Goal Setting Theory By Locke And Latham's Effect On Goal Attainment

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Since the publishing of the goal setting theory by Locke and Latham (1990), there have been a series of follow up research on the various elements of goal setting likely to influence goal attainment. A number of studies, based off of the discovery of the ponderous influence of goal setting on success, scrutinizing the effects of goals on moderating factors in achievement like self efficacy (Elson & Ginis, 2004), motivation (Elliot & Harackiewicz, 1994), goal sources, commitment, performance and numerous others have been conducted.

Although the degree of goal attainment is significantly influenced by several personality traits of the pursuer, several external factors guide the mindset and hence the performance and chances of the attainment …show more content…

However, our main focus in this study would be the effect of the source of the goal- a complex yet really important factor in determining success. As discussed above, a lot of efforts have been made to relate it to the mediating factors, but our interest is to discover its direct affects on goal …show more content…

In our study we are considering three types of goals, depending on their origin; first one being the ‘assigned goals’: defined as “task specific challenges coupled with objective criteria for evaluation” ((Elliot & Harackiewicz, 1994). Another category of goals is the ‘self-set’ goals, which, as the name suggests, are set by the pursuer himself. These are assumed to be prejudiced by past experiences, self- determination, self-confidence, self- efficacy, and other personality traits. A relatively overlooked category is the ‘do your best’ goals. Since these are very similar to the self set goals in terms of the nature of the mediating and motivating factors, many researchers have focused on the former two categories in their studies.

Various theories emphasize the intents of assigned goals on improving the chances of goal success. Several studies suggest that goals assigned by another person might instill challenge, promote task involvement, increase competence valuation, and feedback (Bandura 1986; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Harackiewicz, 1989). Also, it is important to note that the image of the person who assigns the goals matters a lot in goal acceptance. If a skillful person assigns a goal, it is viewed as a motivating effect, as it ignites the feeling that “an expert has confidence in me, so I must be able to do it” (Elson & Ginis,

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