Toward a Work Motivation Conceptualization of Grit in Organizations

Abstract

Despite its widespread media acclaim and recognition as a strategic imperative, the role of grit in organizational research remains unclear. This ambiguity resulted from inconsistent empirical findings, thus triggering a pessimistic outlook for the construct across disciplines. To address these issues, we suggest that such confusion and lack of construct and predictive validity stem from not only methodological issues but also a lack of theoretical sophistication. In this article, we address methodological issues, focusing mainly on construct and criterion-related validity, by showing how traditional definitional components of grit are absent in existing measures. Next, we address theoretical issues impeding progress by developing a new work motivation conceptualization of the construct. To do so, we focus primarily on noncognitive ability, purpose-driven long-term goal setting, and task strategy (i.e., short-term goal) adaptation. Finally, we develop an organizing framework examining how, and under what conditions, work-related goal setting manifests, highlighting grit’s distinction from other historically related constructs. Coupled with the assumption that individuals hold higher order organizational goals toward which they are passionate, our organizing framework includes feedback mechanisms accounting for grit’s developmental properties over time. Finally, we acknowledge significant areas for future research and potential practical implications.

The Psychometric Properties of the Grit-O Scale Within the Twente Region in Netherlands: An ICM-CFA vs. ESEM Approach

“…Grit is positioned as a vital personal resource required to translate individual drive and resolve, into measurable performance outcomes on both an individual and organizational level (Nelson and Baltes, 2019). Previous studies reported a direct and positive relationship between grit and various permutations of performance ranging from academic success/performance (Duckworth and Quinn, 2009;Jachimowicz et al, 2018;Nelson and Baltes, 2019), and training performance in sports (Cazayoux and DeBeliso, 2019), to job performance (Jordan et al, 2019;Kim et al, 2019;Webster-Wright, 2019), operational productivity (Steuber et al, 2019), and even task performance (Vogelsang, 2018). Koopmans et al (2013) argued that task performance seems to be an important indicator of operational efficiency and personal performance, which is also strongly influenced by non-cognitive traits such as personality, interest and drive.…”

Putting the Goal Back into Grit: Academic Goal Commitment, Grit, and Academic Achievement

“…For instance, the most frequently used measure of grit (Duckworth and Quinn 2009 ) includes only one goal-related item (i.e., “I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one.”). This lack of goal-related items not only raises concerns about conceptualization and measurement (Credé 2018 ), but it also hinders the ability of researchers to identify the strength of grit effects (Jordan et al 2019 ). According to goal-setting theory (Locke and Latham 2002 ), successful goal pursuit requires two effective elements: goal setting and goal implementation (Kruglanski et al 2015 ; Oettingen and Gollwitzer 2009 ).…”

“…Recent re-conceptualizations of grit have identified this contextualized goal-grit-achievement issue as the main reason behind the low associations between grit and achievement. According to Jordan et al ( 2019 ), grit should be regarded as the context-specific ability to (a) set and pursue long-term goals and (b) readjust short-term goals and goal attainment strategies in the face of challenges and difficulties. Thus, without information on goals and their contents, grit is an undirected energy that is easily drained (Jordan et al 2019 ).…”

“…According to Jordan et al ( 2019 ), grit should be regarded as the context-specific ability to (a) set and pursue long-term goals and (b) readjust short-term goals and goal attainment strategies in the face of challenges and difficulties. Thus, without information on goals and their contents, grit is an undirected energy that is easily drained (Jordan et al 2019 ). Consequently, it is not a surprise that many researchers have found only weak associations between grit and achievement.…”

Students’ Grit Level as a Predictor of Their Academic Achievement in Engineering Design Courses

“…Grit, a relatively new construct in the behavioural sciences that has received a lot of attention recently [2], is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals [3].…”