Push for more output from the company (more pay, authority).Decrease inputs (give less time, do less work).What does this behavior look like? When inequities persist, employees may do any of the following: Employees who feel that they are receiving inequitable treatment will be emotionally motivated to gain equity. Click To TweetĮquity theory shows that inequities (perceived or real) harm employee motivation. It's hard for an employee to feel motivated in the workplace if he or she feels they were treated unfairly.
When the rewards differ for the same degree of effort, employees view the situation as inequitable. Said another way, an employee will consider the following: Based on what I am giving to this organization (inputs), am I getting the same rewards (outcomes) as others are getting who give similar inputs? Equity theory says that employees view a situation as equitable when employees who give similar inputs receive similar outcomes. Employees make social comparisons to others who are similarly situated in the organization. Equity Theory (Adam’s Equity Theory) explains the thought process an employee uses to determine the fairness of management decision making. The core of equity theory says that individuals judge the fairness of their treatment based on how others like them are treated. The behavioral psychologist, John Stacey Adams, developed a useful model for explaining why employee perceptions about fairness matters. Employees know that life is not fair but they expect their boss to be fair! Click To Tweet Given the uncertainty and intense demands of our new millennium, employees are especially sensitive to issues of fairness and how organizational leaders treat them. An important factor in an employee’s internal motivation is his belief about how fair his treatment is and has been in the organization relative to others. While managers do not technically motivate people, they do create an environment that can foster or hinder employee motivation. Given all of this, it’s not surprising that the lack of employee motivation is a frequent area of concern that managers express to me. Employees bring different generational expectations that come from different life experiences. Customers through social media now have more power to affect a business’s bottom line and its market reputation. Gone are the days when managers can simply command and control employees! Organizations now operate under a pace of change that is unforgiving and unrelenting. (In other words, you might have an emotional reaction to what I have to say here.) However, if this information applies to you and you consider it objectively, it will make you better in the long run as a leader - just like bitter medicine does. SPOILER ALERT: The information in this article can be like taking bitter medicine - unpleasant at first with some adverse side effects that you feel immediately.
JOHN STACEY ADAMS EQUITY THEORY PDF SERIES
Motivation in the Workplace Article Series Quiz: Can You Apply Adam’s Equity Theory to the Workplace? Video: Improving Motivation with Adam’s Equity Theory? What Our Own History Teaches Us About Perceptions of Fairness
JOHN STACEY ADAMS EQUITY THEORY PDF HOW TO
How to Apply Adam’s Equity Theory to the Workplace Why Adam’s Equity Theory is Important to the Workplace In This Article (Click the links below to move easily to sections of this article)