What is Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory? Process of Model of Motivation

Summary

This video delves into Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory, a pivotal yet underappreciated model in motivation for managers. Vroom's theory posits that motivation hinges on three factors: expectancy (belief in achieving desired outcomes through effort), instrumentality (confidence in receiving rewards for results), and valence (the perceived satisfaction from the reward). The video illustrates these concepts with a relatable example of a parent seeking to motivate their children to clean a car. It emphasizes the importance of aligning tasks, rewards, and personal satisfaction to bolster motivation, offering actionable insights for managers.

Takeaways

• 📚 Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory is a crucial model for understanding motivation in management, despite being less well-known.
• 🧮 The theory is often overlooked because it's expressed in mathematical terms, which can be intimidating for some.
• 👨‍👧‍👦 The theory is explained through a relatable example involving a parent asking their children to clean a car, illustrating different motivational factors.
• 🔗 Expectancy refers to the belief that effort will lead to a desired outcome, and if low, it decreases motivation.
• 🎯 Instrumentality is the belief that achieving the outcome will lead to receiving the promised reward; if doubted, it weakens motivation.
• 🎁 Valence is the perceived satisfaction or value of the reward, and if it's too low, it doesn't motivate despite high expectancy and instrumentality.
• 🔗 The model suggests that motivation is the product of expectancy, instrumentality, and valence, highlighting the importance of all three components.
• 🔑 As managers, understanding this model can help in setting achievable tasks, ensuring rewards are credible, and offering rewards that are truly valued.
• 🔄 The theory doesn't dictate what motivates individuals but explains how the chain of motivation operates when any link is weak or broken.
• 📈 The equation for motivation is represented as M = E x I x V, where M is motivation, E is expectancy, I is instrumentality, and V is valence.
• 👍 The video encourages viewers to engage with the content by liking and subscribing for more management and motivation insights.

Q & A

What is Victor Vroom's expectancy theory?

Victor Vroom's expectancy theory is a model of motivation that suggests motivation is a function of an individual's expectation that effort will lead to performance, the instrumentality of performance leading to rewards, and the valence or satisfaction associated with the rewards.

Why is expectancy theory considered valuable for managers?

Expectancy theory is valuable for managers because it provides a framework to understand how motivation works and how to enhance it. It helps managers to set achievable tasks, ensure rewards are credible and valued by employees, and thus improve overall motivation.

What does the term 'expectancy' refer to in the context of Vroom's theory?

In Vroom's theory, 'expectancy' refers to an individual's belief that effort will lead to the desired performance outcome.

How does 'instrumentality' differ from 'expectancy' in Vroom's model?

While 'expectancy' is about the belief that effort leads to performance, 'instrumentality' is about the belief that achieving the performance will lead to the promised reward.

What is 'valence' in Victor Vroom's theory?

'Valence' in Victor Vroom's theory refers to the perceived satisfaction or value an individual associates with the reward they expect to receive.

Why might an individual not be motivated even if they are capable, according to the script?

An individual might not be motivated if they have low expectancy, instrumentality, or valence. They might not believe their effort will lead to performance, doubt that performance will result in the promised reward, or not find the reward satisfying enough.

What is the significance of the mathematical equation in Vroom's expectancy theory?

The mathematical equation in Vroom's expectancy theory illustrates that motivation is the product of expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. It signifies that motivation is low if any of these factors is low or zero.

How can a manager use the expectancy theory to improve motivation among team members?

A manager can use the expectancy theory by ensuring tasks are achievable, rewards are credible and valued, and understanding what rewards are satisfying to team members, thus addressing all three components of the motivation chain.

What is the role of rewards in motivating employees according to the expectancy theory?

According to the expectancy theory, rewards play a crucial role in motivating employees as they represent the valence component, which is the perceived satisfaction or value of the reward.

Can you provide an example from the script that illustrates the concept of 'instrumentality'?

In the script, the older daughter expects that she will clean the car and achieve a good result, but she doubts she will receive the promised reward due to past experiences, thus illustrating the concept of 'instrumentality'.

How does the valence component affect motivation in the context of the younger son's decision not to clean the car?

The younger son in the script has high expectancy and instrumentality but decides not to clean the car because the valence, or the satisfaction he would get from the reward, is low since he currently doesn't want the promised reward and prefers spending time with friends.

