Victor Vroom has long been credited as originating expectancy theory, the idea that people are motivated to behave in certain ways so long as their efforts lead to successful performance that is then exchanged for valuable or attractive rewards. Expectancy theory has become widely accepted in practice as an applied framework for managers to understand how employees engage in their work while being motivated to perform their best. It is now an orthodoxy in management studies, featuring prominently in scholarship over the past half century and in management textbooks still to this day. However, a close excavation of the origins of expectancy theory and its development over time reveals a much different version than the one Vroom is said to have founded. We explore the antecedents of Vroom’s ideas and leverage our analysis to illustrate a reassessment of expectancy theory in management studies, especially how it has evolved in and around Vroom’s influence for several decades. We invite a rethink of who and what has been included in the annals of management theory and encourage those writing textbooks to employ a more thoughtful, inclusive approach in storying histories of management thought.