The Porter and Lawler Theory of Motivation is based on Victor Vroom's expectancy theory. It proposes that an individual's motivation to perform a task is influenced by the rewards they expect to receive for performing the task. The theory introduces additional variables like effort, performance, rewards, and satisfaction. It suggests that effort leads to performance, which leads to both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, which then determine satisfaction depending on whether rewards meet or exceed perceived expectations. The model has implications for overcoming barriers between motivation and performance and ensuring appropriate skills, role clarity, reward probabilities, and reward combinations. It was tested in a job training program study that supported the effort-performance link.

1. PORTER AND LAWLER THEORY OF
MOTIVATION

2. Motivation is literally the desire to do things. It's
the difference between waking up before dawn to pound
the pavement and lazing around the house all day.
It's the crucial element in setting and attaining
goals—and research shows you can influence your own
levels of motivation and self-control. Motivation is
the reason for people's actions, desires, and needs.
Motivation is also one's direction to behavior, or
what causes a person to want to repeat a behavior. A
motive is what prompts the person to act in a certain
way, or at least develop an inclination for specific
behavior.
E L E M E N T S
M O D E L
I M P L I C A T I O N S
A P P L I C A T I O N S
A S S U M P T I O N S
B A S I S A N D O R I G I N
M O T I V A T I O N

4. BASISANDORIGIN
Vroom's expectancy theory
assumes that behavior results
from conscious choices among
alternatives whose purpose it
is to maximize pleasure and to
minimize pain.
Vroom realized that an
employee's performance is
based on individual factors
such as personality, skills,
knowledge, experience and
abilities.
He stated that effort,
performance and motivation
are linked in a person's
motivation.
He uses the variables
Expectancy, Instrumentality
and Valence to account for
this.

5. BASISANDORIGIN P O R T E R A N D L A W L E R T H E O R Y O F M O T I V A T I O N
Porter and Lawler used Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory
as a foundation to develop their expectancy model.
Similar to Vroom’s theory, Porter and Lawler concluded
that an individual’s motivation to complete a task is
affected by the reward they expect to receive for
completing the task.
However Porter and Lawler introduced additional
aspects to the expectancy theory.

6. ASSUMPTIONS
It is a multi variate model.
Individuals are assumed to be rational human beings.
Difference of needs and desire.
Linkage of alternate behavior and desired outcome.
Rewards are not based on amount of efforts but level of
performance.
Working conditions is suitable and routine.
There is normal situation.
Motivation can be explained in form of relation between
outcomes and inputs.

8. R E W A R D S A T I S F A C T I O N
P E R F O R M A N C EE F F O R T
K E Y V A R I A B L E S O F P O R T E R A N D L A W L E R T H E O R Y
ELEMENTS

9. E F F O R TELEMENTS
Effort signifies the amount of energy exerted by an
individual on a specified task.
Effort is a result of the attractiveness of the reward
and the way in which the individual perceives the linkage
between effort and payoff.

10. P E R F O R M A N C E
ELEMENTS
Effort leads to performance.
The expected level of performance will depend upon the
amount of effort, the abilities and traits of the
individual and his role perceptions.
In addition, people performing the jobs should have
accurate role perception which refers to the wav in
which people define for the jobs.
People may perceive their roles differently.
Only those, who perceive their roles as is defined by
the organization, will be able to perform well when
they put forth the requisite effort.

11. R E W A R DELEMENTS
Performance leads to certain outcomes in the shape of
two types of rewards namely extrinsic rewards and
intrinsic rewards.
Extrinsic rewards are the external rewards given by
others in the organization in the form of money,
recognition or praise.
Intrinsic rewards are internal feelings of job sell
esteem and sense of competence that individuals feel
when they do a good job.

12. S A T I S F A C T I O NELEMENTS
Satisfaction will result from both extrinsic and
intrinsic rewards.
However, for being satisfied, an individual will
compare his actual rewards with the perceived rewards
if actual rewards meet or exceed perceived equitable
rewards, the individual will feel satisfied and if
these are less than the equitable rewards, the
individual will feel dissatisfied.

14. MODEL T H E P O R T E R - L A W L E R M O D E L
EFFORT PERFROMANCE
INTRINSIC
REWARDS
SATISFACTION
EXTRINSIC
REWARDSPerceived
effort-reward
probability
Perceived
equity of
rewards
Value of
reward
Ability and Traits
Role Perception

15. T H E P O R T E R - L A W L E R M O D E LMODEL
Actual performance in a job is primarily determined by
the effort spent.
But it is also affected by the person’s ability to do
the job and also by individual’s perception of what
the required task is.
So performance is the responsible factor that leads to
intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards.
These rewards, along with the equity of individual
leads to satisfaction.
Hence, satisfaction of the individual depends upon the
fairness of the reward.

16. IMPLICATIONS
On the front end (the relationship between motivation and
performance) following barriers must be overcome:
Doubt about utility, skill, or knowledge
The physical or practical possibility of the job
The interdependence of the job with other people or activates
ambiguity surrounding the job requirements

17. IMPLICATIONS
On the middle part (relationship between efforts and
rewards), following implications are worth noted:
Ensure the required skills and abilities to perform
desired work.
Help employees to develop fairly correct role
perception.
Provide needed aids to make employees to assign high
positive probabilities.
Make appropriate combination of intrinsic and extrinsic
rewards.

18. IMPLICATIONS
In addition, on the back end (the relationship between
performance and satisfaction),guidelines such as
following have been suggested:
Determine what rewards each employee values
Define desirable performance
Make desirable performance attainable
Link valued rewards to performance

20. What HR Manager can do?
Match the abilities and traits of the workers for the
requirement of Job-Fit criteria.
Explain the employees their roles and what they must
do to be rewarded.
Prescribe the concrete terms of the expected
but attainable performance levels.
Make sure rewards dispensed are valued by the
employees. Thus, he can find out what
rewards attract the employees.
APPLICATIONS

21. CASE OF MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEEAPPLICATIONS
Purpose- To test the EFFORT-PERFORMANCE model on a
population of 97 disadvantaged trainees.
Method- The supervisors were asked to rank their trainees
on the degree of effort exerted and overall performance
depending on 4 hypotheses based on :
i) Performance – Reward Probability
ii) Ability
iii) Role Perception
iv) Ability and Role Perception taken together

22. APPLICATIONS RESULTS

23. There is no denying of the fact that the motivation model proposed by Porter and Lawler is
quite complex than other models of motivation but they have attempted to measure variables
such as the values of possible rewards, the perception of effort-rewards probabilities and
role perceptions in deriving satisfaction. They recommended that the managers should
carefully reassess their reward system and structure. The effort-performance-reward-
satisfaction should be made integral to the entire system of managing men in organizations.
C O N C L U S I O N