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Goal orientation originated in the educational psychology literature in the early 1980s, and has recently been applied to the work context ( VandeWalle, Cron, and Slocum, 2001 ). Goal orientation represents a personal disposition to pursue either learning or performance goal orientations in achievement situations ( Dweck, 1999 ). A learning goal orientation is associated with the belief that ability can be developed. In contrast, a performance goal orientation is associated with the belief that ability is fixed, and difficult to develop. A learning goal orientation motivates individuals to increase their competence and to master challenging situations. On the other hand, a performance goal orientation motivates individuals to establish the adequacy of their ability in the eyes of others and to avoid situations where they may appear inadequate. More recently, performance goal orientation was further divided into two distinct constructs: proving and avoidance ( VandeWalle, Cron, and Slocum, 2001 ). Proving goal orientation focuses on demonstrating one's competence, and gaining favorable judgments from others. Avoiding goal orientation focuses on ways of avoiding negation of one's competence as well as unfavorable judgments by others. In the context of complex tasks, a learning goal orientation leads to higher performance level than a performance goal orientation, mainly by influencing ... log in or subscribe to read full text