According to the Oxford dictionary, motivation is defined as "One or more reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way and the desire or willingness to do something." ' An example of motivation for me is getting up early in the morning to take two buses for a two-hour journey to get to university on time. The reasons behind motivation can be biological, emotional, social and conscious in nature (Emotion and Motivation-ncert). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Managers often view motivation as psychological forces that determine the direction of a person's behavior within an organization, a person's level of commitment, and level of persistence in the face of obstacles. Managers look for ways to improve productivity and quality of work. There are many different theories that managers use to motivate employee. Motivational theories have been grouped into three main categories by considering different approaches as follows: content theories, process theories and influence theories. In this essay I will discuss: Expectancy Theory (Vroom 1964) and Equity Theory (Adam 1965) Expectancy Theory Victor Vroom, developed a cognitive theory that has three key elements: expectancy, instrumentality and valence. A person is motivated to the extent that he or she believes that (a) effort will lead to acceptable performance (expectancy), (b) performance will be rewarded (instrumentality), and (c) the value of rewards is highly positive (valence). (Vroom, 1964) Vroom's theory states that the 'choices made by a person between alternative courses of action are legitimately related to psychological events occurring simultaneously with the behavior' (Vroom, 1964). The higher the valence of any outcome, the more likely the person will choose to exert effort to take action (Motivation at Work, Gary P. Latham p48). Vroom suggests that motivation, expectancy, instrumentality and valence are linked together by the equation: M = E * I * V (Motivation = Expectancy * Instrumentality * Valence). The multiplier effect in the equation is significant as it means that higher motivation levels will result when expectancy, instrumentality and valence are all high compared to when they are all low. If any of the three factors is zero it means that the motivation level is zero. Therefore, even if an employee believes that his effort will result in performance, which will result in a reward, motivation will be zero if the value of the reward he expects to receive is zero (Lunenburg, 2011). The expectation is not complete and all-encompassing. All theories of motivation suffer from this limitation. Not all employees may have the time, willingness, favorable situation, resources, or even adequate ability to calculate motivation as this theory assumes. Just as managers may also be missing one or more of the above parameters to make a decision about what motivates a particular employee. Some critics suggest that it has only limited use and is most valid where individuals clearly perceive the link between reward and effort of the three. (Robbins Stephan and Judge Timothy) Experts have also suggested that it is necessary to develop reliable measures of valence, expectancy, and instrumentality. (Newstrom John W, Davis Keith) The second process theory I will analyze is equity theory (Adams, 1963, 1965) which states that people evaluate information sources in terms of personal relevance, using similar ones for comparisons (Gary P. Latham2007). In short, the theory says that people examine the relationship between their "outcomes" versus their "inputs" versus those of another comparison. An appropriate balance must be achieved between an employee's inputs (hard work, level of competence, acceptance, enthusiasm and personal sacrifice) and an employee's outputs (salary, benefits, intangibles such as recognition). However, equity theory states that unequal relationships produce tension within the person. This tension will lead to dissatisfaction, anger and guilt. People will feel angry and dissatisfied when they get less than they expected compared to what they put in, and they will also feel guilty if they receive more than their worth. (Adam 1965) The ways of resolving inequalities represent the weakest part of the theory (Robert Pritchard 1969). Although the theory predicts behavior under underpayment conditions, it does not predict overpayment conditions and does not account for the impact of individual differences on fairness. In conclusion, expectancy theory and equity theory are two theories of motivation process based on how people choose to work hard or not. The type of choices is based on: Individual preference. Available rewards and (. Possible job outcomes. Expectancy theory holds that individuals seek to maximize their positive outcomes. In contrast, equity theory posits that individuals seek to find a balance between their inputs and outcomes. (Vecchio, 1981.) Managers find themselves juggling employee job satisfaction, motivation, and performance as they attempt to adapt to new cultural requirements that arise from globalization. Managers face the challenge of building a culture that fosters high morale and l efficiency in their evolving organizations employees will make situational comparisons between themselves and their colleagues. Furthermore, it is important for managers to understand that, although they cannot treat all employees the same, they must treat them fairly to do to get the reward. Managers will be able to better predict performance and employees will know their position at any time within the organization if standards are set and expectations are met consistently. Reflection When I began this research on different theories of motivation I was not sure which two theories I wanted to develop. Since this was the first essay I did as a third-level student, I was motivated to try my best to complete the assignment. After extensive research I have narrowed it down to Vroom's expectancy theory and Adam's equity theory as they best represent my knowledge of motivation and how I will apply it to my college experience. I believe that by completing a task or achieving the necessary performance, I am presented with an expectation. For example, my expectation of successfully performing a particular assignment is High. I have defined my task and the objectives I want to achieve. In this way, the desired results, Instrumentality, are achieved. For example, students who are willing to put in the effort, time and energy needed, because by taking action this would lead to their goal which can only be achieved by doing their best and investing their time to excel in the course and gain valuable ideas and theories. The end result we want to achieve and truly desire is valence. Achieving excellent grades in the course and demonstrating great passion for learning and applying knowledge. The final result can only be achieved if all three factors are high. While researching Vroom theory I)..