论文信息 - THE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION AND GOAL DIFFICULTY ON PERFORMANCE

THE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION AND GOAL DIFFICULTY ON PERFORMANCE

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 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. (Author)

[1] E. A. Locke. Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives , 1968 .

[2] Gary P. Latham,et al. THE EFFECTS OF SELF‐SET, PARTICIPATIVELY SET AND ASSIGNED GOALS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES , 1982 .

[3] Gary P. Latham,et al. The effects of holding goal difficulty constant on assigned and participatively set goals. , 1979 .

[4] Gary P. Latham,et al. BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION SCALES FOR PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL PURPOSES , 1977 .

[5] Gary P. Latham,et al. Importance of supportive relationships in goal setting. , 1979 .

[6] Gary P. Latham,et al. Effects of Assigned and Participative Goal Setting on Performance and Job Satisfaction. , 1976 .

[7] Chris Argyris,et al. Organizational Leadership and Participative Management , 1955 .

[8] Terence R. Mitchell,et al. Effects of assigned versus participatively set goals, knowledge of results, and individual differences on employee behavior when goal difficulty is held constant. , 1979 .

[9] H. Dudley Dewhirst,et al. Goal-setting attributes, personality variables, and job satisfaction , 1976 .

[10] Terence R. Mitchell,et al. Importance of participative goal setting and anticipated rewards on goal difficulty and job performance. , 1978 .

[11] Gary P. Latham,et al. IMPROVING JOB PERFORMANCE THROUGH TRAINING IN GOAL SETTING , 1974 .