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[Abstract] Investigating Vroom's expectancy theory, with direct examination of the historical context of its three main tenants, leads to a supportable framework for inclusion of a fourth. Specific consideration is given to social context as it relates to worker motivation within the environment of multiple sectors. The literature on equity theory, organizational justice, and early modifications of expectancy theory suggest that social context necessitates consideration for effectively gauging workplace motivation. Previous research dictates a collection of individuals is not simply an aggregate of their individual motivations and abilities; rather, workplace results are a product of the group's influence on said individuals. Our endeavor is to expand the understanding of workplace motivation with a specific focus on the interaction of the social environment within the organization as well as across sectors. This examination postulates Vroom's expectancy theory formula (motivation = instrumentality · expectancy · valence) should be modified to support management decision-making by introducing a new social variable.
[Keywords] expectancy theory, motivation, social context, group influence, management history, workplace social dynamics
Worker motivation is an important and problematic criterion for administrators to utilize effectively. As firms face increased the diversity of workers in an expanding presence across sectors and the globe, managers require modernized and more applicable theories to aid in every aspect of management, including employee motivation. As firm diversity and collaboration increases, managers must utilize various criteria to motivate workers across numerous sectors and cultures continually. How are relevant factors chosen when determining processes to increase employee motivation? This is an important question in light of a firm's desire to find factors that satisfy their employee's motivational needs as well as the organizations' desire to retain high-quality workers (Mak & Sockel, 2001). Having a relevant, current theory allows decision-makers confidence in selecting the appropriate criteria. As Hofstede (1980) found, there are many different motivational differences throughout the world, which can be traced back to differences in culture. The culture of organizations has been found to vary more across industries than within them (Chatman & Jehn, 1994). Hence, a need exists to determine motivation theory which accounts for the ever-increasing cultural factors involved in the workforce. Utilizing one of the most prominent theories of employee motivation, expectancy theory, this paper examines and determines the...