1932
0
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior
  4. Volume 6, 2019
  5. Article

Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

Volume 6, 2019

Goal Orientation: A Review of the Miles Traveled and the Miles to Go

Abstract

Goal orientation, a theory that originated primarily in the educational and social psychology fields, has emerged in the past two decades as a prominent theory in organizational psychology and organizational behavior. We review the state of affairs for goal orientation research with the following roadmap. First, we discuss the historical roots of goal orientation. Next, we summarize the nomological network of goal orientation and describe the processing frameworks associated with goal orientation factors. We then discuss the crucial role of moderator variables to explain the notable variance found in goal orientation–outcome variable relationships. We next summarize the research findings on the relationship of goal orientation with the proximal mediator and distal outcome variables. We conclude the review with a miles-to-go discussion of several major issues currently faced in goal orientation research.

Keyword(s): achievement motivation, and ego orientation, goal orientation, task orientation
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062547
2019-01-21
2025-04-17
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/orgpsych/6/1/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062547.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062547&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

Literature Cited

  1. Adie JW, Duda JL, Ntoumanis N 2010. Achievement goals, competition appraisals, and the well- and ill-being of elite youth soccer players over two competitive seasons. J. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 32:555–79
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Ahearne M, Lam SK, Mathieu JE, Bolander W 2010. Why are some salespeople better at adapting to organizational change?. J. Mark. 74:65–79
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Ames C 1992. Achievement goals and the classroom motivational climate. Student Perceptions in the Classroom DH Schunk, JL Meece 327–48 Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Ames C, Archer J 1988. Achievement goals in the classroom: students' learning strategies and motivation processes. J. Educ. Psychol. 80:260–67
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Anseel F, Beatty AS, Shen W, Lievens F, Sackett PR 2015. How are we doing after 30 years? A meta-analytic review of the antecedents and outcomes of feedback-seeking behavior. J. Manag. 41:318–48
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Ashford SJ, Cummings LL 1983. Feedback as an individual resource: personal strategies of creating information. Organ. Behav. Hum. Perform. 32:370–98
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Atkinson JW 1957. Motivational determinants of risk-taking behavior. Psychol. Rev. 64:359–72
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Avery RE, Smillie LD 2013. The impact of achievement goal states on working memory. Motiv. Emot. 37:39–49
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Bandura A 1997. Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control New York: WH Freeman
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Bandura M, Dweck CS 1985. The relationship of conceptions of intelligence and achievement goals to achievement-related cognition, affect and behavior Unpubl. Manuscr., Harvard Univ.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Bell BS, Kozlowski SWJ 2008. Active learning: effects of core training design elements on self-regulatory processes, learning, and adaptability. J. Appl. Psychol. 93:296–316
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Biggs J, Kember D, Leung DYP 2001. The revised two-factor Study Process Questionnaire: R-SPQ-2F. Br. J. Educ. Psychol. 71:133–49
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Blume BD, Ford JK, Baldwin TT, Huang JL 2010. Transfer of training: a meta-analytic review. J. Manag. 36:1065–105
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Bråten I, Strømsø HI 2004. Epistemological beliefs and implicit theories of intelligence as predictors of achievement goals. Contemp. Educ. Psychol. 29:371–88
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Bråten I, Strømsø HI 2006. Predicting achievement goals in two different academic contexts: a longitudinal study. Scand. J. Educ. Res. 50:127–48
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Brett JF, Atwater LE 2001. 360° feedback: accuracy, reactions, and perceptions of usefulness. J. Appl. Psychol. 86:930–42
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Brett JF, VandeWalle D 1999. Goal orientation and goal content as predictors of performance in a training program. J. Appl. Psychol. 84:863–73
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Button SB, Mathieu JE, Zajac DM 1996. Goal orientation in organizational research: a conceptual and empirical foundation. Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 67:26–48
