Question

You and three team members just won the sales competition at work and received $5000 each as a bonus. The team worked well together, and everyone put in equal effort. According to equity theory, what is your likely response?

a) to increase your efforts next month to justify the reward
b) to leave things as they are
c) to ask for a promotion or a raise
d) to not work as hard

Answer 1

According to equity theory, the likely response would be (b) to leave things as they are.

Step-by-step explanation:

Equity theory is a psychological concept suggesting that individuals strive for fairness in their relationships and are influenced by the balance between their inputs (efforts, contributions) and outputs (rewards). In this scenario, receiving an equal share of the $5000 bonus alongside equally contributing team members creates a sense of fairness and equity.

Given the equitable distribution of rewards for equal effort, the individual is less likely to increase efforts or seek immediate changes. Equity theory predicts that individuals tend to maintain the status quo when they perceive fairness in the relationship. Hence, the probable response would be to leave things as they are, acknowledging the fair distribution of the bonus based on equal contributions from all team members.

This approach aligns with the theory's premise that individuals are motivated when they perceive fairness in the allocation of rewards. In this case, the equal distribution of the bonus aligns with the equal efforts put in by all team members, reducing the inclination for immediate alterations in behavior or expectations.