Overview: Theories of Motivation

Theories of Motivation
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Theories of Motivation
Introduction
Theories in the field of organizational behavior play an integral role in guiding leaders on the best possible way to attain success. Employees are key to organizations’ success, and leaders always face the challenge of seeking optimal productivity from them. Different scholars in the 20th century came up with many theories trying to explain the aspects that motivate employee productivity. The three theories developed in the second part of the 20th century to explain employee behavior are the goal-setting theory, the expectancy theory, and the reinforcement theory.
Overview of the Theories
Goal-setting Theory
Fronted by Edwin Locke, the goal-setting theory posits that when an organization sets challenging, specific, and attainable goals for its employees, it results in motivation that stimulates performance (Kilroy, 2019). The key aspect in this theory is the presence of goals that employees seek to achieve, which motivate them to put effort into their work. Kilroy (2019) noted that the relationship between goal setting and organizational performance could be strengthened by goal importance, goal commitment, feedback, and self-efficacy. The author also points out using the SMART framework when setting goals is significant to the theory.
Expectancy Theory
Victor Vroom initially put forward expectancy theory, and it states that the behavior of employees is motivated by anticipated consequences (Gitman et al., 2018). This means that a person chooses to behave in a particular way if behaving so results in a particular expected result (Gitman et al., 2018). The theory has three components that include expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. Expectancy refers to the person’s belief that exerting effort will help attain the intended goals. This belief is based on the person’s confidence, experience, and perceived goal difficulty (Lumen Learning, n.d.). Instrumentality refers to the belief that they will receive the anticipated outcome if a person meets the performance expectation. Valence refers to the unique value a person associates with a specific outcome and is influenced by factors such as preferences, needs, and values (Lumen Learning, n.d.). With this understanding, expectancy theory can help managers find the best methods to motivate employees based on the outcomes.
Reinforcement Theory
The reinforcement theory by B.F. Skinner is based on a simple premise: a person’s behavior is determined by the consequences of engaging in that behavior (Gitman et al., 2018). In this case, the desired behavior is promoted and enabled by a specific outcome associated with the behavior. As noted by Lumen Learning (n.d.), the theory is characterized by four inputs that include positive punishment, negative punishment, positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement. When positive reinforcement is implemented, the goal is to increase the frequency of a particular desired behavior. In this case, the desired behavior is rewarded. On the other hand, negative reinforcement is applied to discourage particular undesired behaviors.
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