Mastery-Avoidance and Salesperson Competence Motivation: An Explanation of Plateauing

This study revisits the concepts of achievement motivation and goal orientation in light of recent substantive changes including the use of the concept competence motivation in lieu of achievement motivation and the addition of a mastery-avoidance construct to the mastery and performance goal orientation model. The addition of the mastery-avoidance construct may explain some competence and performance outcomes that have not previously been understood. Guided by formative studies in achievement motivation theory and goal orientation, this paper highlights a gap in current research and examines the re-conceptualization of the sales literature by addressing competence rather than achievement and proposes a model of salesperson competence that attempts to explain salesperson plateauing. The conclusions suggest that competence motivation can be defined more precisely than achievement motivation, allowing for a clearer set of parameters that move toward better theoretical models and operation of constructs.