Effect of perceived controllability and performance standards on self-regulation of complex decision making

Tested the hypothesis that perceived controllability and stringency of performance standards would affect self-regulatory mechanisms governing performance attainments of a simulated organization. Ss who managed the simulated organization under a cognitive set that organizations are not easily controllable displayed low perceived self-efficacy, even when standards were within easy reach, and lowered their organizational goals. Ss who operated under a cognitive set that organizations are controllable maintained a strong sense of self-efficacy, set increasingly challenging goals, and exhibited effective analytic thinking. The divergent changes in these self-regulatory factors were accompanied by large differences in organizational attainments. Path analyses revealed that perceived self-efficacy, which was affected by prior accomplishments, influenced subsequent organizational performance through its effects on analytic strategies. After further experience, the performance system was regulated more extensively and intricately by Ss' self-conceptions of efficacy. Perceived self-efficacy affected subsequent organizational attainments both directly and indirectly through its influence on personal goal challenges. Personal goals, in turn, enhanced organizational attainments directly and through mediation of analytic strategies.     

Implicit Theories versus the Social Construal of Ability in Self-Regulation and Performance on a Complex Task

The present experiment examined the relative impacts of implicit theories and the social construal of ability as either a fixed entity or an incremental skill on self-efficacy, affective reactions, self-set goals, and performance on a complex group-management task. It was also a novel task for participants. Participants who had an implicit theory that group-management ability is an incremental skill that can be acquired with experience developed stronger self-efficacy, maintained more positive affect, and set themselves more challenging goals across multiple trials. They also outperformed participants with a fixed-entity theory of group-management ability. Some of the motivational benefits of an incremental-skill conception were lost when the social construal of managerial ability emphasized a fixed-entity conception. However, the negative motivational effects of a fixed-entity theory of ability were not ameliorated by the social construal of managerial ability as an incremental skill. The effects of conceptions of ability were fully mediated by the self-regulatory responses of participants. The hypothesis that self-efficacy moderates the impact of ability conceptions on self-set goal challenges was not supported.     

Goal setting and the differential influence of self-regulatory processes on complex decision-making performance

The effects of goal setting and cognitive self-regulatory processes were examined on a highly complex task, a managerial decision-making simulation. It was hypothesized that the presence vs. absence of a specific performance goal would moderate the strength of relations between performance and 2 self-regulatory processes: self-efficacy judgments and self-evaluative reactions. Ss received either a moderately or extremely difficult task goal, or no specific goal. Self-regulatory processes were assessed after an initial trial block. Regression analyses revealed that, as predicted, both self-regulatory processes more strongly affected performance when Ss received a specific goal. Contrary to earlier findings obtained with simple activities, dissatisfaction with prior outcomes impaired performance. Ss who were dissatisfied with past attainments exerted much decision effort but adopted inferior task strategies that produced poorer results.     

When Sibling Becomes Competitor: A Qualitative Investigation of Same-Sex Sibling Competition in Elite Sport

Abstract

The effects of performance strategies, goal setting, and self-evaluative recording on the acquisition of a novel motoric skill were studied with 90 high school girls. It was hypothesized that greater acquisition would occur when (a) an analytic strategy was used instead of imaginal strategy, (b) practice goals were shifted dynamically during learning instead of remaining unchanging or fixed, and (c) self-evaluative recording of strategic performance processes was present rather than absent. Support for all three hypotheses was found. In addition to improving motoric skill acquisition, these same self-regulatory processes significantly enhanced three sources of learners' motivation: self-efficacy beliefs, self-satisfaction, and intrinsic interest. Additional analyses revealed that self-evaluative recording enhanced strategy attributions during learning which were predictive of improved self-efficacy, self-satisfaction, and intrinsic interest during posttesting. Self-efficacy was highly predictive of subsequent dart-skill performance. The results were discussed in terms of a strategic cycle view of self-regulation of motoric learning.     

Does priming for mastery goals improve the performance of students with an entity view of ability?

