This paper investigates the role of ambition in organizations by distinguishing between ambition as a constructive psychological disposition, reflected in striving for achievement, goal attainment and high work standards and ambition as a potentially problematic mechanism strongly dependent on competition, external validation or achievement-contingent self-worth. The empirical part of the study is based on self-report measures adapted from existing scales and author-developed items, assessed with a 5-point Likert scale. The adopted approach enables the analysis of ambition not only as a motivational driver of performance, but also as a construct embedded in broader psychological and organizational mechanisms. Findings from the study provide empirical support for the hypothesis that adaptive ambition is positively related to job performance. The study examined the relationship between problematic ambition, performance, and burnout using regression analysis. The results provide initial insight into how problematic forms of ambition may be associated with both work-related outcomes and employee well-being. However, drawing broader conclusions requires further analyses in a wider context, including additional organizational, psychological, and individual-level variables.The article contributes to the literature by integrating ambition with selected dimensions of employee performance and by emphasizing its dual nature in organizational settings. Practical implications highlight the need for HRM and leadership practices that support achievement-oriented employees while preventing excessive competition, overidentification with success and dysfunctional forms of ambition.
Agnieszka Wilk (Sun,) studied this question.