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Activities on Vroom's Expectancy Theory

Victor Vroom̵7;s Expectancy Theory states that people often decide and act based on what they expect the outcome will be. Although it may seem to be a very simple idea, the thought process on how each person comes to a decision can be complex. Vroom also recognized this complex process and studied how people become motivated. In the workplace or classroom, expectancy theory can be a good technique to identify ways to maximize employee and student participation, as well as results. There are several activities, which can further explain the theory.

Motivation Mind Map
- Creating a mind map centralized around motivation allows individuals to see and determine what can make them more motivated. For a manager or teacher, it may be best to ask students and employees to do mind maps anonymously. This gives the participants the courage to write out whatever ideas they can think of related to motivation. The manager or teacher then collects each mind map and tallies the top five or 10 items. Each item can then be discussed and the facilitator can elaborate, asking participants to give their ideas on how they see the item as a motivation.
The Hot Seat
- ̶0;Hot Seat̶1; is an activity where a person sits in front of a group and answers questions as thoroughly and clearly as he can. Although this particular activity can be a little uncomfortable for some, there is a way to break this awkwardness by asking the person sitting to assume a different ̶0;character.̶1; The goal of this activity is to understand how a person justifies why he does certain things. One of the best ways to perform this activity is for people to assume characters from a literary piece. Participants can ask the person (who is in character) the reasons why he acted a certain way within the story. This creates a group discussion, which allows justification and explanation for motivational factors, giving a glimpse into how people weigh the options they are offered.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
- There are two general types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation simply means that a person is motivated ̶0;from the inside̶1; or internally, while extrinsic motivation refers to outside forces, such as a big salary, motivating the person. Although Vroom̵7;s theory on expectancy generally focuses on the expected outcome, both types of motivation can also affect the way people make choices. To easily distinguish intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, ask participants to list the top five things that are very important to them in relation to their work or schooling. This activity can show that people have different reasons for motivation, with some people focusing on internal reasons rather than external.
Rewards and Consequences
- A quiz game can also help explain Vroom̵7;s Expectancy Theory. You can create a set of questions about general information with several difficulty levels. Each question has a corresponding point, but each also has a corresponding minus point. For example, an easy question has three points for a correct answer and negative two points for the wrong answer. Let players choose the questions they want and take note of the way they play the game. When the game is done, ask players about what drove them to choose the difficulty level chosen. When relating to Vroom̵7;s theory, explain that generally, people make choices based on expectation of gains and losses when faced with a decision.

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