#2 Attitudes and Emotions
Vignette 1: Motivation Theories
Jex & Britt (2014) - Chapter 9. Theories of Motivation
Motivation: construct that cannot be seen but its effects can be indicative of different levels
- Determines
o Form: types of activities
o Direction: path for goal accomplishment (e.g. schedule=
o Intensity: vigor & amount of energy
o Duration: length of direction pursuing
of work-related behavior
- Basic assumptions:
o Motivation involves choice
o Motivation involves allocation of resources: because they are finite
o Motivation is a multilevel process: motivation through many things at the same time
Theoretical Approaches:
Need-based theories: work motivation as extent to which employees satisfy important needs
- Maslow’s Need Hierarchy: Physiological Safety Love Esteem Self-actualization
o Poor predictor of work behavior
- ERG Theory: summarizes Maslow’s Hierarchy to “Existence Relatedness Growth” &
assumes less strict progression (regression & different orders)
o Only mixed support
- Need for Achievement Theory: focus on need for achievement in explaining differences
between people in goal-directed behavior
o Narrow theory that neglects other factors influencing behavior
Cognitive process theories: emphasize decisions & choices that employees make when they allocate
their efforts
- Equity Theory: type of social exchange theory that focuses on how people determine the
fairness of social exchanges
o Employees compare their ratio of inputs-to-outcomes to a comparative standard
State of equity exist when ratio perceived as equal satisfaction
State of inequity exist when ratio perceived as unequal dissatisfaction
motivation to balance it out
o Strategies for restoring equity: Increasing outcomes, reducing inputs, cognitive
adjustments, changing the comparative standard, leaving the field
o Evolved into Organizational Justice Theory with distinctions between equity with
respect to perceived outcomes (distributive justice) and procedures (procedural
justice) & possibly treatment (interactional justice)
o Factors determining sensitivity:
Cultural specified: what is emphasized in one’s culture
Equity sensitivity or individual’s awareness of being treated unfairly
- Expectancy Theory: focusses on cognitive processes that drive employees decisions regarding
where they will direct their efforts
o Premise: employees will generally direct their efforts toward behaviors when:
Probability of being able to perform the behavior is high
Probability of behavior leading to desired outcome is high
The resulting outcome of the behavior has value to the person
o Valence: it has value
o Expectancy: probability that you’ll get the outcome
o Instrumentality: that you can actually get it
1
, #2 Attitudes and Emotions
Vignette 1: Motivation Theories
- Goal-Setting Theory:
o Goals: serve as focus points for attention or effort, help maintain task persistence, &
facilitate the development of task strategies
o Motivating attributes:
Goal difficulty: more difficult goals are more motivating
Goal acceptance: hinges on a persons belief that a goal is attainable
Goal specificity: more motivating when specifying a level of performance
Feedback
o One of the most well-validated theories in organizational psychology
o Boundary conditions:
Tendency for tunnel vision through goals might be counterproductive
Law of diminishing returns with respect to the number of goals
May be more effective for simple tasks
Individual differences in goal orientation (mastery vs performance
orientation) & regulatory focus (promotion vs prevention focus)
- Self-regulation
o Social Cognitive Theory (SCT): emphasizes that cognitive variables mediate the
relationship between environmental events & behavioral consequences
Central component: self-efficacy: belief in one’s capabilities to organize &
execute the course of action required to produce given attainments
Argues that goal-directed behavior involves two control systems:
Discrepancy between current state & desired future goal
Attempts to reduce discrepancy
Behavioral Approach: emphasizes applying principles of learning to work environment
- Reinforcements: any stimulus that increases the probability of a given behavior
o Schedules of reinforcement: various strategies that can be used to administer
reinforcements (e.g. continuous or intermittently)
- Punishment: any consequence that has the effect of reducing the probability of a behavior
- Feedback: has motivational value, particularly when positive
- Organizational Behavior Modification (OBM): incorporates the above
- Criticism:
o More applicable for simple jobs
o Ethical considerations: People are robbed of their choices
Self-determination theory: emphasizes importance of the distinction between motivation being
driven by extrinsic factors vs intrinsic factors
- Individuals develop fullest potential when they can satisfy three needs thought to be innate:
o Need for autonomy or to exercise control over their environment
o Need for relatedness
o Need for competence or to feel as having an impact on outcomes & environment
- Works well with inherently interesting jobs recent modifications accommodate these types
of tasks
- Ryan & Deci (2000): separate extrinsic motivation into:
o Externally regulated behavior to satisfy an external demand or reward contingency
feelings of being controlled
o Introjected regulation involves a different form of contingency, one involving self-
worth experienced as somewhat controlled
o Identified regulation comes from a conscious valuing of the action and its intended
consequences experienced as somewhat internal