Background. There is evidence that an entity view of ability (where ability is viewed as a fixed entity that cannot be changed) is linked with social comparison goals and poor performance. On the other hand, an incremental view of ability (where ability is viewed as an acquirable skill) is linked with a mastery goal orientation and positive achievement outcomes. On these bases, the present study sought evidence that priming students with an entity view of ability to pursue mastery goals would result in improved performance. Sample. Participants were 48 students with an entity view of ability, and 48 students with an incremental view of ability. Method. We used a 2 (views of ability: entity, incremental)×2 (performance feedback: success, failure)×2 (goal priming: mastery, social comparison) between‐subjects factorial design to examine the effects of goal priming on performance for students with either an incremental or entity view of ability following either success or failure feedback. Prior to, and following, performance feedback, participants completed parallel measures of state anxiety. Participants were then primed for either social comparison goals prior to attempting to solve 16 Unicursal (tracing puzzle) tasks. Their performance on a subsequent set of Unicursal tasks was then examined. Finally participants completed a State Goals Scale assessing their degree of endorsement of social comparison/mastery goals whilst working on the Unicursal tasks. Results. The performance of students with an incremental view of ability was comparable irrespective of whether they were initially exposed to success and failure feedback and irrespective of whether they were primed for mastery or social comparison goals. However the performance of students with an entity view of ability improved when they were primed for mastery relative to social comparison goals irrespective of whether they were initially exposed to success or failure. Conclusions. These findings confirm the performance‐limiting consequences of social comparison goals for participants with an entity view of ability, suggesting benefits in encouraging these students to pursue mastery goals.     

Once a boring task always a boring task? Interest as a self-regulatory mechanism.

A process was proposed through which individuals regulate their motivation to perform necessary but uninteresting activities over time. If committed to continuing, individuals may engage in interest-enhancing strategies that can change the activity into something more positive to perform. In Study 1 Ss performed novel tasks and generated strategies to make regular performance interesting. In Study 2 Ss actually used these strategies primarily in conditions indicating a self-regulatory attempt: The task was currently boring, there was a perceived reason to continue (alleged health benefit), and a relevant strategy was available. Strategy use was associated with a change in activity definition and greater likelihood of subsequently performing the activity. In Study 3 Ss beliefs about how to maintain motivation to perform more everyday activities emphasized the importance of regulating interest relative to other self-regulatory strategies.     

Identification and goal choice of managerial candidates–organizational and individual perspectives

Abstract

Goal-setting theory and organizational culture research both emphasize that correspondence of individual and organizational goals is important, especially for executives and managerial candidates. The formerly dominating perspective of a passive individual eager to adopt organizational goals has recently been contrasted by a perspective of an active individual trying to pursue his/her own personal work goals in the organization. In a longitudinal study, 904 German academic managerial candidates were surveyed in order to investigate the causes of their identification with organizational goals, their expectations of advancement and their choice of personal work goals. The influence of organizational characteristics, i.e. number of employees, sector, and organizational culture, as well as the influence of individual job orientations were examined. Results show, that on the one hand organizational culture influenced managerial candidates' identification with organizational goals and their expectations of advancement, but had hardly any impact on their personal work goals. On the other hand, job orientations of managerial candidates affect both their identification with the organization and their personal work goals beyond organizational characteristics. Implications for selection and development of managerial candidates are discussed.     

Beyond objectivity: The performance impact of the perceived ability to learn and solve problems

The purpose of this research was to develop and provide initial validation evidence for the performance impact of a measure of an individual's perceived ability to learn and solve problems (PALS). Building on the self-efficacy literature and the importance of learning and problem solving, the fundamental premise of this research was that PALS would significantly explain employee performance. In addition to demonstrating that PALS represented a distinct construct, PALS was a significant predictor of performance for managerial and entry-level employees in two different organizational contexts. Moreover, PALS explained additional variance in performance beyond general mental ability, personality, and similar constructs related to learning and problem solving.     

Effects of top-performer rewards on fellow salespeople: a double-edged sword

Rewarding top performers is of strategic importance to the sales organization. Top-performing salespeople not only contribute significantly to the success of their firm but may also motivate the skill development of peer salespeople. However, both academic research and anecdotal evidence suggest that top performer rewards can boomerang by damaging peer salespeople's morale and productivity, although the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions remain unclear. Using a sample of salespeople and their managers from financial investment firms in Taiwan, the authors uncover both positive and negative effects of top-performer rewards. Specifically, it is found that when behavior control is employed, top-performer rewards are positively associated with perceived top-performer customer-relationship-building competence only when overall organizational justice is high. By contrast, when organizational justice is low and behavior control is employed, top-performer rewards give rise to perceived favoritism. Moreover, in large sales units, top-performer rewards are much less likely associated with perceived favoritism when organizational justice is high. It is through the perceived top-performer customer-relationship-building competence and perceived favoritism that top-performer rewards have a double-edged sword effect on fellow salespeople's selling skills, opportunism, and sales performance. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Self-Efficacy and Burnout in Teaching: The Importance of Interpersonal-Relations Efficacy

