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Goal-setting

Edwin Locke's Goal-setting theory posits that specific and challenging goals, along with appropriate feedback, enhance task performance and motivation. The theory emphasizes five principles: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and task complexity, which are essential for effective goal setting. While goal setting can improve performance and motivation, it may also lead to risky behavior if goals are too complex or if employees lack the necessary skills.

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4 views

Goal-setting

Edwin Locke's Goal-setting theory posits that specific and challenging goals, along with appropriate feedback, enhance task performance and motivation. The theory emphasizes five principles: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and task complexity, which are essential for effective goal setting. While goal setting can improve performance and motivation, it may also lead to risky behavior if goals are too complex or if employees lack the necessary skills.

Uploaded by

GUL ZEBA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GOAL SETTING

Motivating people
through goal setting
Edwin Locke’s theory of goal
setting
• In 1960’s, Edwin Locke put forward the Goal-setting theory of motivation.
• This theory states that goal setting is essentially linked to task performance.
• It states that specific and challenging goals along with appropriate feedback
contribute to higher and better task performance.
• In simple words, goals indicate and give direction to an employee about what
needs to be done and how much efforts are required to be put in.
• “try hard” vs “try to get more than 80% correct”
• Easy goals are not motivating; feeling of accomplishment comes from hard
work
Edwin Locke Theory of Goal
Setting

Five principles of goal setting


In order to motivate others, goals must have:
1. Clarity
2. Challenge
3. Commitment
4. Feedback
5. Task complexity
CLARITY
goals need to be specific
1. Clear goals can be measured and are distinct and
understandable
2. It is clear what behaviors will be rewarded
3. You know what to expect
4. Vague or general instructions like “take initiative” have
lesser motivational value
5. “try to correct employees mistakes” – “after each
Monday morning meeting speak with employees about
their mistakes”
CHALLENGE
goals must be difficult but attainable

1. Level of challenge – important characteristic of a goal


2. If a goal has significance, if it’s accomplishment brings
achievement – such goal is motivating to be reached
3. Well and adequately rewarded, significant goals boost the
enthusiasm and a drive to get them accomplished
4. Easy, viewed as unimportant, goals reduce the effort and
commitment of an employee
5. Challenging goals have to be realistic!!! Achievable and
attainable
COMMITMENT
goals must be accepted
1. Goals shall be understood and agreed upon – employees must
have an opportunity to be part of creating the goal
2. Participative management: make effort to encourage
employees to participate in organizational goal setting as well
as own goals
3. Agreed goals lead to commitment
4. Goals shall be consistent with company’s organizational
mission, vision and purpose
5. Person assigning the goal should be credible
6. Goal commitment and difficulty of a goal often come hand in
hand: the harder the goal the more commitment is needed
FEEDBACK
must be provided on goal attainment
• Feedback - information of important value to an employee:
• provides clarification of expectations,
• adjusts goal’s difficulty,
• provides recognition – employees basically get to know how they
are doing
• Feedback can be understood as progress reports; they measure
specific success throughout the process of accomplishing a goal
• Linking feedback to smaller chunks (intermediate milestones) is an
important measure of success
• Formal feedback should be provided at the right time
TASK COMPLEXITY

• For highly complex tasks it has to be ensured that the work


cannot be overwhelming
• Sufficient time has to be given for complex tasks
• Sufficient time has to be given to learn and improve performance
• Sufficient time has to be given for practicing what is important for
performance
• Goals must be attainable (SMART)
Goal setting follow simple rules
• Goal setting means facilitating success
• People shall not be frustrated by goals which are too easy or
too difficult
• Goal setting is necessary for success
• Set clear, challenging goals, encourage commitment and
provide timely feedback either on milestones (if the goal
achieving as a lengthy process) or after the goal is
accomplished
Set SMART goals

• S – Specific (or Significant)


• M – Measurable (or Meaningful)
• A – Attainable (or Action-Oriented)
• R – Relevant (or Rewarding)
• T – Time-bound (Trackable)
SMART Goal

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbmAH4mBPA
Starting to set your personal
goals
1. Create big picture: identify large scale goals (in a
perspective of 10 years)
2. Break them down to smaller targets to be reached
before hitting the large scale goal
3. Once the plan is set start working on it and record
your progress
4. Reward yourself for achieving milestones
A perspective ……..

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuDMGsp5QHc&t=628s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvGlUn5WgyA
Advantages of Goal Setting
Theory

• Goal setting theory is a technique used to raise incentives for


employees to complete work quickly and effectively.
• Goal setting leads to better performance by increasing
motivation and efforts, but also through increasing and
improving the feedback quality.
Limitations of Goal Setting
Theory

• Very difficult and complex goals stimulate riskier behaviour.


• If the employee lacks skills and competencies to perform
actions essential for goal, then the goal-setting can fail and
lead to undermining of performance.
• There is no evidence to prove that goal-setting improves job
satisfaction.
Glossary

• Goal – is the aim of an action or task that a person


consciously desires to achieve or obtain
• Goal setting – conscious effort to establish such performance
as to obtain desirable outcomes
• Goal setting theory states that a source of motivation is the
desire and intention to reach a goal. So setting goals can be
very effective in increasing motivation

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