HOW GOALS HELP?!

DIRECTION: Goals direct attention and effort toward goalrelevant activities and away from goal- irrelevant activities. ENERGIZING: High goals lead to greater effort than low goals.

PERSISTENCE: When participants are allowed to control the time they spend on a task, hard goals prolong effort.
STRATEGY: Goals affect action indirectly by leading to the arousal, discovery, and/or use of task-relevant knowledge and strategies

Outcomes VS Process

GOAL SETTING THE THEORY

1. IF THE GOAL IS STRAIT FORWARD: We automatically use knowledge and skills weve already acquired that are relevant to goal attainment. 2. IF THE PATH ISNT OBVIOUS: We draw from the repertoire of skills weve used previously in related contexts, and apply them to the present situation. 3. IF THE TASK IS COMPLETELY NEW: We engage in deliberate planning to develop strategies that will enable us to attain our goals

4. ITS PARTIALLY IN YOUR HEAD: People with high selfefficacy (belief in their skills) are more likely than those with low self-efficacy to develop effective task strategies

GOAL SETTING: WHAT WORKS?

4. STICK TO SPECIFICS: When people are asked to do their best, they do not do so unless 5. WHEN IT GETS HARD, GET TOUCHY FEELY: Urging people to do their best for extremely complex goals leads to better strategies than setting a specific difficult performance goal. 6. THE ANTIDOTE is to set specific challenging learning goals, such as to discover a certain number of different strategies to master the task 7. LEARN THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD: When people are trained in the proper strategies, their performance improves

MODERATORS
COMMITMENT This is most important and relevant
when goals are difficult

Key factors that facilitate goal commitment are

(a) factors that make goal attainment important to people, including the importance of the outcomes that they expect as a result of working to attain a goal, and (b)their belief that they can attain the goal (self-efficacy). (c) Making a public commitment to the goal enhances commitment (d)Goal commitment can also be enhanced by leaders communicating an inspiring vision

MONETARY INCENTIVES
More money gains more commitment BUT IT CAN BACKFIRE
1. If the goal is very difficult and people are only paid for completion 2. This isnt the case for moderately difficult goals or if paid for PERFORMANCE

CROWD SOURCING YOUR EMPLOYEES

Allowing subordinates to participate in setting goals doesnt help increase motivation or likelihood of success** In fact, this has been shown to even have the OPPOSITE effect. **(assuming the goal makes sense to everyone)

FEEDBACK
For goals to be effective, people need summary feedback that reveals progress in relation to their goals. When people find they are below target, they normally increase their effort or try a new strategy.

THE FORCE TO ACT

Vrooms (1964) ValenceInstrumentalityExpectancy theory
The likelihood to act on our goals is driven by 3 main factors: (1) Valence (anticipated satisfaction)

(2) instrumentality (the belief that performance will lead to rewards)

(3) Expectancy (the belief that effort will lead to the performance needed to attain the rewards)

SATISFACTION