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Černe M, Nerstad CGL, Dysvik A, Škerlavaj M 2014. What goes around comes around: knowledge hiding, perceived motivational climate, and creativity. Acad. Manag. J. 57:172–92
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Chadwick IC, Raver JL 2015. Motivating organizations to learn: goal orientation and its influence on organizational learning. J. Manag. 41:957–86
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Coad AF, Berry AJ 1998. Transformational leadership and learning orientation. Leadersh. Organ. Dev. J. 19:164–72
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Colquitt JA, Simmering MJ 1998. Conscientiousness, goal orientation, and motivation to learn during the learning process: a longitudinal study. J. Appl. Psychol. 83:654–65
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Coutinho S 2008. Self-efficacy, metacognition, and performance. North Am. J. Psychol. 10:165–72
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Creed PA, King V, Hood M, McKenzie R 2009. Goal orientation, self-regulation strategies, and job-seeking intensity in unemployed adults. J. Appl. Psychol. 94:806–13
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Crouzevialle M, Butera F 2013. Performance-approach goals deplete working memory and impair cognitive performance. J. Exp. Psychol. Gen. 142:666–78
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Dahling JJ, Ruppel CL 2016. Learning goal orientation buffers the effects of negative normative feedback on test self-efficacy and reattempt interest. Learn. Individ. Differ. 50:296–301
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Delahaij R, van Dam K 2016. Coping style development: the role of learning goal orientation and metacognitive awareness. Personal. Individ. Differ. 92:57–62
     [Google Scholar]
  28. DeRue DS, Wellman N 2009. Developing leaders via experience: the role of developmental challenge, learning orientation, and feedback availability. J. Appl. Psychol. 94:859–75
     [Google Scholar]
  29. DeShon RP, Gillespie JZ 2005. A motivated action theory account of goal orientation. J. Appl. Psychol. 90:1096–127
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Diener CI, Dweck CS 1978. An analysis of learned helplessness: continuous changes in performance, strategy, and achievement cognitions following failure. J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 36:451–62
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Diener CI, Dweck CS 1980. An analysis of learned helplessness. II. The processing of success. J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 39:940–52
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Dierdorff EC, Surface EA, Brown KG 2010. Frame-of-reference training effectiveness: effects of goal orientation and self-efficacy on affective, cognitive, skill-based, and transfer outcomes. J. Appl. Psychol. 95:1181–91
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Dragoni L 2005. Understanding the emergence of state goal orientation in organizational work groups: the role of leadership and multilevel climate perceptions. J. Appl. Psychol. 90:1084–95
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Dragoni L, Tesluk PE, Russell JEA, Oh I-S 2009. Understanding managerial development: integrating developmental assignments, learning orientation, and access to developmental opportunities in predicting managerial competencies. Acad. Manag. J 52:731–43
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Duda JL 1988. The relationship between goal perspectives, persistence and behavioral intensity among male and female recreational sport participants. Leis. Sci. 10:95–106
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Duda JL, Nicholls JG 1992. Dimensions of achievement motivation in schoolwork and sport. J. Educ. Psychol. 84:290–99
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Duda JL, White SA 1992. Goal orientations and beliefs about the causes of sport success among elite skiers. Sport Psychol 6:334–43
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Dweck CS 1986. Motivational processes affecting learning. Am. Psychol. 41:1040–48
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Dweck CS 1999. Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development New York: Psychol. Press
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Dweck CS, Elliott ES 1983. Achievement Motivation New York: Wiley
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Dweck CS, Leggett EL 1988. A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychol. Rev. 95:256–73
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Dweck CS, Tenney Y, Dinces N 1982. Implicit theories of intelligence as determinants of achievement goal choice Unpubl. Manuscr.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Dysvik A, Kuvaas B 2013. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as predictors of work effort: the moderating role of achievement goals. Br. J. Soc. Psychol. 52:412–30
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Elliot AJ 1995. Approach and avoidance achievement goals: an intrinsic motivation analysis PhD thesis. Univ. Wisc., Madison