This study investigated the association between perceived self-efficacy and burnout among teachers. Self-efficacy has been defined operationally based on a three-dimensional conceptualization: task, relations and organization. Efficacy variables were three classroom efficacy factors: instruction (task), discipline control (task), and consideration (relations), and two organizational efficacy factors: inclusion (task) and influence (relations). Burnout was measured as both a three-dimensional measure comprised of exhaustion, unaccomplishment and depersonalization, and as a single dimension (a composite score including all three dimensions). A sample of 322 Israeli teachers completed a self-report questionnaire. Multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multiple regression analysis were used. It was found that perceived sense of self-efficacy was inversely correlated with perceived burnout: the lower the sense of self-efficacy, the higher the perceived burnout. The salience of organizational influence efficacy, and consideration efficacy (both are relations efficacies) were noted as important variables in predicting exhaustion, unaccomplishment and depersonalization. Task efficacies (e.g., instruction, discipline control, and inclusion) had no significant or meaningful weight in statistically predicting burnout beyond the relations efficacies. The importance of the organizational self-efficacy (teachers' beliefs in their ability to influence social and political forces within the organization, involvement in planning and executing important activities, as well as ability to draw upon the organization's resources to provide support and assistance) was discussed.     

Changes in achievement goals and competence perceptions across the college semester

We investigated the relationship between changes in perceptions of competence and changes in achievement goals across a college semester for students enrolled in an introductory psychology course. Two types of competence perceptions were examined: self-efficacy for learning and normative perceived ability. Changes in normative perceived ability were predicted to relate to changes in performance goals, but not mastery goals. Because mastery goals rely on self-referent standards to evaluate ability, we predicted changes in self-efficacy for learning would relate to changes in mastery goals. We also expected changes in self-efficacy for learning to relate to changes in performance goals because learning can lead to the demonstration of superior competence. The predictions were supported for mastery and performance-approach goals, but not for performance-avoidance goals. Very little change in performance-avoidance goals was observed. Scores on the first course exam also predicted change in performance-approach goals, with this effect partially mediated by competence perceptions.     

从征求到反应：建言行为链中的管理者角色

在建言行为发生链中,管理者扮演着征求者和反应者的不同角色。在管理实践中,管理者却罕于从员工处征求建言,或未能对员工建言做出有效反应。在学术界,目前有关管理者征求建言、纳谏和建言/建言者评估的研究日益丰富,但不成系统。为解决这些实践和理论上的不足,提出并整合建言行为链框架;并基于输入-过程-输出模型,从管理者角色入手,系统分析和归纳管理者征求建言、采纳建言、评估建言(者)的前提和结果,以诠释管理者在员工建言行为链中发挥的作用及其机制,并为管理者更好履行建言管理职能提供实践参考。     

The attenuating effect of role overload on relationships linking self-efficacy and goal level to work performance

The reported research examines the moderating effects of role overload on the antecedents and consequences of self-efficacy and personal goal level in a longitudinal study conducted in an industrial selling context. The results indicate that role overload moderates the antecedent effect of perceived organizational resources on self-efficacy beliefs. They also show that role overload moderates the direct effects of both self-efficacy and goal level on performance, such that these relationships are positive when role overload is low but not significant when role overload is high. Further, the results reveal a pattern of moderated mediation, in which goal level mediates the indirect effect of self-efficacy on performance when role overload is low but not when it is high. Implications for theory and managerial practice are discussed.     

Comparing Self-Regulatory Processes Among Novice,Non-Expert,and Expert Volleyball Players: A Microanalytic Study

Differences in self-regulatory processes of 30 college women who were volleyball Experts, Non-Experts, or Novices were studied regarding overhand serving skill during a practice episode. It was hypothesized that Experts would display better goals, planning, strategy use, self-monitoring, self-evaluation, attributions, and adaptation than either Non-Experts or Novices. It was also hypothesized that Experts would display higher self-efficacy beliefs, perceived instrumentality, intrinsic interest, and self-satisfaction in volleyball serving than either Non-Experts or Novices. All hypotheses were supported. The combined 12 measures of self-regulation predicted 90 percent of the variance in the women's volleyball serving skill. The findings are discussed according to a three-phase model of self-regulation, and recommendations are made for future research.     

