Editing Goal setting (section)

==Secondary ideas==

=== Goal commitment ===
People perform better when they are committed to achieving certain goals. Through an understanding of the effect of goal setting on individual performance, organizations are able to use goal setting to benefit organizational performance.<ref name="Locke and Latham 2002" /> In addition, another aspect that goes with goal commitment is also goal acceptance. This is an individual's willingness to pursue their specific goal.<ref name="Grant 2012 p149" /> Locke and Latham (2002) have indicated three moderators that indicate goal setting success:

{{numbered list
|
The importance of the expected outcomes of goal attainment,
|
Self-efficacy: one's belief that they are able to achieve their goals,
|
Commitment to others: promises or engagements to others can strongly improve commitment.
}}

Expanding the three from above, the level of commitment is influenced by external factors. Such as the person assigning the goal, setting the standard for the person to achieve/perform. This influences the level of commitment by how compliant the individual is with the one assigning the goal.  {{citation needed|date=June 2023}} An external factor can also be the role models of the individual.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} For example, say an individual looks up to their manager and cares about their opinion, the individual is more likely to listen to goal-setting strategies from that individual, and ultimately become more committed to their desired goal.<ref name="Locke and Latham 2002" />

Internal factors can derive from their participation level in the work to achieve the goal. What they expect from themselves can either flourish their success, or destroy it. Also, the individual may want to appear superior to their peers or competitors.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hinsz |first=Verlin B. |date=2005 |title=The influences of social aspects of competition in goal-setting situations |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12144-005-1027-4 |journal=Current Psychology |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=258–273 |doi=10.1007/s12144-005-1027-4 |s2cid=145134669 |issn=0737-8262|url-access=subscription }}</ref> They want to achieve the goal the best and be known for it. The self-reward of accomplishing a goal is usually one of the main keys that keeps individuals committed.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} For example, if an individual was working toward becoming the president of their company, if they achieve their goal, they could reward themselves with something of importance to them.<ref name="Locke 2001" />

Another route individuals can take to set their goals is to follow (STD) that is, setting their goals to be Specific, Time-bound, and Difficult. Specifically, an individual's goal should be set at the 90th percentile of difficulty.<ref name="Grant 2012 p149" /> 

===Goal–performance relationship===

Locke and colleagues (1981) examined the behavioral effects of goal-setting, concluding that 90% of laboratory and field studies involving specific and challenging goals led to higher performance than did easy or no goals.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Locke |first1=Edwin A. |last2=Shaw |first2=Karyll N. |last3=Saari |first3=Lise M. |last4=Latham |first4=Gary P. |date=1981 |title=Goal setting and task performance: 1969–1980 |journal=[[Psychological Bulletin]] |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=125–152 |doi=10.1037/0033-2909.90.1.125}}</ref> This is because if an individual is intrinsically motivated by a goal, they will want to conquer the goal to receive internal rewards, and will be satisfied because of it.<ref name="Grant 2012 p149" />

Locke and Latham (2006) argue that it is not sufficient to urge employees to "do their best". "Doing one's best" has no external reference, which makes it useless in eliciting specific behavior. To elicit some specific form of behavior from another person, it is important that this person has a clear view of what is expected from them. A goal is thereby of vital importance because it helps an individual to focus their efforts in a specified direction. In other words, goals canalize behavior.<ref name="Locke and Latham 2006"/> However, when faced with complex tasks and directions that are difficult to specify, telling someone to "do their best", with a focus on learning, can sometimes lead to the discovery of better strategies whereby specific goals can then be set.<ref name="Locke and Latham 2006"/>{{rp|707}} A solution to this apparent contradiction where the "do your best" condition can lead to greater task performance than a high specific performance goal under certain conditions is resolved when task complexity is taken into account. Specifically, in a complex task where the prerequisite skills and knowledge to perform the task are not yet in place, the "do your best" condition can outperform the performance goal condition. If a high, specific learning goal is set instead then the goal-performance relationship is maintained and the (learning) goal setting condition outperforms the "do your best" condition.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Winters|first1=Dawn|last2=Latham|first2=Gary P.|date=1996-06-01|title=The effect of learning versus outcome goals on a simple versus a complex task|journal=Group & Organization Management|language=en|volume=21|issue=2|pages=236–250|doi=10.1177/1059601196212007|s2cid=144851262|issn=1059-6011}}</ref>

===Feedback===

Feedback and goal setting are highly interrelated and more effective when used in conjunction with each other.<ref name="Locke and Latham 2002"/>{{rp|708}} Feedback cannot be given without goals in the same way that goals can not be established without providing feedback.

