The DOI matches its Crossref record; 7 of the 7 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Overprescribing Goal Setting
Open accessAbstract
Executive Overview Goal setting is one of the most replicated and influential paradigms in the management literature. Hundreds of studies conducted in numerous countries and contexts have consistently demonstrated that setting specific, challenging goals can powerfully drive behavior and boost performance. Advocates of goal setting have had a substantial impact on research, management education, and management practice. In this article, we argue that the beneficial effects of goal setting have been overstated and that systematic harm caused by goal setting has been largely ignored. We identify specific side effects associated with goal setting, including a narrow focus that neglects nongoal areas, distorted risk preferences, a rise in unethical behavior, inhibited learning, corrosion of organizational culture, and reduced intrinsic motivation. Rather than dispensing goal setting as a benign, over-the-counter treatment for motivation, managers and scholars need to conceptualize goal setting as a prescription-strength medication that requires careful dosing, consideration of harmful side effects, and close supervision. We offer a warning label to accompany the practice of setting goals.
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Citations
Cites
Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.57.9.705 · Cited by 7,766 · cited 3×
“Countless studies (see Locke & Latham, 2002, 2006) find that specific, challenging goals motivate performance far better than “do your best” exhortations.”
BackgroundDeci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (1999) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.125.6.627 · Cited by 7,176 · cited 1×
“1985). This is true of rewards in general ( Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 1999 ), but several studies”
ResultEffects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation.
Deci, E. L. (1971) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0030644 · Cited by 4,170
Gorillas in our midst: sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events
Simons, D. J., & Chabris, C. F. (1999) · Perception · doi:10.1068/p281059 · Cited by 3,181
Deci, E. L. (1975) · doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-4446-9 · Cited by 2,911
Achievement Goals and Intrinsic Motivation: A Meta-Analytic Review
Rawsthorne, L. J., & Elliot, A. J. (1999) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0304_3 · Cited by 443
Enhancing the Benefits and Overcoming the Pitfalls of Goal Setting
LATHAM, G. P., & LOCKE, E. A. (2006) · Organizational Dynamics · doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2006.08.008 · Cited by 357
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Mohr, D. C., Cuijpers, P., & Lehman, K. (2011) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1602 · Cited by 1,097
The transfer of training: what really matters
Grossman, R., & Salas, E. (2011) · International Journal of Training and Development · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2419.2011.00373.x · Cited by 886
Gamification of task performance with leaderboards: A goal setting experiment
Landers, R. N., Bauer, K. N., & Callan, R. C. (2017) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.008 · Cited by 474
The effect of goal setting on group performance: A meta-analysis.
Kleingeld, A., van Mierlo, H., & Arends, L. (2011) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0024315 · Cited by 341
Landers, R. N., & Callan, R. C. (2011) · Serious Games and Edutainment Applications · doi:10.1007/978-1-4471-2161-9_20 · Cited by 272
Groening, C., & Binnewies, C. (2019) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2019.02.026 · Cited by 249
The application of Goal Setting Theory to goal setting interventions in sport: a systematic review
Jeong, Y. H., Healy, L. C., & McEwan, D. (2023) · International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1080/1750984x.2021.1901298 · Cited by 113
Pretrained AI Models: Performativity, Mobility, and Change
Varshney, L. R., Keskar, N. S., & Socher, R. (2019) · arXiv · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1909.03290 · Cited by 20
The path model of parenting style, attachment style, self-regulation and Smartphone addiction
Kwan, H. C., & Leung, M. T. (2015) · Applied Psychology · doi:10.1142/9789814723398_0011 · Cited by 10
Metadata
- Authors
- Ordóñez, L. D., Schweitzer, M. E., Galinsky, A. D., & Bazerman, M. H.
- Venue
- Academy of Management Perspectives
- Publisher
- Academy of Management
- Published
- 2009-02
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 6-16
- ISSN
- 1558-9080 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-4529
- OpenAlex
- W2106466848
- Cited by
- 655
- References
- 7
- FWCI
- 56.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
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