| Goal Orientation: New Directions for Contribution to Organizational Behavior |
| | Carroll, Adam | Columbia U. | atc20@columbia.edu | 212-678-8246 |
| | Goal orientation theory holds promise as an approach to understanding achievement and learning at work. This paper examines some of the issues that still need theoretical and empirical attention.
After reviewing the goal orientation literature, a number of topics are discussed, including: the development and elaboration of the performance and mastery goal constructs; the unrealized efficacy of the performance goal construct; and the lack of a broad account of situational influences.
The paper suggests that goal orientation theory can benefit from: 1) integrating the approach - avoid constructs of Atkinson's distal motivational framework and 2) adopting a Person x Situation interactionist perspective.
The first suggestion is based upon recent research in personality and social psychology, and the second is a necessary step if goal orientation theory is to impact management in organizational settings.
The author addresses situational influences by outlining an approach to goal orientation climate, and then proposes a set of Person x Situation goal orientation models that integrate performance, mastery, and approach - avoid goal constructs.
These models are hypothesized to predict adaptive motivation and role stress, both of which are processes relevant to organizations. |
| | Keywords: Goal Orientation; Climate; Interactionist |
| Goal Orientation Grows Up: A Literature Review |
| | VandeWalle, Don Michael | Southern Methodist U. | dvande@mail.cox.smu.edu | 214-768-1239 |
| | This paper reviews the growing emergence of goal orientation (a disposition toward developing or validating one's ability in achievement settings) as a central construct in the field of organizational behavior. An extensive review of empirical and theoretical evidence indicates that a focus on a learning goal orientation is often superior to a focus on a performance goal orientation for enhancing outcomes such as task performance. The comparative advantage of a learning goal orientation is explained by identifying the self-regulation processes such as goal setting, feedback seeking, and strategic planning that mediate the relationship of goal orientation and performance. Although the bulk of the extant goal orientation research is at the individual level of analysis, the paper also discusses an emerging interest in goal orientation at the group and organizational levels of analysis. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of the findings of goal orientation research for management education and mangement practice. |
| | Keywords: Goal Orientation; Self-regulation; Learning |
| Determinants of Goal Orientation |
| | Lawson, Lucinda | Texas A&M U., College Station | LLawson@cgsb.tamu.edu | 409-845-1456 |
| | The purpose of this paper is to advance the understanding of motivation in training by investigating the determinants of goal orientation, a construct that addresses motivational patterns in a learning environment (Dweck, 1986, 1989). Although the dimensionality of goal orientation (e.g. Button, Mattheiu & Zajac, 1996; VandeWalle, 1997) and the impact goal orientation has on performance (e.g. Phillips & Gully, 1997) and transfer of training (e.g. Ford, Smith, Weissbein, Gully & Salas, 1998) has recently received attention in the organizational literature, the determinants of goal orientation has not received adequate attention. In fact, the only research on the determinants of goal orientation suggests that an individual’s conceptualization of their own intelligence, as either a fixed or malleable entity, lead an individual toward different orientations (Dweck, 1989; Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Dweck, Hong & Chiu, 1993). Alternatively, I suggest that the personality factors of extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience as well as combinations of these personality factors lead an individual toward different orientations. And, although most personality constructs have not been connected to learning differences in instruction (Snow & Swanson, 1992), the results of an empirical study indicate that these personality factors are strongly related to goal orientation. |
| | Keywords: Goal Orientation; Training Motivation; Personality |
| Goal Orientation as a Moderator of the Negative Effects of Gender-based Preferential Selection on Task Attitudes and Performance |
| | Alsua, Carlos Jesus | Arizona State U. | alsua@asu.edu | 602-727-6266 |
| | Roberson, Loriann | Arizona State U. | Loriann.Roberson@asu.edu | 602-965-7571 |
| | This laboratory study was conducted to examine the moderating effect of situational goal orientation on the negative effects of gender-based preferential selection in task attitudes and performance. As hypothesized, men did not experience the negative effects of preferential selection in task attitudes, and these only occurred for women under a situationally induced performance goal orientation. Task performance was also influenced as hypothesized. Under a performance goal orientation, women in the preference condition experienced lower performance in terms of task accuracy and task elaboration than women selected under the merit condition. The negative effects on performance were not observed for women under a learning goal orientation, or for men under either goal orientation condition. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed. |
| | Keywords: Preferential selection; Goal orientation; Performance |