Title: Motivation and Motivation Theory | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: Motivation and Motivation Theory
Motivation and Motivation Theory
Motivation and Motivation Theory
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
MAJOR CONTENT THEORIES
MAJOR PROCESS THEORIES
MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI)
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Content: The major process theories of motivation are expectancy theory, equity theory, goal-setting theory, and reinforcement theory. Expectancy Theory. In the early 1960s, Victor Vroom applied concepts of behavioral research conducted in the 1930s by Kurt Lewin and Edward Tolman directly to work motivation. Basically, Vroom suggested that individuals choose work behaviors that they believe lead to outcomes they value. In deciding how much effort to put into a work behavior, individuals are likely to consider: Their expectancy, meaning the degree to which they believe that putting forth effort will lead to a given level of performance
Their instrumentality, or the degree to which they believe that a given level of performance will result in certain outcomes or rewards
Their valence, which is the extent to which the expected outcomes are attractive or unattractive
All three of these factors are expected to influence motivation in a multiplicative fashion, so that for an individual to be highly motivated, all three of the components of the expectancy model must be high. And, if even one of these is zero (e.g., instrumentality and valence are high, but expectancy is completely absent), the person will have no motivation for the task. Thus, managers should attempt, to the extent possible, to ensure that their employees believe that increased effort will improve performance and that performance will lead to valued rewards. In the late 1960s, Porter and Lawler published an exten