Goals direct where we are going, and specifically goals direct our attention to what is relevant about achieving those goals. This is why feedback is so important. Feedback enables us to focus on the exact details in the goal process and alter our direction through the steps in achieving the goal (Locke & Latham, 2002).
Goals create energy. The harder the goal, the more likely people are to expend energy figuring out how to achieve it (Locke & Latham, 1985). Timelines also add to the energy process by creating a sense of urgency. Long term goals should be broken into smaller short term goals so the sense of urgency is maintained through the goal achieving process (Locke & Latham, 1985).
Goals require persistence, and the harder the goal, the more persistent people will be when there is a defined and tight deadline involved. Research shows that persistence declines when timelines are vague or loose (Locke & Latham, 2002). People work more quickly and intensely with short deadlines, so keeping people persistent requires breaking long term goals into short term parts and holding to those short term deadlines.
Goals naturally force people to take action. People first tap into the skills and knowledge they have that relate to that goal, and then they adapt what they know to the new goal and situation. If the goal is entirely unfamiliar, or people have little experience, allowing flexibility and creativity in achieving the goal produces greater results (Locke & Latham, 2002).
So how do we make sure our goals are achieved? Moderating goal achievement requires goal commitment and feedback in relation to task complexity (Locke & Latham, 2002). Creating commitment to a goal can be varied, ranging from open declarations of commitment to creating an inspirational vision. Often times the most beneficial way of creating commitment to long term goals is involving key people in the goal creating process. Setting goals for others requires leaders to go through a motivational buy-in process (Case, 1998), whereas involving members in the goal setting process enables members to work collaboratively and cognitively, which creates an almost immediate sense of commitment (Locke & Latham, 2002). Goal commitment is also affected by self-efficacy, which means that leaders need to ensure that their members have adequate training, have proper role models to look to for help and inspiration, and are persuasively told that their leaders have confidence in them to achieve the goal (Locke & Latham, 2002).
Feedback is crucial in achieving long term goals. Not only must people know the long term goal and the short term steps for achieving it, but they must continually know how they are doing. People must know that their leaders are monitoring their progress and expecting results or the goals become ambiguous and people lose interest and motivation (Case, 1996). Continual feedback and transparent data are necessary for people to self-reflect and modify short term goals and practices to maintain the level of urgency necessary to achieve long term goals.
People are motivated to achieve goals for various reasons, and this is true even when a group is working toward the same goal. In general, those who are part of the goal setting process are often motivated by personal investment and satisfaction, whereas those who are assigned goals by a supervisor are often motivated by extrinsic rewards, such as money (Locke & Latham, 2002). Regardless, take time to recognize and reward the short term wins during the long term goal process. Letting people know they are doing well is part of the crucial feedback process.
Explicit and planned long term goal setting is a process that can have many benefits for the workplace: people are more invested in their jobs and work, productivity and performance improve, people self-regulate their performances, and they create the self-efficacy to handle goal conflict which leads to higher goal setting and more creative ways to achieve those goals.
References:
Case, J. (1998). Keeping score. Retrieved on August 19, 2016, from https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.libproxy.chapman.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=60d01883-7814-49a7-8e30-bbd2fc7c0fb7%40sessionmgr120&vid=5&hid=114&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHVpZCxjb29raWUsdXJsJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=748962&db=aph
Locke, E. A., and Latham, G. P. (1985). The application of goal setting to sports.
Retrieved on August 20, 2016, from http://fitnessforlife.org/AcuCustom/Sitename/Documents/DocumentItem/8790.pdf
Locke, E. A., and Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. Retrieved on August 20, 2016, from http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~antonvillado/courses/08c_psyc101002/Research%20Report%204.pdf
