Goal-orientation or goal-driven/goal-directed/purposive is a property of systems that are able to think/reason/infer using symbols.

A system, person, or organization that tends to achieve a goal and demonstrate it in subsequent actions.

To be goal-oriented is a concept that is included in the ontologies of systemics, cognitive science and engineering.

Overview

The goals that human beings possess can be considered being arranged in a hierarchy, such that higher order goals are more abstract than lower order goals. For instance, a person may have a goal to become an educated person. To achieve this goal, they may have a goal to get a college degree. To obtain a college degree, they may have the goal to complete a college application, and to complete a college application they may have the goal of reach for a pen. Behavior may also be directed from the bottom up, meaning that lower order goals may briefly shift attention. For instance, if one smells smoke while reaching for a pen, their new goal may be to investigate the smell of smoke.

Individuals continuously monitor whether goals have been achieved through a process called self-regulation.