Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Chapter 9
Motivate Employee Performance Thru Goal Setting
43
Business
Graduate
09/24/2012

Additional Business Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Goal Setting Theory
Definition
Provides a framework that specifies the most valid and practical ways of increasing employee motivation
Term
Main Principle
Definition
Theory states that simplest, most direct motivational explanation of why some people perform better than others is because they have different performance goals.
Term
Essence of Theory is four-fold.
Definition
1. Difficult specific goals lead to significantly higher performance than easy goals, no goals, or even the setting of an abstract goal such as urging people to their best.
2. Holding ability constant, as this is a theory of motivation, and given that there is a goal commitment, the higher the goal the higher the performance.
3. Personality traits and incentives influence an individual's behavior, at least in part, to the extent that they lead to the setting of and commitment to a specific difficult goal.
4. Goal setting, in addition to affecting the three mechanisms of motivation, namely, choice, effort, and persistence, can also have a cognitive benefit.
Term
Subprinciples
Definition
1. Set challenging specific goals.
2. Provide feedback in relation to goals.
3. Gain goal commitment
4. Provide resources needed to attain the goal.
Term
1. Set Challenging Specific Goals
Definition
Goals must be both challenging and specific -- because people normally adjust their level of effort to the difficulty of the goal.
-Become targets to attain, and are standards by which one judges one's adequacy or success
To be satisfied, employees with high standards must accomplish more than those with low standards. An employee's outcome expectancies are typically higher for the attainment of high rather than low goals because the outcome one can expect from attaining a challenging goal usually includes such factors as an increase in feelings of self-efficacy, personal effectiveness, recognition from peers, salary increase, job promotions, etc.
Term
Goal Specificity
Definition
Facilitates an employee's focus in that it makes explicit what it is the individual should choose to do or try to accomplish.
-Also facilitates measurement or feedback on progress toward goal attainment.
-Drawback of an abstract goal such as "do your best" is that it allows people to give themselves the benefit of the doubt concerning the adequacy of their performance.
Term
Goal Setting
Definition
For goal setting to be maximally effective, the goal and the measure of performance effectiveness used must be aligned.

*Job satisfaction is the result of an appraisal of one's performance against one's goals
*To the extent that one's job performance is appraised as fulfilling of facilitating the attainment of one's goals, satisfaction is high.
Term
Challenging, specific goals affect effort and persistence.
Definition
When no time limits are imposed, a specific high goal induces people to work harder or longer than is the case when a low or abstract goal is set.
Without time limits, a specific high goal induces people to work until the goal is attained.

