Expectancy theory

Expectancy Theory
The expectancy theory of motivation is a common accepted theory for explaining how individuals makes decisions on how to behave in certain situations, how much effort to use. This theory is widely used in education, management, psychology, coaching and most probably several other areas as well. There are several models of motivation ranging from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory that describes motivation, and sides of motivations that can help understand why people are acting in particular ways in certain situations, and why something that motivates one person does not motivate another person. What really differentiates the expectancy theories from the rest of the motivational theories, is that it can be used as a mental tool for a leader, manager, teacher, parent or coach when they are trying to motivate another individual to perform a task.

The expectancy theory has an important basic premise. It assumes that if y...