THE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION AND GOAL DIFFICULTY ON PERFORMANCE

Gary P. Latham · Timothy P. Steele · Lise M. Saari

79 citations0/0 files storedPersonnel Psychology

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Education, Achievement, and Giftedness Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior Employee Performance and Motivation

Abstract

Previous research comparing the effects of assigned versus participatively set goals on performance were essentially tests of the null hypothesis in that goal difficulty level was not systematically manipulated. The present laboratory study investigated the effects of assigned versus participatively set goals, and the effects of varying goal difficulty level on an arithmetic task. Eighty‐six college students were assigned to either a participative goal condition or one of three assigned goal conditions. In two of the assigned goal conditions participants were assigned goals equal to those set in the participative condition, the difference being that individuals in one group were assigned goals at random and those in the other group were assigned goals on the basis of their premeasure scores. Participants in the third assigned goal condition were randomly assigned a goal in the top quartile of the goals set participatively. As hypothesized, individuals with hard assigned goals had higher performance than peers with lower goals set in a participative manner. Contrary to modern organizational theory, individuals with participatively set goals did not have higher performance than those with assigned goals of equal difficulty. Personality traits were not found to moderate the effects of goal setting on performance.

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1912The Principles of Scientific Management.1968Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives 1978Importance of participative goal setting and anticipated rewards on goal difficulty and job performance.1977BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION SCALES FOR PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL PURPOSES 1974Improving job performance through training in goal setting.1979Importance of supportive relationships in goal setting.1976Effects of assigned and participative goal setting on performance and job satisfaction.1979Effects of assigned versus participatively set goals, knowledge of results, and individual differences on employee behavior when goal difficulty is held constant.

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