According to expectancy theory the motivation to perform a particular task can be calculated from the product of the expectancy, instrumentality and valence. A value is placed on expectancy, and instrumentality, which can be expressed as a probability. A subjective value is placed on the valence. Because we calculate the motivation using the products of numbers it would imply that if we are to get a figure for motivation we need to have present all three amounts and all three amounts must be greater in value than zero. If this was not the case then the motivation would be zero. This problem is discussed later.
An example of this would be an athlete training for the Olympics. If the athlete feels he is incapable of winning a medal, then asking the question of instrumentality would be pointless because the expectation of failure from the outset does not give rise to motivating effects to pursue the line of action.
Expectancy theory has many implications for the manager when ensuring that his workforce is motivated. The manager would need to ensure that the three conditions are satisfied because if all three are not satisfied, the level of motivation will be low if present at all because according to this theory if one of the factors is not present, then motivation does not exist.
A manager in compliance to expectancy theory would need to ensure that his employees perceive that they have the skills and can do the job adequately, as is required by the expectancy element. The employees must also perceive that if they do their jobs well, they will be rewarded this is the instrumentality element, and finally, the rewards offered must be seen as being attractive which is the valence element. For a manager to ensure all this is not an easy task to say the least, but according to expectancy theory in order for motivation to exist all three of these must be present.
Expectancy theory to can be seen to have applications in every day life too in that if we perceive ourselves as being incapable of something, then our motivation to do something is often low if at all present. If we perceive a reward as being UN-appealing to us we probably wont go to the trouble of performing that task which gets us this reward, unless there are other motivating factors present that are motivating us to do it. Expectancy theory can be applied to all types of work from academic work, to shop floor work, which would imply to us that it is a good theory, simply because it is a theory that has many applications. The use of quantitative measures too, makes the theory look very convincing. In realty though, in research, it has been found that expectancy theory has not been able to perform in a way that maintains this convincing impression. Various criticisms have been structured against its success in measuring motivation. A key critic of Vrooms work on expectancy theory was Schwab et al who wrote in 1979.
A key criticism of expectancy theory is that it does not work where the outcomes are undesirable i.e. Where the valence is negative, simply because if the outcome, or reward is undesirable, you will most of the time not be compelled to do it.
