An exploratory study of goal setting in theory and practice: A motivational technique that works?

Although goal setting is a common organizational practice, studies concerning goal setting have almost exclusively been carried out in experimental settings. It may therefore be erroneous to assume that the relationships found to exist in controlled settings will hold true within organizations. Goal difficulty and participation in the goal setting process were examined as they related to goal performance. Participants were 132 scientists and professional staff, and 27 of their supervisors. The positive linear relationship between goal difficulty and performance typically found in controlled settings was not replicated. Consistent with some previous studies, a modest but significant relationship between participation and performance was found. The results of this research have implications for practitioners, researchers conducting goal setting studies within applied settings, and for goal setting theory in general.