Expectancy Theory of Frederick Herzberg
Frederick Herzberg was a psychologist who studied and analyzed motivation theories, recognizing the influence of work-related factors, such as pay and working conditions, on psychology. Expected Theory, created by Frederick Herzberg, developed from his studies and theories, has been useful to business managers, as it explains and predicts employee behavior.
Expectancy theory is based on the belief that employees will be motivated if they believe that their efforts will lead to successful performance and that their successful performance will be rewarded with something that is valued by the employees. It suggests that people can be motivated to achieve not only financial benefits but also psychological benefits. This theory states that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are not opposites, but instead have separate causes, so addressing one does not necessarily mean addressing the other.
The theory states that people will be motivated to perform if they believe that their effort will lead to successful performance and that their successful performance will be rewarded with something that is valued by the employees. Two components of Expectancy Theory are expectancy and valence. The expectancy is an individual’s perception of the probability of being successful in a particular task; for instance, an employee’s perception of the success rate of their project if they put in a given amount of time and effort. Valence is an individual’s perceptions of the value of the potential reward; this is usually their appraisal of the desirable or undesirable consequences they will receive after they complete a task.
According to Herzberg, there are two sources of motivation and satisfaction: external motivators, such as pay, working conditions, and job security and internal motivators, such as the recognition of achievement and the job itself. He concluded that external motivators are only short-term and not effective long-term. His studies concluded that long-term motivation and job satisfaction come from internal motivators, such as the job itself, recognition of achievement, and opportunities for growth.
Expectancy Theory has been widely accepted by organizational theorists and has been found to be effective in employee motivation and satisfaction. In organizations, managers who have an understanding of the theory can use their knowledge to manage and direct the performance and efforts of the employees in an organization. By understanding employees’ expectations of the rewards, managers can effectively reward desired behavior. Managers can also use this understanding of quality-of-work-life factors to help increase employees’ satisfaction and motivation.
Understanding and using Expectancy Theory can lead to successful management of organizations and employee satisfaction. Managers should recognize that intrinsic factors are more important for motivating employees, and by offering rewards for successful performance, combined with good performance appraisal systems, organizations can create a workplace environment where the employees feel valued and motivated. The application of this theory requires an understanding of employee parameters, behavioral objectives and rewards. When these elements are considered along with the employees’ expectations of their work, the manager can effectively use this theory to provide the employees with the motivation to perform optimally.
