Introduction
Expectancy theory is about the mental processes involved in making choices. In organizational behavior, expectancy theory embraces how motivation was defined by Victor Vroom. Vroom proposed that a person decides to behave in a certain way because they select a behavior over other behaviors due to the expected result of the selected behavior. For example, a person will be willing to work harder if they think it will get them a reward that is worth the extra effort.
In essence, the motivation of behavior selection is determined by the desirability of the reward. However, at the core of the theory is the cognitive process of how an individual processes the different motivational elements. Processing is done before making the ultimate choice. The reward, therefore, is not the sole determining factor in making the decision of how to behave because the person has to predict whether or not they will actually earn and receive the reward.