2
Vignette 1: Motivation Theories
Jex & Britt (2014) - Chapter 9. Theories of Motivation
Motivation: construct that cannot be seen but its effects can be indicative of different levels
- Determines
o Form: types of activities
o Direction: path for goal accomplishment (e.g. schedule=
o Intensity: vigor & amount of energy
o Duration: length of direction pursuing
of work-related behavior
- Basic assumptions:
o Motivation involves choice
o Motivation involves allocation of resources: because they are finite
o Motivation is a multilevel process: motivation through many things at the same time
Theoretical Approaches:
Need-based theories: work motivation as extent to which employees satisfy important needs
- Maslow’s Need Hierarchy: Physiological Safety Love Esteem Self-actualization
o Poor predictor of work behavior
- ERG Theory: summarizes Maslow’s Hierarchy to “Existence Relatedness Growth” &
assumes less strict progression (regression & different orders)
o Only mixed support
- Need for Achievement Theory: focus on need for achievement in explaining differences
between people in goal-directed behavior
o Narrow theory that neglects other factors influencing behavior
Cognitive process theories: emphasize decisions & choices that employees make when they allocate
their efforts
- Equity Theory: type of social exchange theory that focuses on how people determine the
fairness of social exchanges
o Employees compare their ratio of inputs-to-outcomes to a comparative standard
State of equity exist when ratio perceived as equal satisfaction
State of inequity exist when ratio perceived as unequal dissatisfaction
motivation to balance it out
o Strategies for restoring equity: Increasing outcomes, reducing inputs, cognitive
adjustments, changing the comparative standard, leaving the field
o Evolved into Organizational Justice Theory with distinctions between equity with
respect to perceived outcomes (distributive justice) and procedures (procedural
justice) & possibly treatment (interactional justice)
o Factors determining sensitivity:
Cultural specified: what is emphasized in one’s culture
Equity sensitivity or individual’s awareness of being treated unfairly
- Expectancy Theory: focusses on cognitive processes that drive employees decisions regarding
where they will direct their efforts
o Premise: employees will generally direct their efforts toward behaviors when:
Probability of being able to perform the behavior is high
Probability of behavior leading to desired outcome is high
The resulting outcome of the behavior has value to the person
o Valence: it has value
o Expectancy: probability that you’ll get the outcome
o Instrumentality: that you can actually get it
1
, #2 Attitudes and Emotions
Vignette 1: Motivation Theories
- Goal-Setting Theory:
o Goals: serve as focus points for attention or effort, help maintain task persistence, &
facilitate the development of task strategies
o Motivating attributes:
Goal difficulty: more difficult goals are more motivating
Goal acceptance: hinges on a persons belief that a goal is attainable
Goal specificity: more motivating when specifying a level of performance
Feedback
o One of the most well-validated theories in organizational psychology
o Boundary conditions:
Tendency for tunnel vision through goals might be counterproductive
Law of diminishing returns with respect to the number of goals
May be more effective for simple tasks
Individual differences in goal orientation (mastery vs performance
orientation) & regulatory focus (promotion vs prevention focus)
- Self-regulation
o Social Cognitive Theory (SCT): emphasizes that cognitive variables mediate the
relationship between environmental events & behavioral consequences
Central component: self-efficacy: belief in one’s capabilities to organize &
execute the course of action required to produce given attainments
Argues that goal-directed behavior involves two control systems:
Discrepancy between current state & desired future goal
Attempts to reduce discrepancy
Behavioral Approach: emphasizes applying principles of learning to work environment
- Reinforcements: any stimulus that increases the probability of a given behavior
o Schedules of reinforcement: various strategies that can be used to administer
reinforcements (e.g. continuous or intermittently)
- Punishment: any consequence that has the effect of reducing the probability of a behavior
- Feedback: has motivational value, particularly when positive
- Organizational Behavior Modification (OBM): incorporates the above
- Criticism:
o More applicable for simple jobs
o Ethical considerations: People are robbed of their choices
Self-determination theory: emphasizes importance of the distinction between motivation being
driven by extrinsic factors vs intrinsic factors
- Individuals develop fullest potential when they can satisfy three needs thought to be innate:
o Need for autonomy or to exercise control over their environment
o Need for relatedness
o Need for competence or to feel as having an impact on outcomes & environment
- Works well with inherently interesting jobs recent modifications accommodate these types
of tasks
- Ryan & Deci (2000): separate extrinsic motivation into:
o Externally regulated behavior to satisfy an external demand or reward contingency
feelings of being controlled
o Introjected regulation involves a different form of contingency, one involving self-
worth experienced as somewhat controlled
o Identified regulation comes from a conscious valuing of the action and its intended
consequences experienced as somewhat internal
2