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Elliot AJ 1999. Approach and avoidance motivation and achievement goals. Educ. Psychol. 34:169–89
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Elliot AJ, Church MA 1997. A hierarchical model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation. J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 72:218–32
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Elliot AJ, McGregor HA 1999. Test anxiety and the hierarchical model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation. J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 76:628–44
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Farr JL, Hofmann DA, Ringenbach KL 1993. Goal orientation and action control theory: implications for industrial and organizational psychology. Int. Rev. Ind. Organ. Psychol. 8:193–232
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Fisher SL, Ford JK 1998. Differential effects of learner effort and goal orientation on two learning outcomes. Pers. Psychol. 51:397–420
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Flavell JH 1979. Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: a new area of cognitive–developmental inquiry. Am. Psychol. 34:906–11
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Folkman S, Lazarus RS 1985. If it changes it must be a process: study of emotion and coping during three stages of a college examination. J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 48:150–70
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Ford JK, Smith EM, Weissbein DA, Gully SM, Salas E 1998. Relationships of goal orientation, metacognitive activity, and practice strategies with learning outcomes and transfer. J. Appl. Psychol. 83:218–33
     [Google Scholar]
  53. Fuller B, Marler LE 2009. Change driven by nature: a meta-analytic review of the proactive personality literature. J. Vocat. Behav. 75:329–45
     [Google Scholar]
  54. Gillet N, Lafrenière MAK, Vallerand RJ, Huart I, Fouquereau E 2014. The effects of autonomous and controlled regulation of performance‐approach goals on well‐being: a process model. Br. J. Soc. Psychol. 53:154–74
     [Google Scholar]
  55. Gong Y, Fan J 2006. Longitudinal examination of the role of goal orientation in cross-cultural adjustment. J. Appl. Psychol. 91:176–84
     [Google Scholar]
  56. Gong Y, Huang J-C, Farh J-L 2009. Employee learning orientation, transformational leadership, and employee creativity: the mediating role of employee creative self-efficacy. Acad. Manag. J 52:765–78
     [Google Scholar]
  57. Hannah ST, Lester PB 2009. A multilevel approach to building and leading learning organizations. Leadership Q 20:34–48
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Helmreich RL, Spence JT 1978. The Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire: An Objective Instrument to Assess Components of Achievement Motivation and Attitudes toward Family and Career Washington, DC: Am. Psychol. Assoc.
     [Google Scholar]
  59. Hirst G, Van Knippenberg D, Zhou J 2009. A cross-level perspective on employee creativity: goal orientation, team learning behavior, and individual creativity. Acad. Manag. J. 52:280–93
     [Google Scholar]
  60. Hulleman CS, Schrager SM, Bodmann SM, Harackiewicz JM 2010. A meta-analytic review of achievement goal measures: different labels for the same constructs or different constructs with similar labels?. Psychol. Bull. 136:422–49
     [Google Scholar]
  61. Jagacinski CM, Madden JL, Reider MH 2001. The impact of situational and dispositional achievement goals on performance. Hum. Perform. 14:321–37
     [Google Scholar]
  62. Janssen O, Van Yperen NW 2004. Employees' goal orientations, the quality of leader-member exchange, and the outcomes of job performance and job satisfaction. Acad. Manag. J. 47:368–84
     [Google Scholar]
  63. Kanfer R 1990. Motivation theory and industrial and organizational psychology. Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology 1 MD Dunnette, LM Hough 75–170 Palo Alto, CA: Consult. Psychol. Press, 2nd ed..
     [Google Scholar]
  64. Kanfer R, Ackerman PL 1989. Motivation and cognitive abilities: an integrative/aptitude-treatment interaction approach to skill acquisition. J. Appl. Psychol. 74:657–90
     [Google Scholar]
  65. Kaplan A, Maehr ML 2007. The contributions and prospects of goal orientation theory. Educ. Psychol. Rev. 19:141–84
     [Google Scholar]
  66. Klein HJ, Noe RA, Wang C 2006. Motivation to learn and course outcomes: the impact of delivery mode, learning goal orientation, and perceived barriers and enablers. Pers. Psychol. 59:665–702
     [Google Scholar]
  67. Kozlowski SWJ, Gully SM, Brown KG, Salas E, Smith EM, Nason ER 2001. Effects of training goals and goal orientation traits on multidimensional training outcomes and performance adaptability. Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 85:1–31
     [Google Scholar]
  68. Leggett E, Dweck C 1986. Individual differences in goals and inference rules: sources of causal judgments Unpubl. Manuscr.
