Increasing individual and team performance in an organizational setting through the situational adaptation of regulatory focus.

Regulatory focus theory proposes that people engage in goal striving using different behaviors associated with specific motivational states. Although regulatory focus can be influenced by individual predispositions, it is state-like in that it is subject to the influence of needs, values, and situational framing (Higgins, 1997). We suggest that this malleability by environmental influence gives leaders, managers, and other practitioners a useful motivational tool to adjust follower goal striving as demanded by dynamic environmental conditions to optimize performance. Suggestions for a practical implementation of dynamic goal striving are included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)