*With time limits, difficult specific goals lead to more effort per unit of time.
Term
2. Provide Feedback in relation to goals.
Definition
The act of measurement conveys cogently what the organization truly values versus what it may state it values.
-That which is measured in relation to goals is done.-
*In the absence of goal setting, feedback has no effect on performance because it is only information - it's effect on action depends on how it is appraised and what decisions are made with respect to it.
Term
Feedback moderates the effect of goal setting.
Definition
Without feedback, the positive benefit of goal setting is minimized. This is because goals direct effort and persistence. Feedback allows people to discern what they should continue doing, stop doing, or start doing to attain the goal.
Term
3. Gain goal commitment
Definition
Focus on an individual's outcome expectancies and self-efficacy.
Term
Downside of setting challenging specific goals
Definition
People may obtain tangible evidence that they did not obtain goals. Result can be feelings of loss of control. People learn on the basis of evidence that they have failed to attain their goal no matter how much they truly tried to attain it. Thru such repeated experiences, they typically "learn" to give up - they learn helplessness.
Term
Outcome Expectancies
Definition
The role of a coach is to help people see the relationship between what they do and the outcome of their actions; to help people realize the outcomes that they can expect as a result of what they do.
-Primary job of coach is to improve performance rather than focus on blame. Done thru increasing person's sense of control regarding the attainment of their goals. Done by helping people to realize the outcomes they can expect from engaging in specific actions.
Term
4-Cell Empathy Box of Outcome Expectancies
Definition
1. The outcomes an employee expects from committing to a goal
2. The negative outcomes expected from the goal commitment
3. The positive outcomes expected from sticking with the status quo
4. The negative outcomes expected from doing so
Term
5 questions asked from Empathy Box
Definition
1. What positive outcomes do you expect from committing to and pursuing the goal?
2. What negative outcomes do you expect from committing to and pursuing the goal?
3. What positive outcomes do you expect from rejecting or ignoring the goal?
4. What negative outcomes do you expect from rejecting or ignoring the goal?
5. What would have to change for you to commit to the goal (answers in negative goal commitment and positive goal rejection)?
Term
Increase the person's self-efficacy
Definition
Self-Efficacy is the conviction that one can mobilize one's resources to attain a specific performance level. Self-efficacy is different from self-esteem in that the latter refers to the judgments of self worth. Self-esteem is a general trait where as self-efficacy is TASK SPECIFIC.
-People with low self-efficacy look for tangible evidence to abandon a goal. A failure is a confirmation that it is uselfess to persist in goal attainment. Conversely, people with high self-efficacy commit to high goals.
Term
Possible indicator of low self-efficacy
Definition
Self-denigration of one's ability.
Term
Inducing high self-efficacy
Definition
Can be induced at least three ways:
1. Enactive mastery
2. Modeling
3. Persuasion from a significant other
Term
Enactive Mastery
Definition
Involves sequencing a task in such a way that all but guarantees early successes for an individual.
-An effective coach does not abandon an employee during the early stages of learning to attain a goal.
-The concepts of outcome expectancy and self-efficacy are often applied together. Enable the person to see the relationship between mastery and the desired outcome the person can expect. Then give the person confidence to do so thru the sequencing of the tasks.
Term
Modeling
Definition
The job of the coach is to find people with whom the goal setter IDENTIFIES, who have either mastered the task or are in the process of doing so.
-Directing this manager to visit an additional colleague who has struggled recently in the past, and has subsequently improved the performance of staff, is more likely to increase the belief that "if she can, so can I".
Term
Benchmarking
Definition
--Visiting an existing company to minimize reinventing the wheel on the part of people in other organizations. The acquisition of knowledge is accelerated. --
The visitors can leave full of admiration for what they have witnessed and demoralized because they are convinced they do not have the ability to model it.
*To increase self-efficacy - you must find an organization, in addition to the one that will be used as a benchmark, with whom employees can identify - an organization that has previously done poorly but has significantly improved its performance relative to that benchmark, or is in the process of doing so.
Term
Supervisory Presence and Support
Definition
When goal is assigned by a supportive authority figure, goal commitment and performance are high.
Term
Persuasion from a significant other
Definition
People tend to behave in accordance with the expectations of those people who are significant to them.
-A coach may or may not be a significant other for the person being coached.

*The most powerful significant other is one's SELF.
Term
Verbal Self-Guidance
Definition
Functional self-talk can increase or debilitate self-confidence in goal attainment.
Term
4. Provide resources needed to attain the goal
Definition
Goals are unlikely to be attained if situational constraints blocking their attainment are not removed.
-Thus organization needs to ensure that the time, money, people, and equipment necessary for goal attainment exist.
-Measurement system must not only allow accurate tracking of goal progress, it must be aligned with and be supportive of goal attainment.

