Why grit requires perseverance and passion to positively predict performance
Jachimowicz, JM; Wihler, A; Bailey, ER; et al.Galinsky, AD
Date: 2 October 2018
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Prior studies linking grit—defined as perseverance and passion for
long-term goals—to performance are beset by contradictory evidence. As a result, commentators have increasingly declared that grit
has limited effects. We propose that this inconsistent evidence has
occurred because prior research has emphasized perseverance and
ignored, ...
Prior studies linking grit—defined as perseverance and passion for
long-term goals—to performance are beset by contradictory evidence. As a result, commentators have increasingly declared that grit
has limited effects. We propose that this inconsistent evidence has
occurred because prior research has emphasized perseverance and
ignored, both theoretically and empirically, the critical role of passion,
which we define as a strong feeling toward a personally important
value/preference that motivates intentions and behaviors to express
that value/preference. We suggest that combining the grit scale—
which only captures perseverance—with a measure that assesses
whether individuals attain desired levels of passion will predict performance. We first metaanalyzed 127 studies (n = 45,485) that used
the grit scale and assessed performance, and found that effect sizes
are larger in studies where participants were more passionate for the
performance domain. Second, in a survey of employees matched to
supervisor-rated job performance (n = 422), we found that the combination of perseverance, measured through the grit scale, and passion attainment, measured through a new scale, predicted higher
performance. A final study measured perseverance and passion attainment in a sample of students (n = 248) and linked these to their
grade-point average (GPA), finding that the combination of perseverance and passion attainment predicted higher GPAs in part through
increased immersion. The present results help resolve the mixed evidence of grit’s relationship with performance by highlighting the
important role that passion plays in predicting performance. By adequately measuring both perseverance and passion, the present research uncovers grit’s true predictive power.
Management
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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