Components Of The Goal Setting Theory

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

According to Robbins, Bergman, Stagg and Coulter, motivation refers to "the willingness to exert high levels of effort to reach organisational goals, conditioned by the efforts ability to satisfy some individual needs (2003, p.44). This implies that motivation and goal setting are interrelated and cannot be separated. Setting goals alone may not be adequate as far as accomplishing them is concerned. Unless the drive is there, it will almost be impossible to achieve tasks which are challenging.

Employees in an organisation equally require motivation so that they can live up to the vision and mission of the organisation. Furthermore, it is of great import that they are involved in the process of goal setting and decision making. This will act as a motivator because they will feel a sense of belonging and worth in their capacity as workers.

Motivation may be intrinsic or extrinsic. Nevertheless, irrespective of the source of motivation, setting goals from an individual or organisational perspective has been found to be a very powerful form of motivation. This paper explores some of the components of goal setting theory and how managers can use the theory to motivate employees.

The theory of Goal-setting

This is a process theory of motivation which focuses on how motivation is "energised and sustained and what underlying thought processes influence an individual’s behaviour regarding motivation" (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter; 2003, p. 452).

Influence of goal setting on motivation

According to goal setting theory, people tend to be motivated if they have well set goals for achieving a particular task (Bromley et al., 2006). Absence of goals leads to lack of focus and direction. Employees in an organisation where there are no clearly define goals are more likely to deliver below their capacity because there are no targets to hit.

After achieving a given set goals, there is often a tendency to relax and hope that the peak has been reached. In the level of a business organisation, market challenges such as competition from rival firms and inflationary factors may put the business at great risk. Hence, unless higher goals are set again, the dynamic nature of the business environment may be hostile and probably lead to poor performance. Depressed returns from an organisation can de-motivate the entire team. It is at such times when new goals need to be set to boost the spirit of workers. Human resource managers can also organise training sessions on behalf of employees to take a break from the busy working schedule and learn new skills. Additionally, goals which have already been set may require re-evaluation and update according to the current needs and ability of the organisation so that workers can maintain the motivation momentum.

Components of goal setting theory

Goal setting theory asserts that there should be clarity of ideas in all the goals set. Moreover, goals should be specific and well directed. The theory further observes that challenging goals will give rise to high expectation of outcomes. Vague ideas in form of goals may not be easy to achieve because an organisation cannot pin-point the exact measures which are supposed to be put in place in order to achieve the said goals. Besides, employees in an organisation will tend to dedicate much effort, commitment and dedication to their different roles if the set goals are difficult.

Intentions and goals which are conceived deep within are perceived to be a direct replica of behaviour. As a result, it is expected that the effort of employees in an organisation will be affected by the different goals which they are supposed to achieve. Most theorists often argue that goals set should not necessarily be easy to achieve. Their performance will be optimised if challenging or demanding goals are set. However, the same goals should be realistic and attainable.

Employees often have a positive attitude even as they pursue to attain challenging goals. In fact, motivation is usually accompanied with the struggle to achieve tough goals owing to the outcomes they expect. For instance, a sense of having accomplished a task successfully is a fulfilling factor to employees. They also take the challenging task as a way of liberating themselves from the possible boredom caused by monotonous tasks in the organisation. The extrinsic motivation will include such factors like better income, security of their jobs and likelihood of being promoted.

The goal setting theory also emphasises the need for the goal to be definite, distinct or unambiguous. For example, an organisation can assert that it is going to boost production by 6 % in the next fiscal year instead of putting across a general or uncertain statement like "work hard and do the best you can". Tasks which are obviously complicated and are perhaps still under experimental phase may apply such general statements.

In addition, performance and goal require people to be dedicated in their different roles. Employees who lack commitment can barely achieve even the slightest of the goals. Therefore, goal setting without thoroughly committed effort may be an exercise in futility (Marsh et al., 1995). It is necessary to explore ways and means of enhancing commitment after goals have been set.

Firstly, workers in an organisation should be made to understand how important the set goals are. If they happen to fail seeing the significance of the goal, then living up to achieving it will not be a priority to them at all. The organisational management can highlight the importance of the goal by elaborating how it will benefit each and every worker upon accomplishment. Workers should be in a position to partake on the positive outcomes of the goal. For example, high salary and promotions can underscore the importance of the goal.

High self-efficacy is another way of ensuring that employees are committed to the goals set. Regardless of the task involved, employees should be made to believe that they can achieve the goal. Daniels (1996) suggests that it is imperative to set goals which are 80% achievable. This will enhance easy reinforcement and also stimulate passion in workers to have the desire to set new platforms as far as goals are concerned. A positive statement of possibility should be made to reign in their minds at all times. The two factors will give impetus to commitment.

Moreover, the goal setting theory underscores that feedback is relevant in the process of attaining a goal. Returns should be filed on a regular basis in order to update the entire team on the nature of their progress in achieving the set goal.

Finally, employees should be part and parcel of the process involved in setting goals (Marsh et al., 1995).

Leadership style which attempts to share and impart the significance of the vision of an organisation with the rest of employees is very important in the process of ensuring attainable goals. Once every employee participates in the creation of the organisational goals, it will be quite easy for leaders to build motivation in them. Employees will only have a powerful desire to achieve the goals of an organisation if they understand or identify themselves with its vision. It is only through a relational leadership style that goal setting can be shared from the top leadership to junior staff.

An effective leadership style will ensure that workers are well informed of the impact of the goals of the organisation. They should be made to give their views and opinions bearing in mind that they are entitled to play significant roles in pursuing the set goals. Once this is achieved, workers will be motivated not only because they have attractive fringe benefits but also because they have a bright future together with the organisation. Poor leadership will conceal pertinent information from workers (Piccolo & Colquitt, 2006). This will make them have a feeling of alienation from the organisation and become less motivated and achieve no goals. It is common knowledge that people will tend to have personal drive if they know quite well that they have something to benefit from or be excited about either in the short or long term. When such employee relation is achieved, then the work of a leader will be very smooth. Leaders who understand the fact that they need to create a close working relationship with employees are often successful. It is out of being close with fellow workers that it will be easy to identify and solve their problems at work and therefore motivate them.

Managers can use the goal setting theory to motivate their employees by establishing the link between leadership and motivation (Salimäki, Hakonen & Heneman, 2009). The manner in which the two components of organizational behaviour interact is very important in ensuring positive growth in a business organisation. Since it is not possible to measure or quantify motivation, its impacts in an organization can only be felt or realized in the performance of a company over a given period of time. The process of motivation is complex and unless the impact of leadership on the latter is brought on board, it may not be an easy task.

For example, Unilever Global Company can motivate its large network of employees by instituting effective leadership which is beyond just mere management. The management of Unilever can create a happy working environment. Happy workers tend to be more creative at their place of work because their minds are liberated to think and act positively. This is also evident when problems arise in an organisation: workers who are happy would prefer to fix the challenge in preference to complaints. Furthermore, workers who are happy are more energetic and they devote this energy towards achieving the common goal of the organisation.

Job satisfaction can be influenced by a myriad of factors. For instance, the company can be rewarding workers on their level of performance (Salimäki, Hakonen & Heneman, 2009). Either monetary or material rewards are good starting points in the process of motivating workers who in turn feel satisfied at their work place. The justification for rewarding workers is that the primary reason for working is to earn. From the perspective that human wants are insatiable, workers will ever value a token of appreciation due to their achievements at work. Therefore, any additional earning over and above the normal remuneration will definitely lead to job satisfaction and consequently motivated.