International Studies of Management and Organization, 2005
Martin J. Gannon is professor of strategy and global management, California State University San ... more Martin J. Gannon is professor of strategy and global management, California State University San Marcos, College of Business Administration, San Marcos, CA 92069. He is also professor emeritus, University of Maryland at College Park (e-mail: [email protected]). Edwin ...
This article discusses the development of goal setting theory through induction. The processes su... more This article discusses the development of goal setting theory through induction. The processes such as formulating concepts and definitions, measurement issues, data gathering, data integration and presentation, identifying moderators and mediators, resolving contradictions, noting issues in application, expansions and extensions, and the role of induction in deduction are explained. A multi-decade effort that involves these processes led to a useful theory that has withstood the test of time.
“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting and achieving goals” ~ Og... more “The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting and achieving goals” ~ Og Mandino All of life is a process of goal directed action. There are some automatic goal directed actions set by evolution such as the operation of all your body parts. For humans and animals there is also sense perception which yields knowledge of the outside word and thus allows locomotion and desire (and aversion). But for humans to survive an added level is needed: conceptual thought. This includes the choosing of goals discovering how to attain them including long range thinking. Thinking requires the operation of both the subconscious and the conscious mind. The subconscious mind is a huge storage mechanism (e.g., memory) without which everything you become aware of would disappear thus wiping out learning. The conscious, rational faculty is the director of thought and action (Locke, 2000). We know that conscious goal setting works and that it is essential for a successful life on earth, whether the goal...
This study investigated the effects of goal setting, self-efficacy, competition, and personality ... more This study investigated the effects of goal setting, self-efficacy, competition, and personality on the performance of a sit-up task. Prior to testing, participants were administered the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ; Gill & Deeter, 1988). Using a 2 × 2 + 1 design, 60 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (a) competition, medium goal; (b) competition, high goal; (c) no competition, medium goal; and (d) no competition, high goal. A fifth group from the same population (n = 15) was added and served as the do-best comparison group. The main effect of goal level was borderline significant (p < .059), and this effect was fully mediated by personal goal level and self-efficacy. Also, both the medium and hard goal groups significantly outperformed the do-best group. Competition did not affect performance, personal goals, commitment, or self-efficacy. The SOQ was significantly related to performance, but its effects were fully mediated by personal goals an...
The Big Five personality traits and self-efficacy independently relate to a multitude of outcomes... more The Big Five personality traits and self-efficacy independently relate to a multitude of outcomes across domains of functioning. Yet, only a small number of studies examined these variables together as part of the same conceptual model, and findings are mixed. We revisit their joint relationships, and test three conceptual models of influence on academic performance of college students over a semester. Because of the key role college graduates will play in society, many have a stake in better understanding their performance. The trait model specifies that the Big Five traits influence performance directly and indirectly through partial mediation of selfefficacy. In the independent model, the Big Five traits influence self-efficacy and performance independently, without mediation of self-efficacy. In the intrapersonal model, the effects of the Big Five traits on performance are fully mediated by self-efficacy. We collected data in five samples, three Universities, and two countries, N = 875, and conducted a meta-analytic path-analysis. Self-efficacy positively related to academic performance across the models, conscientiousness and emotional stability were predictive of self-efficacy and performance in some analyses, and the significance of the other three traits was fleeting.
A renewed interest in goal-setting raises questions on how goal-setting contributes to performanc... more A renewed interest in goal-setting raises questions on how goal-setting contributes to performance, how goal-setting can be successfully induced, if goals can be effective if they are set only in o...
Abstract This paper describes the development of goal-setting theory starting from the 1960s when... more Abstract This paper describes the development of goal-setting theory starting from the 1960s when Locke saw but rejected behaviorism as the dominant paradigm in psychology. Locke began with laboratory experiments of goals while Latham pioneered field studies of goal setting. Because goals had reliable effects, many other researchers conducted goal-setting studies. This provided a large database from which the theory was developed inductively over a 25-year period. The theory was formulated in 1990, and research on the theory continues apace to this day; recent developments on the theory were published in 2013. We advocate (and seek to provide a model of) the inductive approach to theory building, and end this article with suggested future directions for research on goal-setting theory.
