Participative goal-setting: Social, motivational, and cognitive factors

Abstract

Examined 3 explanations of why participation in goal setting may lead to increased performance—the social factor of group discussion, the motivational factor of involvement in goal setting, and the cognitive factor of information. A 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design (low and high levels of group discussion, involvement, and information) was used to study 96 predominantly male white collar employees (aged 23–58 yrs) who worked on a simulated personnel selection task. Results indicate that the social and motivational factors of participation increased performance quantity, incidental learning, goal acceptance, group commitment, and satisfaction. The motivational and cognitive factors significantly contributed to performance quality but the cognitive factor did not significantly affect performance quantity and work attitudes. It is suggested that a combination of the 3 factors leads to the highest level of performance. (39 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)