Outlines

00:00

🚗 Understanding Motivation Through Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory

This paragraph introduces Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory, which is a crucial yet often misunderstood model in the field of motivation. The theory is presented through a relatable scenario where a father asks his children to clean the car, illustrating how motivation is influenced by the children's expectations of receiving a promised reward. The father's older son is not motivated due to past negative experiences, indicating low expectancy. The older daughter, despite expecting a positive outcome, is let down by the father's inconsistent follow-through, highlighting the concept of instrumentality. The younger son, who has both high expectancy and instrumentality, is not motivated because the reward does not hold value for him, introducing the concept of valence. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of understanding these three components—expectancy, instrumentality, and valence—for effective motivation.

05:03

🔗 The Chain of Motivation: Effort, Performance, Outcome, and Satisfaction

The second paragraph delves deeper into the mechanics of the motivation chain as proposed by Victor Vroom's Expectancy Theory. It explains how motivation is directly tied to an individual's belief in their ability to exert effort and achieve a desired outcome, and the value they place on the resulting reward. The paragraph uses a simple equation to represent this relationship: Motivation = Expectancy × Instrumentality × Valence. It underscores the importance of managers understanding and strengthening each link in this chain to boost motivation among team members. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content, subscribe to the channel, and continue learning about management strategies.

Keywords

💡Expectancy Theory

Expectancy Theory, developed by Victor Vroom, is a motivational theory that suggests motivation is based on an individual's expectation that effort will lead to performance, which will then lead to certain rewards. In the script, this theory is used to explain why the older son is not motivated to clean the car due to past negative experiences, leading to low expectancy.

💡Instrumentality

Instrumentality refers to the belief that performing well will lead to the attainment of a desired outcome or reward. In the script, the older daughter's lack of motivation stems from her doubt that she will receive the promised reward, indicating low instrumentality.

💡Valence

Valence in the context of Vroom's theory is the value or satisfaction an individual anticipates from a reward. The younger son in the script has high expectancy and instrumentality but is not motivated because the reward does not hold high valence for him; he would rather spend time with friends.

💡Motivation

Motivation, as discussed in the script, is the drive or willingness to perform a task. It is influenced by the expectancy, instrumentality, and valence of the potential outcomes. The video uses the cleaning of the car as an example to illustrate how low motivation can result from any weak link in this chain.

💡Equation

The equation mentioned in the script represents Vroom's mathematical formulation of the expectancy theory: Motivation = Expectancy x Instrumentality x Valence. This equation is used to show that motivation is maximized when all three components are high, and it can be zeroed out if any component is absent.

💡Reward

A reward in the script is an incentive offered to motivate someone to perform a task. The theory suggests that the promise of a reward must be believable and satisfying for it to be effective in motivating individuals, as seen with the different reactions of the children to the promise of a reward.

💡Effort

Effort is the work or energy an individual puts into a task. In the video, it is the starting point of the motivation chain, where an individual's belief that effort will lead to performance is crucial for motivation, as illustrated by the children's varying willingness to clean the car.

💡Performance

Performance is the outcome or result of an individual's effort. The script uses the cleaning of the car as a performance task, where the children's past experiences with this task affect their motivation to perform it again.

💡Outcome

Outcome in the script refers to the result of performance that leads to the potential receipt of a reward. The older daughter's expectation of a reward is tied to her belief that her performance will lead to the desired outcome, which is crucial for her motivation.

💡Management

Management, as discussed in the script, involves setting tasks and providing rewards to motivate team members. The video suggests that managers can apply the expectancy theory to understand and improve motivation by ensuring tasks are achievable, rewards are credible, and the value of rewards is recognized.

💡Resources

Resources in the script refer to the tools, skills, and knowledge available to an individual to perform a task. The video implies that managers should ensure team members have adequate resources to believe in their ability to perform and achieve expected results, which is essential for high expectancy.

Highlights

Victor Vroom's expectancy theory is a valuable yet underappreciated model for understanding motivation.

The theory is often overlooked due to its mathematical expression, which can be off-putting for some.

Expectancy theory will be explained through a simple, relatable example involving cleaning a car.

The first component of the theory is 'expectancy,' which relates to the belief that effort will lead to a desired outcome.

Instrumentality is the second component, referring to the belief that achieving the outcome will lead to receiving the promised reward.

Valence is the third component, which is about the satisfaction derived from the reward.

All three components must be strong for motivation to be high; a weak link in the chain reduces motivation.

The theory is represented by a simple equation: Motivation = Expectancy × Instrumentality × Valence.

Understanding expectancy theory can help managers set achievable tasks for their team.

Managers must ensure that promised rewards are credible to maintain instrumentality.

Offering rewards with high valence is crucial for motivating team members.

