Goal Setting and Task Performance: 1969-1980

Locke, Edwin A.; Shaw, Karyll N.; Saari, Lise M.; Latham, Gary P.

doi:10.21236/ada086584

Cited by 628 publications

(1,044 citation statements)

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“…Employees and organizations must accept these goals, which makes leadership tasks vital (Saraph et al 1989). Once accepted, more difficult goals have been proven in multiple studies to yield higher performance (Locke et al 1981). Wright and Kacmar (1994) confirmed that greater goal specificity leads to the attainment of goals, and ultimately to improved performance.…”

Section: Goal Theoretic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 90%

Implementation of Lean and Six Sigma quality initiatives in hospitals: A goal theoretic perspective

Langabeer¹,

DelliFraine²,

Heineke

et al. 2009

Oper Manag Res

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Organizational quality improvement practices have gained wide acceptance in manufacturing industries over the last several decades. A substantial number of books have been written on Lean and Six Sigma alone, which today are the leading improvement initiatives. The healthcare industry however has been slower to adopt these methods, although anecdotal evidence suggests they are now being gradually diffused throughout hospitals on an increasing basis. Yet, these new practices have been developed substantially without a theoretical foundation (Linderman et al. J Oper Manag 21:193-203, 2003) and the question of industry "fit" is the topic of debate for many physicians and administrators (Kassirer N Engl J Med 339: [1543][1544][1545] 1998). This article provides the descriptive results from our mixed methods research, combining survey questionnaire with semi-structured interviews, that examines implementation of two quality improvement initiatives (Lean and Six Sigma) in a cross-sectional sample of hospitals. We used correlations and non-parametric tests to examine relationships between goal attainment and quality management, and present descriptive findings about reported usage and adoption of quality initiatives. Importantly, we find that the efficacy of quality improvement initiatives in healthcare may be impeded by the lack of goal clarity and measurement. We build on these initial results by offering recommendations to improve results in practice, as well as an agenda for further research of quality initiatives in healthcare. The objectives of our research are to better understand how Lean and Six Sigma fit in the healthcare industry and to explore goal and value attainment from these projects.

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Section: Goal Theoretic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 90%

Implementation of Lean and Six Sigma quality initiatives in hospitals: A goal theoretic perspective

Langabeer¹,

DelliFraine²,

Heineke

et al. 2009

Oper Manag Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Goals exert their effects through their properties: specificity, difficulty level, and proximity (Bandura, 1977b;Locke, 1968;Locke, Shaw, Saari, & Latham, 1981;Schunk, in press). Goals that incorporate specific performance standards are more likely to increase motivation and activate self-evaluative reactions than are general goals such as, "Do your best" (Locke, 1968;Locke, et al, 1981).…”

Section: Goal Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Goals that incorporate specific performance standards are more likely to increase motivation and activate self-evaluative reactions than are general goals such as, "Do your best" (Locke, 1968;Locke, et al, 1981). Specific goals boost task performance through their greater specification of the amount of effort required for success and through the self-satisfaction anticipated when accomplished (Bandura,I977b).…”

Section: Goal Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specific goals raise self-efficacy more than do general goals, because progress toward an explicit goal is easier to gauge (Schunk, in press). Goal difficulty refers to the level of task proficiency required as assessed against a standard (Locke, et al, 1981). How much effort students expend to attain a goal depends on the level at which it is set.…”

Section: Goal Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How much effort students expend to attain a goal depends on the level at which it is set. Assuming requisite ability, there is a positive relationship between difficulty level and task performance (Locke, et al, 1981). Although students initially may doubt their capabilities to attain goals they believe are difficult, working toward difficult goals can build a strong sense of efficacy, because difficult goals offer much more information about one's capability to acquire knowledge and skills than do easier goals.…”

Section: Goal Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self-efficacy and classroom learning

1985

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This article discusses the role of perceived self-efficacy during classroom learning of cognitive skills. Self-efficacy refers to personal judgments of performance capabilities in a given domain of activity. Students enter classroom activities with various aptitudes and prior experiences, which affect their initial sense of self-efficacy for learning. During task engagement, students may assess self-efficacy by utilizing cues made cognitively salient by educational practices and which convey information about their capability to acquire knowledge and skills, such as performance outcomes, attributions, situational circumstances, outcome patterns, perceived model similarity, and persuader credibility. In turn, heightened learning self-efficacy enhances motivated learning, or motivation to acquire knowledge and skills. Research findings are presented showing how different educational practices affect self-efficacy. Future research needs to determine how students derive efficacy information from multiple cues, and to specify in finer detail how the cognitive processes involved in understanding instruction and appraising self-efficacy influence one another.

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