, for example, or to others.

Self-efficacy and self-esteem

What can (or should) a boss do to motivate employees? According to Vroom's expectancy theory, a good option would be to maintain a positive correlation between the employee's performance and his or her efforts. In other words, the worker should feel that the more he/she makes an effort, the better his/her work performance will be. In other words, that his feeling of self-efficacy is high (self-efficacy expectations), and that he sees himself capable of achieving what he sets out to do.

If this is applied correctly and constantly, the worker will end up having confidence in himself and in his abilities, a fact that will maintain or increase his own self-esteem. All this will favor his personal and labor well-being.

This, moreover, has to do with the worker's perception of himself and his abilities, has to do with the perception that the person has of himself, of his work, of his achievements, etc., and it is for this reason that the person has a positive attitude towards himself and his work.This is why it is important to reinforce the positive correlation between effort and performance.

Processes in the work environment

Within Vroom's expectancy theory we can find three main processes that can be developed in the work context. These processes consist of relationships between different elements of the theory. Let's take a look at them:

1. Relationship between effort and performance.

As we have mentioned above, the theory proposes this point; it is a relationship between the worker's effort and performance. This relationship is proportional; that is, the greater the effort, the greater the performance. We also observe this outside the work environmentHowever, we must bear in mind that there will always be extraneous variables that we cannot control and that may interfere with our performance.

Relationship between performance and reinforcement

Vroom's expectancy theory also alludes to the relationship between performance and reinforcement or rewards ("prizes"). He argues that the greater the performance, the greater the rewards we will obtain.

In the labor context, this can be related to the objectives established by some companies, which consist of rewarding the worker economically according to his performance; for example, if he reaches the objective of selling "X" products, or invoicing "X" amount of money, he will be rewarded with a salary increase or extra pay that month.

3. Relationship between reinforcement and value

The third point or process proposed by Vroom's expectancy theory is the relationship that appears between the reinforcement or reward received by the worker, and the value he/she places on it.

That is, the ideal is that the rewards are valued by the workers, because, as we have already seen, the more value the reward (or the objective, task,...) has for the worker, the more motivation he will have and the more effort he will invest to develop the task or work.

Non-compliance with processes

According to Vroom's expectancy theory, the three types of relationships we have discussed are actually "conditions" for ensuring good job performance. That is why if one of the three is not fulfilled, it will be very difficult to motivate the worker and, by extension, for him to be efficient or productive..

Bibliographical references:

• Hogg, M. (2010). Social psychology. Vaughan Graham M. Panamericana. Editorial: Panamericana.
• Lawler III, E.E., and Suttle, J.L. (1973). Expectancy theory and work behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 9 (3), 482-503.
• Vroom, V.H. (1964). Work and motivation. Oxford, England: Wiley.