Locke’s (1968, 1990) goal-setting theory states that individuals make calculated
decisions about their desired goals. Once individuals determine the goals they intend to
achieve, these goals and intentions direct and motivate efforts to attain them. Thus,
setting goals affects behavior of the individuals and their job-related performance.
Research has demonstrated that participation in goal-setting and acceptance of the
goals are critical to commitment to the task/goal. Similarly, receiving feedback on goal
achievement is also critical for motivation. If an employee does not get timely and
accurate feedback on performance, it’s impossible to know what behaviors to continue
in order to achieve similar goals in the future.
One other interesting finding is that goals themselves are not reinforcing. The
motivation comes from the dissatisfaction with discrepancies between what was achieved and
what was originally hoped for. The discrepancies motivate people to work harder next time.