Ever since my son has been in school, and he is now 14 years of age in the 9th grade, we have basically operated under the Expectancy Theory. He was rewarded based upon certain criteria of his grades:
• whether or not the grade was achieved on a test, a report card, or a progress report
• were the grades consistent across all classes or a few
• was he balancing a sport or extracurricular activity
• did he reach out for help when he needed it
Over time or as he has gotten older, the reward or benefits of his good grades have increased as well either monetarily or via something more tangible like tickets to a Falcons game or a new game for his PlayStation. Of course, he learned quickly that the more A’s he made, the happier his parents were and better the reward.
Interestingly enough, now that he has entered high school, he is in more advanced classes and feels like it is something he “has” to do. I am “making” him do it. All of his other friends aren’t in the advanced classes. Why does he have to be in the advanced classes? It’s consuming his free time to hang out with them. Self-Determination Theory definitely!
What motivated me 20 years ago definitely is not the same as what motivates me today. People change. Environments change. Just like I need to adapt and figure out what motivates my son at home, organizations need to do the same for their employees.
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