Correction: The role of motivation in talent selection in sports: insights from a comparison with personnel selection in business
Year: 2026
Type: erratum
Abstract: Talent identification and selection remain significant challenges in sports, requiring a comprehensive understanding of various factors influencing the likelihood of athletes reaching elite levels. A successful identification of athletes is necessary to save resources, however evidence for an ideal approach is limited (1).In addition to physical and physiological performance factors, which play a central role in talent selection, further talent development variables need to be considered. Psychological characteristics, in particular motivation, can be found in numerous talent models: while Gagné (2) Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent) assumes intrapersonal factors as catalysts in the process from "natural abilities" to "superior mastery of a systematically developed ability", Hohmann (3; based on Heller [4]; Munich Model of Giftedness) integrates noncognitive personality traits as moderators of talent characteristics (predictors) and performance in the sport-specific talent model. Psychological aspects as potential talent predictors can also be found in sport-specific models (5; soccer).Extensive literature has shown the relationship between motivation and sporting success in the last years (6)(7)(8)(9), focusing on self-determination theory (SDT), achievement motivation and achievement goal orientation. Empirical evidence supports the relevance of motivational concepts for later success and talent development in various sports (10)(11)(12). In their systematic review on future performance in soccer, Murr et al. (13), concluded that high levels of the achievement motives hope for success (HS) and low levels of fear of failure (FF) are associated with future soccer performance. A meta-analysis (6) is limiting these relationships. Small, positive effects have been found for task orientation on future football performance (Cohen's d = .28). For ego orientation only a trivial effect on future football performance was shown (Cohen's d = .06). For self-determination, high levels of intrinsic motivation (IM) have been found to be associated with better athletic performance in tennis, mediated through psychological need satisfaction (14). Furthermore, positive and negative affect has been shown to be a mediator in the motivation-performance relationship (15). As a combination, Zuber et al. (16) found that intrinsically achievement-oriented soccer players have a higher likelihood to become professional players. Contrarily, high levels of amotivation and external regulation seem to be associated with drop-out (17,18) or burn-out symptoms (19). Results show a relation between the motivational concepts but also the status as distinct concepts for each of them. The findings underscore the crucial role of motivation in influencing performance (10), either directly or mediated (14). However, it remains open, whether and how it should be considered in talent selection.Recent emphasis has shifted to a combination of the hierarchical model of achievement motivation (20) and self-determination theory (SDT; 21) to examine competence from a motivational perspective (22,23). Competence thereby describes the desire to feel effective in interactions with the environment through tasks that are appropriate to one's developmental level (24).The three overarching concepts are the (1) achievement motivation, according to Atkinson (25) and McClelland (26), including the motive to achieve success (HS) and the motive to avoid failure (FF). These needs are seen as motivational dispositions, which explain how people perceive and evaluate situations. The second concept (2) are motivational orientations, which guide actions towards certain goals (22), and are most subdivided into task and ego orientation (27). Within the achievement goal theory (AGT) task orientation describes mastering a task with an individual reference norm, while ego-oriented individuals are motivated by outperforming others. The disposition of HS thereby leads to task goals, while FF is associated with an ego goal orientation. Both orientations further have an impact on the intrinsic motivation (IM; task goal orientation has a positive effect, ego goal orientation a negative one; 20). Furthermore, (3) SDT explains reasons for motivated behavior through the extend of self-determination (21) ranging from amotivation (no behavior) to extrinsic motivation (behavior based on rewards) to intrinsic motivation (behavior based on its own sake). While these aspects are not mutually exclusive, understanding their interplay is essential for effective talent identification. Within the three concepts the degree of disposition varies. While the achievement motivation is dispositional, achievement goal orientations are influenced by these and further dependent on the competence expectancy one has (20). Selfdetermination has the least state proportion as it is situational and a result of the evaluation of competence, autonomy, and relatedness (basic psychological needs theory; 28).Next to the theoretical foundation of motivation in talent research as well as the empirical evidence of its relationship with performance, other domains have found a similar picture. In the business domain, the picture shows a different emphasis but similar results. Compared to other motivational concepts, IM has been widely studied in the business domain. From an organizational perspective, employees with IM might be beneficial to recruit, as IM fosters volunteering and prosocial behavior (29,30). It further mediates the relationship between prosocial behavior and performance (31) and leads to increased engagement in organizational citizenship behavior (32,33). Further, IM was ranked as the third important soft skill after hardworking and reliable (34). Further motivational research was investigating the relationship between need for achievement (nAch) and job performance, finding a positive relationship (35). Elliot and Harackiewicz (36) showed positive effects of learning (mastery) goal orientation and neutral or negative effects of performance goal orientation. 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Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,353
OpenAlex ID: W7130414763