Rit1 - Leadership Concepts and Applications Task 1

Expectancy Theory – The Theory of Motivation A company that produces professional audio products has recently implemented a new process in their production department. Supervisor A manages a group of employees that are having a hard time with the new production processes. They have communicated to another manager, Supervisor B, some of the reasons why their performance with the new processes is lower than other teams. They believe that the rewards aren’t large enough to make the change worth it. Some employees are not concerned with the company’s goals. Others are not convinced that the efforts are worth it to reach the production goals when instead, a small amount of overtime can equal the bonus from the new process. A few of the employees have expressed concern that the new process requires more hand dexterity than is possible . It is no secret that the employees under Supervisor A lack motivation. The new processes have proven effective under Supervisor B and others, so what would it take to change the motivation on this team? There are many options available to Supervisor A that would make a difference in the attitude and work ethic of his team. We will look at some of these options as they pertain to the Expectancy Theory and how Supervisor A might be able to implement them with his team. Dr. Victor Vroom, in 1964, suggested the idea that all people are motivated by three specific variables; Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence. Each person may be motivated to a different degree by these variables but they are motivated by all three variables to some extent. Because of this, all 3 variables have to exist to for motivation to work. If any of the 3 variables are missing it is very likely that motivation will not be possible. Therefore it is important to focus on all three areas in order to create the drive necessary to motivate. This idea is now known as the Expectancy Theory of Motivation. Expectancy Probability is the belief that more work or effort will...