Goal-setting theory was formulated based
on empirical
research and
has been called one of the most important theories in organizational
psychology. Edwin
A. Locke and
Gary P. Latham, the fathers of goal-setting theory, provided a comprehensive
review of the core findings of the theory in 2002. In summary, Locke and
Latham found that specific, difficult goals lead to higher performance than
either easy goals or instructions to "do your best", as long as feedback about progress is provided,
the person is committed to the goal, and the person has the ability and
knowledge to perform the task.
According
to Locke and Latham, goals affect performance in the following ways:
1. goals
direct attention and effort toward goal-relevant activities,
2. difficult
goals lead to greater effort,
3. goals
increase persistence, with difficult goals prolonging effort, and
4. goals
indirectly lead to arousal,
and to discovery and use of task-relevant knowledge and strategies.
A
positive relationship between goals and performance depends on several factors.
First, the goal must be considered important and the individual must be
committed. Participative goal setting can help increase performance, but
participation itself does not directly improve performance.Self-efficacy also enhances goal commitment. For
goals to be effective, people need feedback that details their progress in
relation to their goal.
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