City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 9-2016 The Effects of Goal Orientation and Learning Strategies on Managerial Job Performance Raphael Y. Prager The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1594 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] THE EFFECTS OF GOAL ORIENTATION AND LEARNING STRATEGIES ON MANAGERIAL JOB PERFORMANCE by RAPHAEL Y. PRAGER A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2016 © 2016 RAPHAEL Y. PRAGER All Rights Reserved ii THE EFFECTS OF GOAL ORIENTATION AND LEARNING STRATEGIES ON MANAGERIAL JOB PERFORMANCE by RAPHAEL Y. PRAGER This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Psychology to satisfy the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Loren J, Naidoo Date Chair of Examining Committee Richard Bodnar Date Executive Officer Charles Scherbaum Harold Goldstein Rob Silzer Seymour Adler THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT THE EFFECTS OF GOAL ORIENTATION AND LEARNING STRATEGIES ON MANAGERIAL JOB PERFORMANCE by Raphael Y. Prager Advisor: Loren J. Naidoo, Ph.D. The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model of the role of informal managerial learning processes in predicting job performance. Using Goal Orientation (GO) as a framework, this study tested the relationships between dispositional GO, learning strategies, and organizational and managerial support in relation to job performance. Participants were 143 employees across several global regions in an insurance firm. Overall, path analyses indicated that dispositional mastery GO was positively associated with learning strategies and job performance. Contrary to hypotheses, the learning strategies did not positively predict job performance. Differential effects were found for the influence of organizational and managerial support on learning strategies as organizational was found to positively predict active feedback seeking and negatively predict effort regulation, while managerial support negatively predicted active feedback seeking. Research and organizational implications are discussed. iv AKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation was completed through the support and love from my family and friends. I am especially grateful to my wife, Penina, who has given me the courage, strength, and confidence to push past obstacles and has reminded me to never to lose sight of my goals. Thank you for going above and beyond to make sure that I was able to dedicate the time and focus to complete this important milestone. You have been with me every step along the way and I could not have done it without your love, support, and humor when I needed it most. I would also like to thank the two most important educators in my life - my parents. You have instilled in me a strong work ethic and the importance of education, continuous improvement, and intellectual and spiritual pursuits. You have also made me realize that anything is possible if you work steadily (and don’t wait until the last minute!). Thank you for supporting my education in as many ways possible. I am blessed to have terrific in-laws as well. Thank you for your ongoing words of encouragement and thoughtfulness. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my companion who stayed by my side on weekends and nights and demonstrated extraordinary patience in between coffee breaks. Winston, thank you! I am lucky to have two extraordinary mentors and role models in the field of I/O Psychology, both committed to advancement of the field and research. My journey into the field and pursuit of a graduate education are largely attributed to the exciting research and leadership of Dr. Seymour Adler. From our initial conversation about I/O in a bagel store in New Jersey, to working on your team at Aon Hewitt, you have always served as a trusted advisor. I have and continue to learn so much from you and appreciate your willingness to go out of your way to support the attainment of my degree. Thank you Dr. Rob Silzer for shaping my early-career practitioner skills. I find myself applying much of what I have learned from your classes in my v every day work. You have provided me with tremendous opportunities and I look forward to partnering with you on many more. I am also grateful to have a strong colleague network at Aon Hewitt. In particular, I would like to thank my two managers, Dr.’s Veronica Harvey and Brian Ruggeberg. Thank you both for your patience, your words or wisdom, and your willingness to listen when I needed to talk. I want to extend a special thank you to Dr. Harvey for helping me secure a data source for this study. This research would not have been possible without your leadership. In addition, a special thank you to Dr. Miriam Nelson and Paul Rubenstein for providing me with the flexibility to work on my dissertation during the “home stretch.” I am also grateful to have fantastic peers who have provided me with the moral support and encouragement to push past the finish line. Thank you to my committee members, Dr.’s Charles Scherbaum and Harold Goldstein. You provided insightful and challenging feedback in an effort to make me and my work stronger. I am particularly thankful to my advisor, Dr. Loren Naidoo, for his thoughtful input and guidance and for his endless patience. You kept me grounded when I needed reassurance and never doubted me. Thank you for believing in me. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv AKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................................v CHAPTER I: Statement of the Problem ..........................................................................................1 CHAPTER II: Why Learning is Critical for Effective Managerial Job Performance .....................6 CHAPTER III: A Review of the Organizational Training and Development Literature ................9 Learning in Organizations................................................................................................... 9 Summary of Learning Theories ........................................................................................ 16 Goal Orientation................................................................................................................ 17 CHAPTER IV: Learning and Performance Effects of GO ............................................................26 Effects for Mastery GO on Learning ................................................................................ 26 Effects for Performance-Avoidance GO on Learning ...................................................... 27 Effects for Performance-Approach GO on Learning .........................................................29 GO and Performance......................................................................................................... 30 Summary of GO Effects.....................................................................................................32 CHAPTER V: The Relationship Between GO and Learning Strategies .......................................33 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 33 Information Processing (IP) Theory ................................................................................. 34 Self-Regulated Learning Theory (SRL).............................................................................36 Effort Regulation .............................................................................................................. 40 Active Feedback Seeking ...................................................................................................44 Summary of GO and Learning Strategies ..........................................................................48 CHAPTER VI: Learning Strategies as Mediators of the GO-Job Performance Relationship .......49 vii Learning Strategies and Managerial Job Performance ..................................................... 49 Learning Strategies as Mediators of GO-Performance Relationship .................................55 CHAPTER VII: Organizational and Managerial Support for Learning ........................................57 Overview ........................................................................................................................... 57 Learning Organizations, Cultures, and Climates ...............................................................57 Organizational Support ..................................................................................................... 60 Managerial Support ............................................................................................................62 CHAPTER VIII: Method ...............................................................................................................65 Participants ........................................................................................................................ 65 Procedure