You are a graduate teaching assistant in the Biology department at Fairview University. You have several graduate student friends who have graduate appointments in the business department and the English department. While everyone's compensation and employee benefits are exactly the same, your department requires you to always show-up and tutor students at least four hours each day and to serve on one university committee each semester. Graduates students at the other departments are not required by their management to follow these rules. Lately, you are doing your best to limit your daily obligation to 2 ½ to 3 hours each day. The motivational theory that most closely correlates with your actions is:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The equity theory suggests that employees compare their own inputs (time, effort, and contributions) to their outputs (compensation and benefits) with those of their colleagues. If they perceive an inequity between their own situation and that of others, they may adjust their behavior to achieve a sense of fairness. In this scenario, the graduate teaching assistant perceives an inequity between the requirements of their department and those of their friends' departments, despite the identical compensation and benefits. They are motivated to limit their daily tutoring obligations to achieve a sense of fairness compared to their friends.

You Are a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Biology Department