Leadership & Navigation names six motivation theories. The unit tests the count, the membership, and whether you can pick the right one from a short workplace scenario.
The six
Goal-setting, expectancy, attribution, self-determination, equity, and Herzberg's two-factor theory.
- The count is six, not nine. Nine is the number of named leadership theories, and that swap is the most missed pairing in this unit. Three is the number of sub-competencies in Ethical Practice.
- Maslow's hierarchy of needs is not on the list. It is the best-known motivation model, which is exactly why candidates assume it appears.
- Only Herzberg's two-factor theory is named for its author. Goal-setting, equity, and expectancy are all listed as plain descriptive labels.
What each one is for
- Equity theory — how employees react to a perceived imbalance between their own contributions and rewards and those of comparable others.
- Expectancy theory — the perceived links between effort, performance, and a valued reward.
- Goal-setting — the motivating effect of specific and challenging goals.
- Attribution — how people explain the causes of behavior and outcomes already observed.
- Self-determination — intrinsic motivation.
- Herzberg's two-factor — hygiene factors versus motivators.
Telling equity from expectancy
This is the pair the scenarios turn on.
- High performers quit after learning new hires with equivalent experience were brought in at higher salaries: that is a comparison with others, so equity theory.
- Staff will not push for higher quality scores because they doubt the promised bonus will actually arrive: that is a broken performance-to-reward link, so expectancy theory.
Read the complaint. If it names other people, it is equity. If it doubts that the reward follows the performance, it is expectancy.