Expectancy theory in five simple steps. (applied psychology in personnel management)

Expectancy Theory in Five Simple Steps

Psychologist Kurt Lewin used to say there's nothing so practical as a good theory. And when it comes to explaining human behavior, theories and theorists abound from Maslow to Herzberg to McGregor. Most theories, however, are complex and difficult to translate into managerial practice, such as developing motivation programs. Trainers can't just sit down for an afternoon and show managers how Maslow's hierarchical model of needs can help them solve employee performance problems. Expectancy theory, on the other hand, comes closer to what Lewin referred to as a good theory: It is practical. Furthermore, it's simple, it's mainstream psychology, it's been around a long time, it's easy to apply, and--most important--it works.

Expectancy theory is an admirably straightforward explanation of human behavior. Yet suprisingly few trainers use it as a basis for developing motivational programs to achieve greater employee productivity. Even the man most closely identified with the theory--Victor Vroom of Yale--seems to have moved on to other topics, such as decision-making models.

Human behavior, expectancy theory explains, is a function of two factors:

* the perceived value of the reward that certain behavior yields,

* the expectation in the doer that certain behavior actually will yield that reward.

Hence the term "expectancy." In choosing between behaviors A, B, or C, people will choose the behavior or selection that will result in their getting the more valuable output or reward, provided they see the reward as attainable. If they …