Past research has tested goal setting strategies and found high and invariant levels of goal acceptance. The present research consisted of two studies—one laboratory and one field experiment—hypothesizing a two-step model (participation acceptance performance) with which participation could be tested more effectively. Stepwise, hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that the participative and representative groups outperformed the assigned groups under conditions in which individual goal acceptance varied. The findings support the two-step model and offer an explanation as to why previous research has failed to differentiate empirically between participative and assigned goal setting.
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