The court of theories: a debate-style exercise for teaching motivation theories

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide an engaging debate-style exercise to be used by college-level instructors of management, organizational behavior or leadership courses. Design/methodology/approach This activity enables students to actively teach themselves benefits and drawbacks of four competing motivation theories: goal-setting theory, expectancy theory, equity theory and reinforcement theory. Findings This debate-style activity has proven useful in both engaging students and increases the depth of their understanding of motivation theories. Originality/value This exercise is an original exercise created by the authors to better teach the four theories of motivation.