The Effects of Performance Goal Orientation and Transformational Leadership on Task Performance and Innovative Work Behavior: Testing the Mediating Role of Work Grit Using Two Structural Equation Models

This study examined the antecedents and outcomes of work grit across two structural equation modeling studies. The first study analyzed the relationships among performance goal orientation, work grit, task performance, and innovative work behavior. Using data from 556 Korean employees, this study found that performance goal orientation positively influenced work grit and task performance. In addition, work grit was found to mediate the relationships between performance goal orientation and both task performance and innovative work behavior. The second study tested the relationships among transformational leadership, work grit, learning agility, and task performance. Based on data from 432 employees, the findings indicated that transformational leadership positively affected both work grit and learning agility, while it did not directly influence task performance. Work grit was found to mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and task performance. Overall, the two studies provide empirical evidence that work grit functions as a key mechanism for generating positive work outcomes and highlight its role as an essential link through which individual goal orientation and leadership translate into performance in organizational settings.