rest. He was expected to have the Calgary game tape analyzed before sunrise, so that the
coaches could plan the post-game practice with the players later in the afternoon. Dorazio
chose to drive home, and, after a brief nap, go into his office at 4 a.m.
What would make an assistant coach show up for work, day after day, under these conditions?While needs theories identify the different needs that could be used to motivate indi-
viduals, process theories focus on the broader picture of howsomeone can set about
motivating another individual. Process theories include expectancy theory and goal-setting
theory.Focusing greater attention on these process theories might help you understand
how to motivate yourself or someone else.Expectancy Theory
Currently, one of the most widely accepted explanations of motivation is Victor Vroom’s
expectancy theory.^22
From a practical perspective, expectancy theory says that an employee will be moti-
vated to exert a high level of effort when he or she believes the following:- That the effort will lead to good performance
- That good performance will lead to organizational rewards, such as a bonus, a
salary increase, or a promotion - That the rewards will satisfy his or her personal goals
- The theory, therefore, focuses on the three relationships (expectancy, instrumen-
tality, and valence) illustrated in Exhibit 4-5 on page 115 and described below.
This exhibit also provides an example of how you might apply the theory.
Effort-Performance Relationship
The effort-performance relationship is commonly called expectancy. It refers to the indi-
vidual’s perception of how probable it is that exerting a given amount of effort will lead
to good performance. For example, employees are sometimes asked to perform tasks for
which they do not have suitable skills or training. When that is
the case, they will be less motivated to try hard, because they
already believe that they will not be able to accomplish what
they are being asked to do. Expectancy can be expressed as a
probability, and ranges from 0 to 1.
In the opening vignette, we saw that the BC Lions players
were willing to work hard for a demanding coach. These play-
ers likely felt that their efforts, such as spending extra time
training, would lead to good performance.
In general, an employee’s expectancy is influenced by the
following:- Self-esteem
- Previous success
- Help from supervisors and subordinates
- Information
- Proper materials and equipment^23
Coach Wally Buono’s observation on motivation highlights
the importance of the expectancy link in motivating individu-
als. According to Buono, motivation “is really the function of
the person that you hire... You need to be able to give [staff and114 Part 2Striving for Performance
expectancy The belief that effort
is related to performance.
Golfers such as Prince Edward Island’s Lorie Kane illustrate the
effectiveness of the expectancy theory of motivation, where
rewards are tied to effort and outcome. Players on the LPGA
tour are paid strictly according to their performance, unlike mem-
bers of professional team sports. Kane’s first LPGA tour victory
came in 2000, at the Michelob Light Classic. It ended a string of
nine runner-up finishes. She had two more victories in 2000 and
won the 2001 LPGA Takefuji Classic. As Kane has put more effort
into her play, she has been increasing her earnings each year.3 Are there other ways
to motivate people?expectancy theory The theory
that individuals are motivated based
upon their evaluation of whether
their effort will lead to good per-
formance, whether good perform-
ance will be followed by a given
outcome, and whether that outcome
is attractive to them.