VT #5 A Question of Motivation
1. Expectancy theory can be used to explain the difference in motivation between Alex and Stephanie. The expectancy theory suggests that employees will put forth a higher amount of effort to perform well if they believe that the result of this will be good appraisal which could possibly lead to material rewards such as bonuses. In the situation of Alex and Stephanie, it is clear that judging by this theory Stephanie will perform better at her job. Not only does Alex’s boss never reward him with higher pay but he actually receives negative appraisal from Dan. Alex is completely unmotivated because Dan’s behavior as a manager shows that he is not that interested in an individual’s needs or personalized skills. Jean receives higher pay than Dan but only because it seems that she gives him compliments and tries to get on his good side. In addition because Alex’s work is monotonous, the reward is not comparable to the task. Instead of receiving praise, Dan only comments on the fact that Alex is taking a longer lunch break than he should, providing no evidence that an attractive reward will be received after completing the task of restocking the apples.
On the other hand, Stephanie is motivated to work hard because her boss Jonathan works with each of his employees and sets personal goals and inititaves. If she sells ten bottles of truffle oil, Stephanie knows that she will receive a $75 bonus. Stephanie has a concrete reward that she can work towards which makes the difficult task of selling the oil that much easier. In addition, Jonathan also rewards his employees by adding some variety to their work. It becomes less unpleasant to work the cashier because Stephanie knows she will not have to do the same work during her next shift. Jonathan also rewards his employees by letting them be apart of the innovation at the supermarket. Stephanie