Enriching Goal-Setting Theory with Time: An Integrated Approach

Abstract

We examine the overlooked role of time in goal-setting theory and demonstrate how the integration of time into this theory adds to its dynamism and validity in the increasingly complex, constantly changing work environment. Following a brief discussion of developments in the scientific understanding of time, we discuss and illustrate how these new understandings enhance the utility and theoretical soundness of the theory and how time can be integrated into the theory's main components: goal difficulty, goal attainability, and goal specificity.