Goal setting can lead to the creation of [[feedback]] loops, either negative or positive comparison of the output to the goal. Negative feedback loops lead to increasing the input associated with goal attainment to improve output in the next loop cycle. Positive feedback loops, if not sufficiently reinforced, can lead to subsequent setting of goals at a less difficult level. 
Negative feedback can be reframed and errors seen as beneficial to the learning and goal achievement process and in turn increase participant resilience.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} This reframing process can be taught through error management training and with clear instructions about how to engage with errors. Error management training involves participants practicing metacognitive activities of planning, monitoring, and evaluation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keith |first1=Nina |last2=Frese |first2=Michael |date=July 2005 |title=Self-regulation in error management training: emotion control and metacognition as mediators of performance effects |journal=[[Journal of Applied Psychology]] |volume=90 |issue=4 |pages=677–691 |pmid=16060786 |doi=10.1037/0021-9010.90.4.677|url=http://fox.leuphana.de/portal/de/publications/selfregulation-in-error-management-training-emotion-control-and-metacognition-as-mediators-of-performance-effects(82a4fe6d-6219-40a6-abe7-fc21f6d2bbad).html }}</ref>

Negative feedback also interacts with goal type, perceived tension and conscientiousness. People with high conscientiousness and performance goals experience high tension following negative feedback which leads to lower performance.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} This is not the case with learning goals where the effect of negative feedback is less detrimental.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Cianci, A. M. |author2=Klein, H. J. |author3=Seijts, G. H. |date=2010 |title=The effect of negative feedback on tension and subsequent performance: The main and interactive effects of goal content and conscientiousness |journal=Journal of Applied Psychology |volume=95 |issue=4 |pages=618–630 |doi=10.1037/a0019130|pmid=20604585 }}</ref>

Without proper feedback channels it is impossible for employees to adapt or adjust to the required behavior. Managers should keep track of performance to allow employees to see how effective they have been in attaining their goals.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Skinner |editor1-first=Natalie |editor2-last=Roche |editor2-first=Ann M. |editor3-last=O'Connor |editor3-first=John |editor4-last=Pollard |editor4-first=Yvette |editor5-last=Todd |editor5-first=Chelsea |title=Workforce development TIPS (theory into practice strategies): a resource kit for the alcohol and other drugs field |chapter=Goal setting |location=Adelaide |publisher=Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER); National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (Australia) |year=2005 |pages=8–9 |isbn=978-1-876897-06-2 |oclc=156766716}}</ref> Providing feedback on short-term objectives helps to sustain motivation and commitment to the goal. There are two forms of feedback in which the employee can receive (Outcome and Process feedback).<ref name="Locke and Latham 2002" /> Outcome feedback is after the goal or activity is finished, and process feedback is during the completion of a goal.<ref name="Grant 2012 p149" /> Feedback should be provided on the strategies followed to achieve the goals and on the final outcomes achieved.

=== Honing goal setting using temporal motivation theory ===

Locke and Latham (2004) note that goal-setting theory lacks "the issue of time perspective".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Locke |first1=Edwin A. |author-link1=Edwin A. Locke |last2=Latham |first2=Gary P. |date=July 2004 |title=What should we do about motivation theory? Six recommendations for the twenty-first century |journal=[[Academy of Management Review]] |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=388–403 |doi=10.5465/amr.2004.13670974 |url=http://home.ubalt.edu/tmitch/642/Articles%20syllabus/Locke%20%26%20latham%20What%20should%20Aca%20M%20rev%2004.pdf}}</ref> Taking this into consideration, Steel and Konig (2006) utilize their [[temporal motivation theory]] (TMT) to account for goal setting's effects, and suggest new hypotheses regarding a pair of its moderators: goal difficulty and proximity.<ref name=Steel2006>{{cite journal |last1=Steel |first1=Piers |last2=König |first2=Cornelius J. |date=October 2006 |title=Integrating theories of motivation |journal=[[Academy of Management Review]] |volume=31 |number=4 |pages=889–913 |doi=10.5465/AMR.2006.22527462 |url=http://webapps2.ucalgary.ca/~steel/images/Integrating.pdf |citeseerx=10.1.1.196.3227 |access-date=2015-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027140206/http://webapps2.ucalgary.ca/~steel/images/Integrating.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The effectiveness of goal setting can be explained by two aspects of TMT: the principle of [[diminishing returns]] and [[temporal discounting]].<ref name=Steel2006/> Similar to the expression "the sum of the parts can be greater than the whole", a division of a project into several, immediate, subgoals appears to take advantage of these two elements.<ref name=Steel2006/>