    [Google Scholar]
  69. Linnenbrink-Garcia L, Tyson DF, Patall EA 2008. When are achievement goal orientations beneficial for academic achievement? A closer look at main effects and moderating factors. Rev. Int. Psychol. Soc. 21:19–70
     [Google Scholar]
  70. Lochbaum MR, Roberts GC 1993. Goal orientations and perceptions of the sport experience. J. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 15:160–71
     [Google Scholar]
  71. Locke EA, Latham GP 2002. Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: a 35-year odyssey. Am. Psychol. 57:705–17
     [Google Scholar]
  72. Louw KR, Dunlop PD, Yeo GB, Griffin MA 2016. Mastery approach and performance approach: the differential prediction of organizational citizenship behavior and workplace deviance, beyond HEXACO personality. Motiv. Emot. 40:566–76
     [Google Scholar]
  73. Matzler K, Mueller J 2011. Antecedents of knowledge sharing—examining the influence of learning and performance orientation. J. Econ. Psychol. 32:317–29
     [Google Scholar]
  74. McClelland DC 1961. The Achieving Society New York: D Van Nostrand
     [Google Scholar]
  75. McCrae RR, Costa PT 1985. Comparison of EPI and psychoticism scales with measures of the five-factor model of personality. Personal. Individ. Differ. 6:587–97
     [Google Scholar]
  76. Midgley C, Kaplan A, Middleton M 2001. Performance-approach goals: good for what, for whom, under what circumstances, and at what cost. ? J. Educ. Psychol. 93:77–86
     [Google Scholar]
  77. Mouratidis A, Vansteenkiste M, Lens W, Auweele YV 2009. Beyond positive and negative affect: achievement goals and discrete emotions in the elementary physical education classroom. Psychol. Sport Exerc. 10:336–43
     [Google Scholar]
  78. Nicholls JG 1984. Achievement motivation: conceptions of ability, subjective experience, task choice, and performance. Psychol. Rev. 91:328–46
     [Google Scholar]
  79. Nicholls JG 1989. The Competitive Ethos and Democratic Education Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press
     [Google Scholar]
  80. Nicholls JG, Cheung PC, Lauer J, Patashnick M 1989. Individual differences in academic motivation: perceived ability, goals, beliefs, and values. Learn. Individ. Differ. 1:63–84
     [Google Scholar]
  81. Ntoumanis N, Biddle SJH, Haddock G 1999. The mediating role of coping strategies on the relationship between achievement motivation and affect in sport. Anxiety Stress Coping 12:299–327
     [Google Scholar]
  82. O'Keefe PA, Ben-Eliyahu A, Linnenbrink-Garcia L 2013. Shaping achievement goal orientations in a mastery-structured environment and concomitant changes in related contingencies of self-worth. Motiv. Emot. 37:50–64
     [Google Scholar]
  83. Payne SC, Youngcourt SS, Beaubien JM 2007. A meta-analytic examination of the goal orientation nomological net. J. Appl. Psychol. 92:128–50
     [Google Scholar]
  84. Phillips JM, Gully SM 1997. Role of goal orientation, ability, need for achievement, and locus of control in the self-efficacy and goal–setting process. J. Appl. Psychol. 82:792–802
     [Google Scholar]
  85. Poortvliet PM, Giebels E 2012. Self-improvement and cooperation: how exchange relationships promote mastery-approach driven individuals' job outcomes. Eur. J. Work Organ. Psychol. 21:392–425
     [Google Scholar]
  86. Poortvliet PM, Janssen O, Van Yperen NW, Van de Vliert E 2007. Achievement goals and interpersonal behavior: how mastery and performance goals shape information exchange. Personal. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 33:1435–47
     [Google Scholar]
  87. Roberts GC 1982. Achievement motivation in sport. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev. 10:236–69
     [Google Scholar]
  88. Roberts GC 2012. Motivation in sport and exercise from an achievement goal theory perspective: After 30 years, where are we?. Adv. Motiv. Sport Exerc. 3:5–58
     [Google Scholar]
  89. Schmidt AM, Ford JK 2003. Learning within a learner control training environment: the interactive effects of goal orientation and metacognitive instruction on learning outcomes. Pers. Psychol. 56:405–29
     [Google Scholar]
  90. Seijts GH, Latham GP, Tasa K, Latham BW 2004. Goal setting and goal orientation: an integration of two different yet related literatures. Acad. Manag. J. 47:227–39
     [Google Scholar]
  91. Sideridis GD, Kaplan A 2011. Achievement goals and persistence across tasks: the roles of failure and success. J. Exp. Educ. 79:429–51
     [Google Scholar]
  92. Simons J, Dewitte S, Lens W 2004. The role of different types of instrumentality in motivation, study strategies, and performance: Know why you learn, so you'll know what you learn! Br. J. Educ. . Psychol 74:343–60
     [Google Scholar]
  93. Sisk VF, Burgoyne AP, Sun J, Butler JL, Macnamara BN 2018. To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychol. Sci. 29:549–71
     [Google Scholar]
  94. Sosik JJ, Godshalk VM, Yammarino FJ 2004. Transformational leadership, learning goal orientation, and expectations for career success in mentor-protégé relationships: a multiple levels of analysis perspective. Leadersh. Q. 15:241–61
     [Google Scholar]
  95. Spielberger CD, Sydeman SJ 1994. State-trait anxiety inventory and state-trait anger expression inventory. The Use of Psychological Testing for Treatment Planning and Outcome Assessment ME Maruish 292–321 Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.
