In last week’s entry I reviewed the sources of expat motivation, as derived from the standpoint of self-determination theory. Specifically, I brought up the argument that the more self-determined one’s behavior, the more intrinsically motivated this behavior.
On the other hand, as mentioned in my previous post, goals or tasks can also be viewed as a driving force for any behavior. There are several psychological theories that differentiate between several types of goals, and imply that these can have a different effect on one’s performance, effort and persistence on achievement behavior.
Theories of goal orientation
For example, the highly influential Achievement Goal Theory (Nicholls, 1984) argues that a person’s motivation is determined by the type of achievement goals: outcome-oriented goals or task-oriented goals. Outcome goal orientation focuses on achieving the end result, and is usually evaluated through comparing oneself with others. In contrast, task orientation focuses on the process of personal improvement and, hence, emphasizes comparisons with one’s own performance standards.
Similarly, Dweck (1986) proposed that in achievement situations a person can be motivated either by a learning goal orientation, which is to develop competence, or a performance goal orientation, which is to validate or demonstrate one’s competence. Further, performance goal orientation was split into proving and avoiding goal orientation, with the first focusing on demonstrating competence for gaining favorable judgment, and the second on avoiding negative judgment.
Using the latter three-factor conceptualization of goal orientation, namely learning, proving and avoiding goals, the scholars Wang and Takeuchi (2007) investigated the role of goal orientation in relation to expatriates’ adjustment and performance measures.
Goal orientation and expatriation outcomes
Having surveyed 183 expats, the authors found that learning orientation had the strongest positive relations to expatriates’ adjustment and job performance. Adjustment was considered as a mediating variable in the current study, implying that expats’ goal orientation is primarily affecting the success of their adjustment, which in turn is related to job performance. Hence, it can be argued that expatriates, who were focused on developing their capabilities rather than proving them, were able to cope with all the adjustment difficulties and adversity in a better way. This finding is in line with other goal orientation findings in general psychology, which suggest that focusing on personal development and personal performance (process oriented, personal standards) compared to outcome-oriented goals (comparison to others) is related to higher motivation, lower perceived pressure, higher perceived competence, and more successful performance.
Moreover, the researchers found that proving goal orientation had also a positive relation with work and interaction adjustment, however not with general adjustment. Avoiding goal orientation was found to influence work and interaction adjustment in a negative way.
Practical implications
In a practical sense, the study findings suggest that relocation professionals could put more emphasis on the developmental side of each assignment, rather than its’ business-related outcomes, which naturally may be influenced by many more factors than an expatriate’s efforts. For example, sending an employee to a foreign subsidiary with the main performance indicator of increasing sales (an outcome goal), may induce unnecessary pressure and decrease the employee’s motivation, because even when giving 100% of one’ personal effort, factors such as competitors’ actions and environmental conditions (e.g., cold summer decreases the amount of ice-cream sold) may hinder achieving good results.
Moreover, apart from setting process related goals from the employer perspective (e.g. improve business knowledge) relocation professionals could also try to shift expatriates’ personal dispositions for goal orientation. This would be especially relevant when supporting a productive mindset during adjustment training. For instance, discussing the upcoming adjustment challenges in light of opportunities for learning and development, as opposed to perceiving them as a lack of capability and proof of a failed assignment, could be helpful. Not only would such a mindset encourage expatriates to overcome possible difficulties, but it would also sustain their motivation to continue their assignment in spite of all the adversity.
Should behavior always be motivated by self-related motives, reasons or goals?
So far, I have discussed different approaches to motivation, all of which were however related to anticipating the benefits that are directed toward the person who acts. Whether it is for intrinsic motives such as personal development and growth or extrinsic benefits, in all of these cases the person is motivated to act because of the impact it will have on him/her.
However, it can be argued (Batson, 1991) that people are also motivated to act because of the impact their actions will have on others. This can be called contributive, or altruistic motivation. For example, an expatriate can move to a new subsidiary and feel motivated by helping out colleagues that deal with the difficulties of managing a new subsidiary. As such, the benefiting party of this action would be subsidiary employees, while the expatriate would be driven out of concern for others. Or, an expatriate may relocate because helping grow a particular subsidiary may also contribute to the company as a whole.
While revealing and supporting altruistic motivation is probably a less regularly practiced motivational tool in human resources today, it definitely should not be forgotten, as it can both help to select individuals that will expatriate for the right reasons and enrich the pool of available motivators.
Further reading:
Batson, C.D. (1991). The Altruism Question. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learning. American Psychologist, 41, 1040-1048.
Nicholls, J. (1984). Conceptions of ability and achievement motivation. In R. Ames &
C. Ames (Eds.), Research on motivation in education: Student motivation (Vol. 1,pp. 39-73). New York: Academic Press.
Wang, M., & Takeuchi, R. (2007). The role of goal orientation during expatriation: a cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 5, 1437-1445.
To achieve your goals your mindset is and focus is also important. I am convinced that there are more important influences to maintain your health and wellness.