Gary was told that he could be promoted to marketing manager if the team can launch three new products in the next year. He likes the title and would love the $20,000 per year raise. But the team has never launched more than one product in a year before, so it seems highly unlikely they could launch three. According to expectancy theory, what is Gary's likely response?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to expectancy theory, individuals are motivated when they believe that their efforts will lead to high performance, which in turn will lead to outcomes that they value. In this case, Gary may not be motivated because he perceives that the outcome (launching three new products) seems unlikely, which may lead him to believe that his efforts will not result in high performance and ultimately not lead to the desired outcome of a promotion and pay raise.

Gary Was Told That He Could Be Promoted to Marketing