The Goal Setting Theory was founded and established by Dr. Edwin Locke in the late 1960s. Locke proposed that when someone works toward a goal, he or she has set for either himself or herself or the team, this actually acts as a major source of motivation in order to reach the person or team's goal. The idea behind Locke's theory was that as a team or an individual, he or she became invested in obtaining the goal because goal setting is a powerful way of motivating employees. "In fact, goal setting theory is generally accepted as among the most valid and useful motivation theories in industrial and organizational psychology, human resource management, and organizational behavior." (www.mindtools.com/).
In his studies, Locke found that reaching a goal was sometimes difficult, and this would sometimes have an impact on the individual's performance. If a person did not set high goals that may take some work to achieve, it was harder to motivate people. When easy goals are set, it does not take much work to fulfill those goals. "However, if a person sets goals that are harder to achieve, people will feel more of a sense of accomplishment and probably be prouder of themselves when the goals are achieved" (www.selfesteem2go).
In 1990, Locke and his colleague, Dr. Gary Latham, published the book, "A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance". This book breaks down five principles of goal setting to be evaluated in order to motivate a person to be successful in reaching his or her goals (www.selfesteem2go). These principles are clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and task complexity.
Clarity is important for the manager and the employees. If goals are vague, it is harder to translate or comprehend what the manager's expectations of the employees are. This can also lead to confusion, miscommunication, and misunderstanding. When goals are clearly defined, it is easier to reach those goals, because a time line for completion can be established (www.
