The Expectancy Theory of Motivation

The Expectancy Theory of Motivation

Introduction

        In a simple terms, motivation means energizing the people to do what they do not want to do in such a way that is beneficial for each of the involved individuals and organizations. In other words, motivation is the outcome of the interaction between the factors of internal and external nature which kindle the aspirations, desire, willingness, and energy in the peoples so that they become committed to their responsibilities, roles, character or any other subject to a greater level of interest than before to achieve the goal in the desired way.

Motivation is not only the outcome of single or few factors; rather it is the result of the interaction of both unconscious and conscious types of factor lying deep inside of an individual ("What is the motivation? Definition and meaning"). The interaction between these factors motivates or de-motivates an individual to a greater extent.  To take an example, these factors can be the dedication or the commitment that an individual have towards the goal attainment, the level to which an individual values the reward, and the level to which an individual perceives that he or she is treated equally as with his or her peers. Out of all, this paper talks about the expectation factor that an individual has in his or her mind which plays an important role in motivating the individual.

Experience Description

I have a fresh experience where I got to understand about the motivation and de-motivation in detail. As a student of finance course, I thought that it is very important to have some industry experience so that I can get some first hand knowledge about the industry and develop my competency for the future. With lots of excitement and zeal of doing good in the financial service industry, I joined an investment portfolio management company as an intern.

After I joined the organization, I was so excited to work there as an intern. Even though I had very little knowledge about the industry, I was fully committed and dedicated to giving my best to the organization. In the first few months, everything in the company was as per my expectation, and I was feeling great to work there as an intern. To give the best for the organization, I kept myself busy with many financial news, research papers, journals, and articles. I used to update myself with the recent trends and development in the market and started to learn about the industry myself. In a few months time, I developed a good understanding about the market, and my performance was improving continuously.

Even though I was just an intern, I was doing my best to produce the best result for the organization. Seeing my progress and my commitment towards the assigned job, I was given target to be achieved which no other interns got. I used to achieve more than 150% or even 200% of the target given to me because all the environment was favorable for me. The working environment was as per my expectation. I learnt many new things in the company while I was also progressing continuously.

But my progress and achievement was not tolerable to many employees in the organization. They started becoming uncooperative towards me and  isolate me. Even other interns were jealous of me and my achievements in the organization. When the working environment in the organization became hostile to me, then I felt like it is not the place where I wanted to work. My voice as never heard by the company because the top management was under the influence of other employees. I could not see my career progressing in the company. The company also showed inequality in reward distribution. The reward I got for my achievement was far less than that of others whose performance achievement was below my performance level.