Commitment as a moderator of the goal-performance relation: a case for clearer construct definition

Article Abstract:

A central assumption in the goal theory literature is that the degree of commitment to the assigned goal moderates the effectiveness of the goal-setting procedure. However, attempts to empirically verify commitment's moderating role have generally met with failure, calling into question either widely used measures of goal commitment, the moderating assumption itself, or both. Three studies are described that address this issue. Results indicated that the moderation assumption is valid but is only relevant to one of three closely related motivational concepts that are commonly discussed under the heading of commitment: prechoice attitudes, the subsequent choice of a personal goal, and the maintenance of that choice. It is suggested that a view of commitment that more clearly distinguishes these concepts can provide a better guide for future empirical research than can existing viewpoints. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Action theory

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An empirical comparison of self-report and discrepancy measures of goal commitment

Article Abstract:

Relationships between 2 types of goal commitment measures (self-report and personal-goal-assigned-goal discrepancy) were examined in easy and difficult assigned-goal contexts. There were 2 main findings: (a) Most self-report measures were highly intercorrelated, and (b) self-reports of commitment were correlated with the discrepancy and performance in the hard goal condition but not in the easy goal condition. Two explanations for the differences between measures are discussed: (a) The ambiguous wording of self-report measures may lead to different response tendencies, depending on the context, or (b) self-report and discrepancy measures may actually assess different underlying constructs - both of which may be relevant to the goal commitment phenomenon. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Measurement, Self-evaluation, Self evaluation

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Goal setting: a meta-analytic examination of the empirical evidence

Article Abstract:

Hypotheses considered part of goal theory in industrial psychology are tested using meta-analysis techniques. The hypotheses tested are related to goal difficulty, goal specificity, feedback, and participation in goal setting. Of the hypotheses, the one related to feedback was least supportable according to the meta-analysis. However, the analysis does support the original goal theory as put forth by E.A. Locke.

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