International Studies of Management and Organization, 2005
Martin J. Gannon is professor of strategy and global management, California State University San ... more Martin J. Gannon is professor of strategy and global management, California State University San Marcos, College of Business Administration, San Marcos, CA 92069. He is also professor emeritus, University of Maryland at College Park (e-mail: [email protected]). Edwin ...
This article discusses the development of goal setting theory through induction. The processes su... more This article discusses the development of goal setting theory through induction. The processes such as formulating concepts and definitions, measurement issues, data gathering, data integration and presentation, identifying moderators and mediators, resolving contradictions, noting issues in application, expansions and extensions, and the role of induction in deduction are explained. A multi-decade effort that involves these processes led to a useful theory that has withstood the test of time.
“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting and achieving goals” ~ Og... more “The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting and achieving goals” ~ Og Mandino All of life is a process of goal directed action. There are some automatic goal directed actions set by evolution such as the operation of all your body parts. For humans and animals there is also sense perception which yields knowledge of the outside word and thus allows locomotion and desire (and aversion). But for humans to survive an added level is needed: conceptual thought. This includes the choosing of goals discovering how to attain them including long range thinking. Thinking requires the operation of both the subconscious and the conscious mind. The subconscious mind is a huge storage mechanism (e.g., memory) without which everything you become aware of would disappear thus wiping out learning. The conscious, rational faculty is the director of thought and action (Locke, 2000). We know that conscious goal setting works and that it is essential for a successful life on earth, whether the goal...
This study investigated the effects of goal setting, self-efficacy, competition, and personality ... more This study investigated the effects of goal setting, self-efficacy, competition, and personality on the performance of a sit-up task. Prior to testing, participants were administered the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ; Gill & Deeter, 1988). Using a 2 × 2 + 1 design, 60 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (a) competition, medium goal; (b) competition, high goal; (c) no competition, medium goal; and (d) no competition, high goal. A fifth group from the same population (n = 15) was added and served as the do-best comparison group. The main effect of goal level was borderline significant (p < .059), and this effect was fully mediated by personal goal level and self-efficacy. Also, both the medium and hard goal groups significantly outperformed the do-best group. Competition did not affect performance, personal goals, commitment, or self-efficacy. The SOQ was significantly related to performance, but its effects were fully mediated by personal goals an...
The Big Five personality traits and self-efficacy independently relate to a multitude of outcomes... more The Big Five personality traits and self-efficacy independently relate to a multitude of outcomes across domains of functioning. Yet, only a small number of studies examined these variables together as part of the same conceptual model, and findings are mixed. We revisit their joint relationships, and test three conceptual models of influence on academic performance of college students over a semester. Because of the key role college graduates will play in society, many have a stake in better understanding their performance. The trait model specifies that the Big Five traits influence performance directly and indirectly through partial mediation of selfefficacy. In the independent model, the Big Five traits influence self-efficacy and performance independently, without mediation of self-efficacy. In the intrapersonal model, the effects of the Big Five traits on performance are fully mediated by self-efficacy. We collected data in five samples, three Universities, and two countries, N = 875, and conducted a meta-analytic path-analysis. Self-efficacy positively related to academic performance across the models, conscientiousness and emotional stability were predictive of self-efficacy and performance in some analyses, and the significance of the other three traits was fleeting.
A renewed interest in goal-setting raises questions on how goal-setting contributes to performanc... more A renewed interest in goal-setting raises questions on how goal-setting contributes to performance, how goal-setting can be successfully induced, if goals can be effective if they are set only in o...
Abstract This paper describes the development of goal-setting theory starting from the 1960s when... more Abstract This paper describes the development of goal-setting theory starting from the 1960s when Locke saw but rejected behaviorism as the dominant paradigm in psychology. Locke began with laboratory experiments of goals while Latham pioneered field studies of goal setting. Because goals had reliable effects, many other researchers conducted goal-setting studies. This provided a large database from which the theory was developed inductively over a 25-year period. The theory was formulated in 1990, and research on the theory continues apace to this day; recent developments on the theory were published in 2013. We advocate (and seek to provide a model of) the inductive approach to theory building, and end this article with suggested future directions for research on goal-setting theory.
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Papers by Edwin Locke