Edwin Locke’s Goal Setting Theory

This theory is especially applied to the world of business and Human Resources, in order to motivate.

For years, organizational psychology has been trying to explain concepts such as employee motivation or performance. Here we will learn about a theory that tries to explain what the achievement of a goal depends on in the work environment: Edwin Locke's goal-setting theory..

This theory states that the intention to achieve a goal is a basic source of motivation at work. This theory is considered to be one of the most important theories of human resource management. Let's get to know it in detail.

Edwin Locke's goal-setting theory: general characteristics

Edwin Locke is an American psychologist who developed the goal-setting theory in 1968. Its objective was to to explain human actions in specific work situations.

According to Locke, the individual's motivation to achieve the goals he sets for himself will be determined by the goals themselves or by the simple fact of having set them.

Goal setting and objectives

Edwin Locke defines a goal as that which a person strives to achieve. Goals are important to human beings as they motivate and guide their actions.. Thus, according to Locke's theory, the intention to achieve goals is a basic source of motivation for human beings.

Goals also drive us to give the best of ourselves, to have an illusion or aspiration and to improve our performance. According to Edwin Locke's goal-setting theory, people seek and create their own goals by making the right prior decisions. Once the goals are set, people commit themselves to achieve them.

For Locke, the best goal will be the one that is posed as an attainable, realistic and possible challenge.

Self-efficacy

According to E. Locke, self-efficacy is a person's belief that he or she is capable of performing a certain task, or, therefore, achieving a certain goal. The higher the self-efficacy the greater the confidence in the abilities that will make it possible to achieve that goal.

Goal setting, by focusing on behavior, involves the development of the person's motivation. Motivation will increase if the person shows self-efficacy, that is, if he/she thinks that his/her behaviors will lead him/her to reach the goal he/she has set for him/herself. Thus, there will be a feedback between behavior, goal and success..

Its application to Human Resources

Edwin Locke's theory of goal-setting focused on the field of Human Resources, i.e. the worker and the organizations.. Thus, according to the theory, goals indicate to employees what it is necessary to do or develop and how much effort will be necessary to invest. Locke related the satisfaction of workers in any organization to the achievement of goals.

The first step to start developing motivation towards a goal is to show predisposition or intention to achieve it. The goal should be presented to the employee as a challenge, and will require some effort on his or her part.and will require some effort on their part. Motivation will favor the success of the task by increasing the probability that the worker will make an effort to achieve it.

What should goals or objectives look like?

Edwin Locke's goal-setting theory posits the need for goals to be clear and achievable. be clear and attainable in order to maintain motivation. According to Locke, the conditions of goals are that:

• They must range from simple to complex, and be achieved gradually.
• They must be clear and establish the level of performance they require, as well as the reward they provide.
• They should consider the individual differences of people.

In addition, the objectives or goals set for workers should be sufficiently interesting to arouse their motivation. sufficiently interesting to arouse their motivation and mobilization to achieve them. and mobilization to achieve them. Therefore, organizations should encourage such interest, and propose attractive tasks for the worker.

If the objectives are very general (not very concrete), ambiguous or abstract, the probability of motivating the worker to achieve them will decrease drastically. In this way, setting specific objectives that are congruent with the organization's capacity increases the level of performance of workers compared to situations where the objectives have been vaguely defined.

Thus, the more specific an objective is, the more effective it will be in motivating performance, the more effective it will be in motivating the performance of the appropriate behavior.. This can be related to the participation of workers in the company, since it will improve the efficiency and performance of the worker and, by extension, of the company.

Functions of goals

Goals, according to Edwin Locke's goal setting theory, have several functions:

• They help focus action and attention to the task..
• They mobilize the individual's energy, resources and effort.
• They increase persistence and perseverance.
• They help to elaborate strategies.

Conditions

Goal setting will be easier if a number of conditions are met:

• Clarity.
• Commitment.
• Complexity of the task.
• Feedback.

Disadvantages of this approach

The disadvantages of setting goals are the following:

• They require time.
• The theory is based on rewards in order to keep workers motivated.
• They require effort.

Bibliographical references:

• Locke, E. (1968). Theory of goal or objective setting. United States
• Díaz-Ocejo, J. and Mora-Meri, J.A. (2013). Review of some relevant variables in sports goal setting. Annals of psychology,29(1), 233-242.