According to expectancy theory, what must exist for employees to give maximum effort?

Expectancy theory posits that motivation is influenced by an individual's beliefs about the relationship between their efforts, performance, and outcomes. For employees to give maximum effort, they need a realistic expectation that their work will lead to successful performance. This means that employees must believe that their efforts can indeed result in improved performance metrics or productivity levels.

If employees perceive a decent chance that their efforts will be converted into performance, they are more likely to be motivated to exert greater effort. This concept highlights the importance of perceived effectiveness in the relationship between effort and reward, suggesting that when individuals feel that their hard work will lead to desired outcomes, such as recognition, rewards, or promotions, they are more likely to be engaged and put forth maximum effort.

In contrast, other options do not align with the core principles of expectancy theory. For instance, a fixed salary without performance evaluations does not provide any incentive for increased effort since the employees would feel no direct correlation between their effort and the outcome. Similarly, a lack of performance-related rewards would likely demotivate employees, as they would not see the value in putting in more effort if they believe their work will not lead to additional rewards or recognition. Lastly, while a guarantee of promotions might sound motivating, it doesn’t