The video provides a practical application of the theory using a family scenario.

The importance of each component in the motivation chain is emphasized through the example.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content and subscribe for more.

The video promises more management courses and content for continuous learning.

Transcripts

have you ever found that someone who

should be motivated in a situation isn't

if you have if you've ever wondered

what's going on and then one of the most

valuable models for you is going to be

Victor vroom z-- expectancy theory it

arguably is one of the least understood

and most valuable models for any manager

in the field of motivation and that's

what we'll look at in this video

Victor runes expectancy theory of

motivation is probably less well known

and it should be because he expressed it

in mathematical terms he wrote an

equation for it and people don't like

equation so I I'm not going to give you

an equation to at the very end of this

video by then you'll already understand

the theory and the equation we'll just

complete the picture for you to help you

understand the theory I'm going to

consider a very simple example I have a

car I want to clean it but I'm not gonna

do it myself because I've got four

children and any one of them could clean

it for me

and each of them could do a good job so

I go to my older son and I ask my oldest

son if he will clean the car I promised

him a great reward if he does but he

says and no I don't think I want to

clean the car for you because every time

I've cleaned the car for you in the past

you've always found fault with the work

I've done you've never been happy with

it it always just gets me frustrated so

ask someone else what's going on why

doesn't my son what's going on why

doesn't my son once clean the car well

Victor vroom would have described this

in terms of expectancy my son doesn't

expect that if he puts in the work he

will get the outcome for which he would

be rewarded

if expectancy is low then so is

motivation so I go to my older daughter

and I ask her if she wants to clean the

car promising her a great reward if she

does well dad who says every time I

clean the car I do a good job and you

always appreciate the work I've done but

here's the thing you always promised to

get me a present and you always seem to

forget so you know what I don't think I

want to do it ask someone else now

what's going on with my older daughter

isn't about expectancy she expects that

if she puts in the work she will get the

result if the problem is what room would

describe as instrumentality my older

daughter doesn't believe that getting

the result that's required will be

instrumental in her receiving the reward

if instrumentality is low then so is

motivation it's like a chain expectancy

has to be strong and so does

instrumentality if either link in the

chain is weak then so will motivation be

so let's go to my younger son I asked

him if he wants to clean the car and he

says well dad every time I do the work I

get a great result and you're always

happy with it and whenever I do a good

job you always buy me the present you

promise the thing is that there is

nothing I particularly want at the

moment what I really want to do is spend

some time with my friends so the first

two links in the chain from my younger

son are complete he does the work he

gets the result high level of expectancy

he also believes that if he gets the

result it will be instrumental in him

achieving the reward that is promised so

that's high instrumentality but the

problem for him is what Victor vroom

would call the valence the satisfaction

that he will feel at receiving the

reward for him either the value of the

reward is too low or even if I'm

offering an extravagant reward for doing

the work it will not satisfy him enough

if the valence is low the perceived

satisfaction with the reward that is

promised is too low then so is

motivation three links in the chain all

have to be complete and that's Rooms

model of motivation it doesn't tell us

anything about what motivates us it

tells us about how that chain of

motivation works

the chain runs from effort so

performance outcome the satisfaction or

the value we feel in the reward we get

and if any link in that chain is weak

then so is motivation

and we can represent that as bits of

room did as a simple equation the

motivation that we feel

it's the expectancy times the

instrumentality times the valence and

simple math tells us that if any of

those terms is too low then motivation

will be low and if any of those terms is

zero then there will be no motivation so

how does this help us as managers it

helps us as managers because firstly we

have to set work that our team members

and colleagues believe is possible they

have to believe that with the resources

they have the skills and knowledge that

time you've allocated they can do the

work and achieve the results that is

expected of them if they don't believe

that I have low expectancy secondly they

have to believe that if you make some

promise of rewards or if your

organization makes a promise a reward

that they will actually receive that

reward and how many times have we

encountered organizations that promise

pay rises or bonuses and don't fulfill

on those promises and of course that

poisons motivation down the line because

of instrumentality

and thirdly as a manager if you are

going to motivate me to do something you

have to make me an offer of a reward

that will give me a sense of

satisfaction will have a high valence if

I don't anticipate being pleased by the

reward then I won't be motivated that's

the chain of motivation that is a

fictive Rooms

expectancy model of motivation please

give us a thumbs up if you liked this

video there's lots more great management

courses content to come so please

subscribe to our channel and hit the

belt to make sure you don't miss any

back content I'll see you in the next

video

and in the meantime keep learning