Goal Orientation Essay

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Motivation is “the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of effort in attaining a goal” (Robbins, 2005). Frederick Herzberg’s (1968) research put forth that the way to motivate employees was to enrich their jobs. He wrote that they would perform better and do more if they were challenged intellectually, and they would get more psychological satisfaction from their work. Daniel and Metcalf (2005) indicated that “Motivation factors for high job satisfaction include opportunities for recognition, advancement and professional growth.” However, management has found that not all employees want to have their jobs enriched – many would prefer to do relatively routine and repetitive tasks, and intellectual challenges …show more content…

Goal orientation is a “disposition toward developing or demonstrating ability in achievement situations” and “the desire to develop the self by acquiring new skills, mastering new situations and improving one’s competence” (VandeWalle, 1997). Previous research has examined goal orientation as a motivation variable useful for performance appraisal. (DeGeest & Brown, 2011). People generally fall into one of two categories of goal orientation. In the first category are individuals who have a mastery, or learning, orientation. They welcome challenges and enjoy learning new skills that allow them to master the challenges. Their approach to problems is associated with a belief that intelligence and ability are not fixed quantities but are in fact variables that the individual can influence (Dweck & Leggett, 1998). In the second category are individuals who have a performance orientation. They measure their worth in terms of how they perform in relation to goals, and they are easily discouraged if they believe the goal is too difficult. They seek out situations where they can excel, and they avoid situations where success isn’t assured. They tend to seek intelligence and ability as fixed quantities, over which they have no control (“I can’t do this.” “I’m not smart enough.” “I’m no good at computers.”). People are different, therefore, it is necessary for management to master the skills needed to motivate different

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