     [Google Scholar]
  96. Steele-Johnson D, Beauregard RS, Hoover PB, Schmidt AM 2000. Goal orientation and task demand effects on motivation, affect, and performance. J. Appl. Psychol. 85:724–38
     [Google Scholar]
  97. Sujan H, Weitz BA, Kumar N 1994. Learning orientation, working smart, and effective selling. J. Mark. 58:39–52
     [Google Scholar]
  98. Tziner A, Fisher M, Senior T, Weisberg J 2007. Effects of trainee characteristics on training effectiveness. Int. J. Sel. Assess. 15:167–74
     [Google Scholar]
  99. van Hooft EAJ, Noordzij G 2009. The effects of goal orientation on job search and reemployment: a field experiment among unemployed job seekers. J. Appl. Psychol. 94:1581–90
     [Google Scholar]
  100. Van Yperen NW, Blaga M, Postmes T 2014. A meta-analysis of self-reported achievement goals and nonself-report performance across three achievement domains (work, sports, and education). PLOS ONE 9:e93594
     [Google Scholar]
  101. Van Yperen NW, Duda J 1999. Goal orientations, beliefs about success, and performance improvement among young elite Dutch soccer players. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports 9:358–64
     [Google Scholar]
  102. Van Yperen NW, Hamstra MRW, van der Klauw M 2011. To win, or not to lose, at any cost: the impact of achievement goals on cheating. Br. J. Manag. 22:Suppl. 15–15
     [Google Scholar]
  103. Vandewalle D 1997. Development and validation of a work domain goal orientation instrument. Educ. Psychol. Meas. 57:995–1015
     [Google Scholar]
  104. VandeWalle D, Brown SP, Cron WL, Slocum JW 1999. The influence of goal orientation and self-regulation tactics on sales performance: a longitudinal field test. J. Appl. Psychol. 84:249–59
     [Google Scholar]
  105. VandeWalle D, Cron WL, Slocum JW 2001. The role of goal orientation following performance feedback. J. Appl. Psychol. 86:629–40
     [Google Scholar]
  106. VandeWalle D, Cummings LL 1997. A test of the influence of goal orientation on the feedback-seeking process. J. Appl. Psychol. 82:390–400
     [Google Scholar]
  107. VandeWalle D, Ganesan S, Challagalla GN, Brown SP 2000. An integrated model of feedback-seeking behavior: disposition, context, and cognition. J. Appl. Psychol. 85:996–1003
     [Google Scholar]
  108. Vandewalle DM 1996. A goal orientation model of feedback seeking behavior PhD thesis, Univ. Minnesota Minneapolis:
     [Google Scholar]
  109. Wang M, Takeuchi R 2007. The role of goal orientation during expatriation: a cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation. J. Appl. Psychol. 92:1437–45
     [Google Scholar]
  110. Yeo G, Loft S, Xiao T, Kiewitz C 2009. Goal orientations and performance: differential relationships across levels of analysis and as a function of task demands. J. Appl. Psychol. 94:710–26
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062547
Loading
Goal Orientation: A Review of the Miles Traveled and the Miles to Go
Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior 6, 115 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062547
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062547
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062547
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error