ABSTRACT
The more accurately public sector managers can answer the question of what motivates their employees, the more effective they will be at maximizing productivity, enhancing performance, and advancing the notion of public sector accountability (Cherniss and Kane 1987). Knowing the relevant dimensions of employee motivation is valuable information to anyone concerned with organizational performance (Locke 1991), as is the ability to make objective assessments of what employees want from their jobs and whether they feel they are getting it (Scully 1994). Whether it is formulating personnel policy or strategic plans or reengineering processes, keeping employees motivated is essential to reaching goals of productivity and efficiency (Emmert and Taher 1992). Theoretical Orientation
Expectancy theory (Vroom 1964), one of the most widely accepted explanations of motivation, is rooted in the commonsense notion that individuals act in ways likely to maximize their rewards and minimize their costs. Essentially, within the organizational context, employees are the embodiment of classical economic theory. Social relationships are viewed as exchange processes in which employees engage in certain activities for which they expect certain outcomes. The strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the intensity of expectation that an act will be followed by a particular outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. The outcomes can be viewed as either positive, negative, or neutral. The transaction is an economic one, and it is assumed that individuals have expectations and preferences regarding the rewards they will receive in exchange for their investment of time and resources. The applicability of these notions to public sector employees has been well documented (e.g., Gabris and Simo 1995; Perry and Porter 1982; Perry and Wise 1990) and empirically assessed (Perry 1996).
