How does expectancy theory explain employee motivation?

"The early management scholars laid a foundation that enabled managers to better understand their workers and how best to motivate them. Since then, new theories have given us an even better understanding of worker motivation. Four of these theories are explained in this section: the expectancy theory, the equity theory, the goal-setting theory, and reinforcement theory.\n\nOne of the best-supported and most widely accepted theories of motivation is expectancy theory, which focuses on the link between motivation and behavior. According to expectancy theory, the probability of an individual acting in a particular way depends on the strength of that individual’s belief that the act will have a particular outcome and on whether the individual values that outcome. The degree to which an employee is motivated depends on three important relationships, shown in Exhibit 9.6.\n\n1. The link between effort and performance, or the strength of the individual’s expectation that a certain amount of effort will lead to a certain level of performance\n\n2. The link between performance and outcome, or the strength of the expectation that a certain level of performance will lead to a particular outcome\n\n3. The link between outcomes and individual needs, or the degree to which the individual expects the anticipated outcome to satisfy personal needs.\n\nSome outcomes have more valence, or value, for individuals than others do."