Applying Theories of Motivation to Situations
The first scenario states, “A professional working for a major corporation is assigned goals each quarter. If all goals are achieved, a substantial bonus is paid. One quarter, workers review their new goals and make the determination that they are not likely to achieve all the goals.” The theory of motivation that applies to this scenario is Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory. Expectancy theory explains three precursors for individual motivation: Expectancy is when a person believes that applying effort will cause high performance; Instrumentality states the individual perceives that high performance is required to achieve the specific goal or outcome; and valence indicates the evaluation of the …show more content…
The expectancy theory can predict motivational force in this scenario because employees will feel demotivated once they realize that no matter how hard they work, the goals are impossible to achieve (Argosy University Online, 2016). The theory explains employees will not be motivated to put in effort because that effort will not result in successful performance which will result in losing the bonus. The employees also realize that their personal goals will not be …show more content…
They believe that one worker (who they know well) is receiving more perks and rewards than they are for the same amount and quality of work.” The theory of motivation that applies to this scenario is Adams’ equity theory. The employees are concerned with the distributive justice and the procedural justice that are a components of organizational justice. They perceive the amount and distribution of the rewards and perks given to the worker as unfair because the worker does the same amount and quality of work as the others. They not only care what the outcome is, but how the outcome was determined (Robbins and Judge, 2014).
Overall, equity theory is concerned with the fairness of the workplace. The fairness of a workplace is also determined by interactional justice which concerns abstract results like courtesy and respect. Based on this theory, employees who view inequity in the workplace will choose either to exert less effort if underpaid, work to change the outcome, perceive themselves as working harder than others, or quit the job. Some researchers also support the argument that employees who feel they are overpaid may work harder, but others argue against this hypothesis (Robbins and Judge,
The first scenario states, “A professional working for a major corporation is assigned goals each quarter. If all goals are achieved, a substantial bonus is paid. One quarter, workers review their new goals and make the determination that they are not likely to achieve all the goals.” The theory of motivation that applies to this scenario is Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory. Expectancy theory explains three precursors for individual motivation: Expectancy is when a person believes that applying effort will cause high performance; Instrumentality states the individual perceives that high performance is required to achieve the specific goal or outcome; and valence indicates the evaluation of the …show more content…
The expectancy theory can predict motivational force in this scenario because employees will feel demotivated once they realize that no matter how hard they work, the goals are impossible to achieve (Argosy University Online, 2016). The theory explains employees will not be motivated to put in effort because that effort will not result in successful performance which will result in losing the bonus. The employees also realize that their personal goals will not be …show more content…
They believe that one worker (who they know well) is receiving more perks and rewards than they are for the same amount and quality of work.” The theory of motivation that applies to this scenario is Adams’ equity theory. The employees are concerned with the distributive justice and the procedural justice that are a components of organizational justice. They perceive the amount and distribution of the rewards and perks given to the worker as unfair because the worker does the same amount and quality of work as the others. They not only care what the outcome is, but how the outcome was determined (Robbins and Judge, 2014).
Overall, equity theory is concerned with the fairness of the workplace. The fairness of a workplace is also determined by interactional justice which concerns abstract results like courtesy and respect. Based on this theory, employees who view inequity in the workplace will choose either to exert less effort if underpaid, work to change the outcome, perceive themselves as working harder than others, or quit the job. Some researchers also support the argument that employees who feel they are overpaid may work harder, but others argue against this hypothesis (Robbins and Judge,