3-4). Has the expectancy theory been supported by the research?

Certainly there is a great deal of research that has gone into the expectancy theory and the research available for this paper reveals the theory is seen as believable and is well-supported. For example, Andrew J. DuBrin, Professor of Management in the College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology, writes in his book that thanks to the expectancy theory employers have at their disposal several courses of action vis-a-vis getting employees motivated. The theory "helps pinpoint what a manager must do to motivate group members and diagnose motivational problems," the professor asserts (DuBrin, 2008, p. 392). With the expectancy theory at work, "individual differences among employees must be taken into account," he writes. Also, the rewards that are offered as motivation "should be closely tied to those actions the organization sees as worthwhile," he warns, albeit that should be very obvious to managers. After all, why offer an employee something very cool and enviable if it doesn't directly relate to the mission of the company? He gives a good example that The Home Depot offers to motivate their employees -- a check for $2,000 for "exceptional customer service" (392).

And moreover, for the expectancy theory to provide the outcome desired, employees should be "…presented with credible evidence that good performance does lead to anticipated rewards" (392).
Works Cited

Green, Thad B. (1992). Performance and Motivation Strategies for Today's Workforce: A Guide

to Expectancy Theory Applications. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group.

DuBrin, Andrew J. (2008). Essentials of Management. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning.

Liao, Hsiu-Li, Liu, Su-Houn, and Pi, Shih-Ming. (2011). Modeling Motivations for Blogging:

An Expectancy Theory Analysis. Social Behavior and Personality: an International Journal,

39(2), 251-265.

Koontz, Harold, and Weihrich, Heinz. (2006). Essentials of Management. Delhi, India: Tata

McGraw-Hill Education.

Ugah, Akobundu D., and Arua, Uche. (2011). Expectancy Theory, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and cataloguing departments. Library Philosophy…