Process Perspective
Process Perspectives on Employee Motivation
process perspectives: concerned with the thought processes by which people decide how to act
how employees choose behavior to meet their needs
process theories:
equity or justice theory
expectancy theory
goal-setting theory
Equity/Justice Theory
equity theory: a model of motivation that explains how people drive for fairness and justice in social exchanges or give-and-take relationships
employees are motivated to seek fairness in the rewards they expect for task performance and are motivated to resolve feelings of injustice
based on cognitive dissonance
“equity” is not the same as “equality of outcome”
pioneered by psychologist J. Stacey Adams
Some Ways Employees Try To Reduce Inequality
they will reduce their inputs
they will do less work, take long breaks, etc.
they will try to change the outputs or rewards they receive
they will lobby the boss for a raise
they will distort the inequity
they will exaggerate how hard they work so they can complain they’re not paid what they’re worth
they will change the object of comparison
they may compare themselves with another person instead of the original one
they will leave the situation
they will quit, transfer, or shift to another reference group
The Elements of Justice Theory
equity theory later expanded into an area called organizational justice made up of 3 components:
distributive justice - “How fairly are rewards being given out?”
procedural justice - “How fair is the process for handing out rewards?”
interactional justice - “How fairly am I being treated when rewards are given out?”
requires managers to communicate truthfully and treat others with dignity and respect
organizational justice: concerned with the extent to which people perceive they are treated fairly at work
5 Practical Lessons From Equity and Justice Theories
employee perceptions are what count
employees want a voice in decisions that affect them
employees should be given an appeals process
leader behavior matters
a climate for justice (fairness) makes a difference
Process Perspective
Process Perspectives on Employee Motivation
process perspectives: concerned with the thought processes by which people decide how to act
how employees choose behavior to meet their needs
process theories:
equity or justice theory
expectancy theory
goal-setting theory
Equity/Justice Theory
equity theory: a model of motivation that explains how people drive for fairness and justice in social exchanges or give-and-take relationships
employees are motivated to seek fairness in the rewards they expect for task performance and are motivated to resolve feelings of injustice
based on cognitive dissonance
“equity” is not the same as “equality of outcome”
pioneered by psychologist J. Stacey Adams
Some Ways Employees Try To Reduce Inequality
they will reduce their inputs
they will do less work, take long breaks, etc.
they will try to change the outputs or rewards they receive
they will lobby the boss for a raise
they will distort the inequity
they will exaggerate how hard they work so they can complain they’re not paid what they’re worth
they will change the object of comparison
they may compare themselves with another person instead of the original one
they will leave the situation
they will quit, transfer, or shift to another reference group
The Elements of Justice Theory
equity theory later expanded into an area called organizational justice made up of 3 components:
distributive justice - “How fairly are rewards being given out?”
procedural justice - “How fair is the process for handing out rewards?”
interactional justice - “How fairly am I being treated when rewards are given out?”
requires managers to communicate truthfully and treat others with dignity and respect
organizational justice: concerned with the extent to which people perceive they are treated fairly at work
5 Practical Lessons From Equity and Justice Theories
employee perceptions are what count
employees want a voice in decisions that affect them
employees should be given an appeals process
leader behavior matters
a climate for justice (fairness) makes a difference
