The influence of planning, support and self-concordance on goal progress and job satisfaction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the combined influence of working towards self-concordant goals with goal planning and supervisory support on goal progress and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected among prison guards. The analysis takes into account a multilevel perspective on goals by differentiating between within- and between-person variance. Findings – The results showed that there was no direct effect of self-concordance on goal progress. Goal progress depended on combining self-concordant goals with conscious planning and receiving supervisory support. Furthermore, it was found that job satisfaction and goal progress influenced each other over time. Research limitations/implications – The findings confirm that to understand the influence of self-concordant goals within organizations, planning and supervisory support are essential elements for achieving goal progress. This research is the first to confirm the interrelatedness of goal progress and job-satisfaction over time. Originality/value – The multilevel intra and interpersonal approach provides a more thorough insight into the processes involved with goal striving. It emphasizes the importance of differentiation between the different levels of motivation in Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory, especially when applied within the work context.