Editing Goal setting (section)

=== Impact on individual performance ===
Managers cannot constantly drive [[motivation]], or keep track of an employee's work on a continuous basis. Goals are therefore an important tool for managers, since goals have the ability to function as a self-regulatory mechanism that helps employees prioritize tasks.<ref name="Locke and Latham 2002" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Shalley |first=Christina E. |date=April 1995 |title=Effects of coaction, expected evaluation, and goal setting on creativity and productivity |journal=[[Academy of Management Journal]] |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=483–503 (501) |jstor=256689}}</ref>

Four mechanisms through which goal setting can affect individual performance are:

# Goals focus attention toward goal-relevant activities and away from goal-irrelevant activities.
# Goals serve as an energizer: Higher goals induce greater effort, while low goals induce lesser effort.
# Goals affect persistence; constraints with regard to resources affect work pace.
# Goals activate [[cognitive knowledge]] and strategies that help employees cope with the situation at hand.