Work and Motivation by Victor Vroom is a paradigm shifting
book that looks at the human motivation within the workplace through both an
individual and group based lens. For managers who are seeking methods of
improving on worker motivation the book is not one that should be passed up
without a thorough read. It provides
keen insight on the potential, nature, and limitations of employee motivation.
The book attempts to summarize the findings of industrial
psychologists and research related to human motivation within the workplace.
The work focused on three areas:
1.
The choices made by persons among work roles.
2.
The extent of their satisfaction with their
chosen work roles
3.
The level of their performance or effectiveness
in their chosen work roles.
Vroom makes the assertion that there are two types of
determinants of attitudes which include 1.) The cognized utility of the
attitude toward attaining particular outcomes; and, 2.) The intensity and
nature of the affect expected from the outcomes. In essence people will either
move toward a particular outcome or avoid a particular outcome based upon how
they mentally weight and judge information to make a final decision. It is
these decisions and expected outcomes that the expectancy theory is developed.
Expectancy theory makes the assumption that worker
motivation is a result of how much a worker wants an outcome (valence), the
cognitive belief that a certain behavior will lead to a particular outcome
(expectancy) and that performance will lead to the particular outcome
(valence). Each employee is seen as having needs and scanning their environment
to find pathways that are most convenient and efficient in creating needs fulfillment.
After reading the work you may also come to the conclusion
about how important it is for people who work within groups to have positive
relationships with their management team if effective improvements in workplace
motivation are going to be realized. It is through both their workgroups as
well as management relationships that they make certain decisions to engage or
not engage the workplace.
“One of the necessary
conditions for exchange of rewards to occur between persons is some degree of
interaction between them.” (Vroom, 1964, pp 138).
It is hard to create expectations and possible rewards
unless there is interaction among organizational members. It is through these
interactions that employees determine their potential approaches and
opportunities to achieve rewards. Thus, the interactions among the work group
and the workers interaction with management influence a significant proportion
of people’s decisions.
The book is well written and is scientific in its
orientation. It not only proposes the cognitive theory of expectancy but also
justifies it through leading research of the day. Even though the book is dated
it provides an excellent understanding of the concepts of motivation and
satisfaction. Each aspect of his writing
is cited with appropriate references. Such a book should be part of every manager’s
and business student’s library.
Vroom, V. (1964). Work and Motivation. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers. ISBN 0-7879-0030-0
Price: $35
Pages: 336
Blog Ranking: 4.7 (No age penalty as it is a root theorist).
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