Running Head: WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT UNIT 3 1

Written Assignment Unit 3

University of the People
Dr. Jessica Burkhart, PhD
Bus 5113 Organizational Theory and Behavior
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Different factors impact our behavior in a work environment or our personal life.

Motivation is the energy a person expresses in connection with work or the inner wish to make

an effort happen (Laegaard & Bendslev, 2006). Motivation is diverse as it differentiates between

individuals, culture, and age. It is crucial to understand what motivates someone and what is

important to them to develop an atmosphere that motives success. In this perspective, different

theories try to identify and created a platform on what motivates people. The three most

influential theories are Vroom’s expectancy theory, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and Adam’s

equity theory.

Vroom's expectancy theory aims to separates effort, performance, and outcomes as

factors. It also exemplifies that human behavior is controlled by a desire to maximize the use of a

given behavior (Laegaard & Bendslev, 2006). This theory explains that employees' motivation is

a combination of three factors: valence, expectancy, and instrumentality (Tanner, 2021).

Expectancy is the belief that if an effort is an increase, then most likely it will increase the

performance or outcome. Instrumentality deals with assessing the probability that a great

performance will lead to the outcome desire. On the other hand, valence represents the value the

employer puts on a reward. These factors combined can explain why individuals take on

different stances on issues.

For instance, Black Lives Matter activists believed that demanding justice on the streets,

local congress, and other areas of the political spectrum can lead to freedom, equity, and

liberation for every community. They understand that by taking a stance in support of criminal

reform, defunding the police can prevent racial profiling, will create equity in the judicial

system, and justice will be blind. The previous goals represent their valence factor. Their

expectancy factor is that more people will join the fight once they are aware of the injustice
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taking place. On the other hand, the instrumental factor is preventing members of the community

from being racial profile and being criminalized for a minor offense that leads to the separation

of families. Thus, the combination of these factors leads to a strong movement that understands

what is at stake and what efforts need to be put forward to achieved certain goals.

On the other hand, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs focuses on addressing how needs are

considered motivating factors that can trigger attention, action, and persistence. Maslow

classified human needs and organization needs into five hierarchy needs: Self-actualization,

esteem needs, social needs, safety needs, and physiological needs (Laegaard & Bendslev, 2006).

He believed that unsatisfied needs function as motivation factors and that the lowest unsatisfied

needs are the dominant factors. For example, the psychological factor is dominant because it

incorporates a good-paying rate and health insurance that leads to a comfort zone for the

employee. Satisfying these lower needs leads the employees to move up the pyramid of needs

and focus on the next level: safety needs. Safety needs incorporate the work environment or

having a working contract that symbolizes security for the employee.

In addition, Adam’s equity theory aims for a fair balance between the employee's input

and output. Adam’s theory is built on the belief that employees can become demotivated both

with the job and their employer if they feel their input given to the company is greater than the

output. ( Mindtools, n.d). Input factors can vary from effort, loyalty, and adaptability. Output

factors can be recognition, stimulus, and the sense of achievement. This theory has played an

important role in society and the demand for equity. Women have been fighting for equity in

wages and work opportunities. It has created an entire movement to fight for equity in different

industries from the corporate world to sports, where females achieved greater success than their

male counterparts but are not reward the same.

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In conclusion, the different theories help us understand the different behaviors and

elements that impact the motivation of an employee. Adams's equity theory is the most important

theory of them all for the simple fact that it aims to reward based on input and output. As a

community organizer, many activities are not rewarded all the time but what keeps us going is

the outcome of seeing a community member release from a detention center. In addition,

individuals should be reward base on how much they contribute to a task. If a person is doing

great work just a small compliment can motivate them to continue moving forward and creating

new initiatives. Adam's theory should be applied globally to address the different disparities

individuals faced base on their gender, sexual orientation, and culture. It is a theory that is

defining the work environment of industries from being inclusive and diverse. It also plays an

important role in switching how the corporate world work to become more inclusive in

addressing the emotional needs of employees.

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References
Laegaard, J., & Bendslev, M. (2006). Organizational theory. Ventus Publishing & Bookboon.

Mind Tools. (n.d.). Adams’ Equity Theory: Balancing Employee Inputs and Outputs. Retrieved
September 22, 2021, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_96.htm

Tanner, R. (2021, August 23). There’s Room For Vroom’s Expectancy Theory in Employee
Motivation. Management Is a Journey®. https://managementisajourney.com/theres-room-for-
vroom-in-employee-motivation/