Goal Setting Theory – What Is It Exactly?
“Goal setting theory” is the principle which defines how people are motivated to take action upon their goals. It is therefore used not only in personal goal setting but also forms the basis of modern human resource management and business organisation psychology.
The term “goal setting theory” was first coined by Dr Edwin Locke during his pioneering research into motivation and goal setting in the 1960s. In 1968 he wrote an article entitled “Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives”. In this report he came to the conclusion that people (in this case employees) were much more likely to be motivated by clear goals which had some form of feedback or measurement process.
More interestingly however, he stated that it was not the goal which provided the motivation, but rather the fact that the person was actively working towards the goal. He also stated that it was the fact that the person had went to the trouble of actually setting the goal which would motivate them through to its completion.
He also discovered that there was a correlation between how difficult and specific a goal was and the ultimate results the person achieved from pursuing that goal. His research led him to the conclusion that more difficult well defined goals led to more success than poorly defined simple goals.
Locke later worked in partnership with a Dr Gary Latham, who has also been studying goal setting within the workplace. The two doctors had come to similar conclusions based on their individual in depth research and therefore decided to work together on producing a seminal work on the topic of goal setting and motivation.
In 1990, they released a book called “A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance”. This book not only referred to their earlier findings, but also went on to say that Goals must have five specific “building blocks” in order to motivate the goal setter correctly. These five requisites were as follows:
- Clarity – The goals must be clear and well defined
- Challenge – The goal must be challenging in order to create action
- Commitment – The person must consciously “signup” for the goal
- Feedback – The goals must contain some form of feedback or measurement process
- Task complexity – The goal should be challenging but not overwhelming or impossible
Their findings and research has now become mainstream and has ultimately led to a goal framework more commonly known as ”SMART” goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Based) which is now the unofficial standard framework for how goals are set.
Goal Setting Theory, although over 40 years old still remains as key to goal setting now as the day it was first defined By Doctor Locke. If you are wanting to ensure you remain motivated whilst setting goals you should ensure that every goal adheres to his 5 part checklist.
Brian Mc Shane is a an expert author and speaker on the subject of Goal Setting.
He is the the creator of the “Goal Setting Secrets” Home Study Course, which is an 8 module, 520 page course devoted to mastering goal setting.
To get your free copy of module one and learn more about the course go now to http://goalsettingsecrets.com
