Competitive Strategy in Employees with Self-Oriented and Socially-Oriented Perfectionism

Abstract

The present research featured competitive strategy aimed at achieving different goals in professional activity of employees with different intensity of perfectionism. It resulted in a definition of perfectionism based on the role of personality orientation in competitiveness, the subject content of personality orientation, and available publications on the subject content of perfectionism, its types, and their relationship. The type of perfectionism depends on personal characteristics that manifest themselves in competitive environment. Therefore, perfectionist orientation shapes completive strategy in employees. The research involved 142 employees (112 women, 30 men) aged 19–62. The procedure for identifying various types of perfectionist orientation combined the type of perfectionism, achievement motivation, and cognitive attitudes. The paper also introduces criteria for distinguishing self-oriented and socially-oriented perfectionism. The main goal of competition strategy in subjects with self-oriented perfectionism was formulated as demonstration of individual work pattern, while in subjects with sociallyoriented perfectionism it was high quality of activity. The first appeared to be fuelled by the internal motivation and dependence on others. However, criticism and disapproval can affect the desire to achieve the goal. The second was fuelled by security reasons and resulted in actions aimed at retaining the achieved advantages. Both groups hardly saw colleagues as rivals.

Keywords

• competition strategy components
• competition goals
• perfectionism
• employees