How to Coach Yourself and Others Essential Knowledge For Coaching | Seite 83

achieving two out of these three factors does not motivate the
employee.
Equity Theory
John Adam’s equity theory of motivation holds that people gauge
the fairness of their work outcomes not based on the rewards
they get in return for their work, but the extent of their rewards
for the work put in relative to what others get. Individuals who
perceive that they receive relatively less than others in
proportion to their work inputs experience negative equity, and
individuals who perceive that they receive relatively more than
others in proportion to their work inputs experience positive
equity.
Organizations looking to motivate employees in the workplace
need to ensure positive equity and avoid negative equity. Factors
that trigger positive or negative equity are changes in work
inputs, changes in outcomes, changes in the comparison person,
and the like. The key to redress negative equity includes effective
communication of reliable evaluation standards and comparison
points to the employees.
Reinforcement Theory
B. F. Skinner’s reinforcement theory states that the individual’s
behavior is a function of its reinforcement, which in turn bases
itself on the “law of effect.”
Reinforcement is the administration of a behavior resultant
consequence, and proper management of reinforcement helps
change the direction, level, and persistence of an individual’s
behavior. The law of effect holds people repeat behavior that
results in a pleasant outcome and avoid behavior that results in
unpleasant outcomes. Organizations looking to motivate
employees need to indulge in the systematic reinforcement of
desirable work behavior.

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