Organizations must provide necessary training to give people the knowledge and skill to attain the goal. Performance levels off after the limit of ability has been reached.
Term
Learning Vs. Performance Goals
Definition
Learning -- When people lack the requisite knowledge to master a task, because they are in the early stages of learning, urging them to do their best results in higher performance than setting a specific difficult goal.
1. Such tasks are complex for people.
2. Such tasks require primarily learning rather than motivation.
3. People with specific high goals feel pressure to perform well immediately. As a result, they focus more on their desire to get results than on learning the correct way of performing the task.
Term
Learning Vs. Performance Goals
Definition
Where tasks fall within the problem-solving abilities of people, as in cases where they have had experience performing the tasks effectively, specific difficult performance goals readily lead to the development and execution of task-specific strategies.
Term
Learning Vs. Performance Goals
Definition
This is because a learning goal requires people to focus on understanding the task that is requires of them and developing a plan for performing it correctly.
-Research shows that high performance is not always the result of high effort or persistence but rather high cognitive understanding of the task and strategy or plan necessary to complete it.
Term
Environmental Uncertainty
Definition
One of the biggest impediments to goal setting,
-Because information required to set learning or outcome goals may be unavailable. And even when such information is available it may become obsolete due to rapid changes in the environment.
*As uncertainty increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to set and commit to a long-term goal.
Term
Proximal Performance Goals
Definition
In addition to distal goals.
- In highly dynamic situations, it is important to actively search for feedback and react quickly to it
- Can increase ERROR MANAGEMENT. Errors provide information to employees as to whether their picture of reality is congruent with goal attainment.
-Setting of proximal goals can also be motivational relative to a distal goal that is far into the future. Attainment can increase commitment, thru enactive mastery, to attain the distal goal.
Term
Stretch Goals
Definition
Don't expect people to willingly stretch themselves by committing to a very high goal if the outcome they expect is criticism for making an error. One or more errors are bound to occur in the active pursuit of time-sensitive difficult goals.
-Performance increases if errors are encouraged
Term
High Performance Circle - Demands
Definition
Challenge, difficult goals on meaningful tasks in addition to high self-efficacy
1. Demands
a.) Do people have specific high goals?
b.) Are the tasks "drudgery" or growth facilitating?
c.) Do people have the confidence so that they can attain the goals set (self-efficacy)?
Term
High Performance Circle - Moderators
Definition
Ability, Commitment, Task Complexity, Situational Constraints.
2. Moderators
a.) Have people been trained adequately? Do they have the ability to perform the tasks required of the,?
b.) Are they committed to goal attainment?
c.) Do they receive feedback on goal process?
d.) Do they have the resources to attain the goal or are there situational constraints?
Term
High Performance Circle - Rewards
Definition
1. Rewards
a.) Are they rewarded for their accomplishments?
i.) Intrinsically?
ii.) Extrinsically?
b.) Are they satisfied with their rewards?
Term
High Performance Circle - Attitudes
Definition
4. Attitudes
a.) Are they committed to their organization's effectiveness?
b.) Are they willing to accept the future challenges?
Term
High Performance Circle - Mediators
Definition
Direction of attention, Effort, Persistence, Task Strategies
Term
High Performance Circle - Consequences
Definition
Organizational commitment and willingness to accept future challenges.
Term
For what should goals be set?
Definition
Goal content refers to the object or result that is sought after.
-Thus performance goals should be set for outcomes that are critical or valued by the individual or the organization in which the person is employed.
-Learning goals should be set for discovering the processes and strategies for reaching a desired outcome when the person lacks the knowledge to do so.
-Behavioral goals, identified thru job analysis, are more effective than a learning goal when the critical behaviors are known.
*Because a goal is the object or aim of an action, the completion of a task can be a goal.
Term
SMART
Definition
Goals that are
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timeframe (have one)
Term
Framing a goal
Definition
Frame it positively. Don't frame it negatively, as something a person may have difficulty attaining. Negatively framed goals lead to worse performance.
Term
Who should set the goals?
Definition
-GE Company: Not so important who sets the goal as it is that a specific challenging goal in fact be set.
-Erez: Goal commitment and subsequent performance are higher when employees participate in the setting of the goal than was the case when the goals were assigned.
-Latham: When the goal difficulty is held constant, goal commitment and performance are the same regardless of whether the goal is assigned or set participatively.
Term
Who should set the goals?
Definition
When the assigned goal was given tersely and without any rationale, it had a negative effect on performance relative to participatively set goals. When assigned goal from an authority figure included a logic or rationale, it had the same positive effect on goal commitment and performance as did a participatively set goal.
Term
Benefit of participation in goal setting
Definition
Benefit is primarily cognitive rather than motivational. Employee participation in decision making has a positive effect on performance to the extent that it increases self-efficacy and the discovery of task relevant strategies.
Supporting users have an ad free experience!