Academic goals, cognitive and self-regulatory strategies

In this paper we analyze differences between cognitive (selection, organizational, elaboration and rehearsal) and self-regulatory (planning, monitoring-regulating) strategies depending on academic goals. A total of 447 obligatory secondary education students (55% boys and 44,7% girls) participated in this study. The results indicated that as well as learning goals, other goals (obtain social approval or a good job) are related to the use of strategies and study engagement. Even performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals are significantly related to cognitive and self-regulatory strategies use.     

Optimism,goals, and threats: How to conceptualize self-regulatory processes in the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors

Abstract

How individuals control themselves and their health behaviors can be better understood by examining their self-beliefs in terms of threats and goals. The distinction between self-regulatory threat appraisals and self-regulatory goal attainment may help to explain when individuals fall prey to defensive optimism and when they are guided by functional optimism. To underscore the notion of process-specific self-beliefs, a further distinction is made between goal-setting self-efficacy, action self-efficacy, coping self-efficacy, and recovery self-efficacy.     

Event justice and social entity justice: A cross-lagged analysis

IntroductionThe life of organizations is punctuated by a wide range of managerial decisions (e.g., hiring and selection procedure, performance appraisal, new working methods). Facing such events, employees evaluate the fairness of the situation experienced (event justice). They can also examine the fairness demonstrated by a specific entity, such as the organization or the supervisor (social entity justice). So far, little is known about how justice judgments about events vs. entities are related to each other, especially in a context of organizational change.ObjectiveBuilding on decision-making and organizational justice literature, we investigate the directionality of the causal relationships between event justice and social entity justice within a context of organizational change in a Belgian company (a significant reorganization at the level of the organization chart resulting in different changes for employees).MethodsWe used two samples (team leaders and executives) and realized a cross-lagged panel analysis with two measurement times.ResultsThe study shows that, in both samples, employees’ fairness perceptions about their organization (social entity justice) influence their interpretation of the fairness of subsequent events involving the organization (event justice).ConclusionBuilding and fostering a climate of justice is therefore of primary importance to organizations, since global fairness perceptions about the organization may help employees to perceive a specific event, such as an organizational change, as being fair.     

Organizational Change: The Role of Organizational Culture and Organizational Learning

Recent findings suggest that organizational culture and learning impact organizational performances. We report the results of an organizational change program focused upon strengthening further productivity in a public sector organization. The findings suggest that systematic and structured programs that include specific organizational goals, performance measures, performance feedback mechanisms, and incentives yield enhancements of targeted organizational performances. We present guidelines to promote organizational change and suggest that perceived collective efficacy plays an important role in changing organizational culture.

     

The effects of self-regulatory strength, content, and strategies on close relationships

This article reviews the growing literature on the effects of self-regulatory strength (how much self-regulatory ability people have), self-regulatory content (the goals toward which people self-regulate), and self-regulatory strategies (the manner in which people self-regulate) on close relationships. The extant literature indicates that close relationships benefit when relationship partners (a) have greater versus less self-regulatory strength, (b) prioritize relationship-promotion goals versus self-protection goals, (c) facilitate versus obstruct each other's personal goal pursuits, (d) enact positive relationship behaviors using approach versus avoidance strategies, and (e) pursue shared goals using complementary versus similar regulatory focus strategies. Future research could fruitfully (a) delve deeper into the influences of self-regulatory content and strategies on relationships and (b) integrate multiple lines of research examining the effects of self-regulation on relationships.     

Goal orientation and self-efficacy in relation to memory in adulthood

The achievement goal framework (Dweck, 1986, American Psychologist, 41, 1040) has been well-established in children and college-students, but has rarely been examined empirically with older adults. The current study, including younger and older adults, examined the effects of memory self-efficacy, learning goals (focusing on skill mastery over time) and performance goals (focusing on performance outcome evaluations) on memory performance. Questionnaires measured memory self-efficacy and general orientation toward learning and performance goals; free and cued recall was assessed in a subsequent telephone interview. As expected, age was negatively related and education was positively related to memory self-efficacy, and memory self-efficacy was positively related to memory, in a structural equation model. Age was also negatively related to memory performance. Results supported the positive impact of learning goals and the negative impact of performance goals on memory self-efficacy. There was no significant direct effect of learning or performance goals on memory performance; their impact occurred via their effect on memory self-efficacy. The present study supports past research suggesting that learning goals are beneficial, and performance goals are maladaptive, for self-efficacy and learning, and validates the achievement goal framework in a sample including older adults.