Edwin Locke’s
GOAL-SETTING THEORY
Edwin A. Locke (born May 15, 1938) is Locke is a proponent of global
E
an American psychologist and a capitalism,[2] was personally
IN LOCK pioneer in goal-setting theory. He is a acquainted with the philosopher
EDW retired Dean's Professor of Motivation Ayn Rand, and is affiliated with
and Leadership at the Robert H. Smith
the Ayn Rand Institute.
School of Business at the University of
Maryland, College Park.
Locke graduated high school from Phillips Exeter Academy. He obtained
his bachelor's degree in Psychology from Harvard in 1960. Two years
later, at Cornell, he earned his master's degree in Industrial Psychology
and Experimental Psychology, followed by his PhD in Industrial and
Organizational Psychology in 1964.
G o a l -
h a t i s
W i n g
Sett y? refers to the effects of
Th e o r setting goals on subsequent
performance.
Researcher Edwin Locke
found that individuals who
set specific, difficult goals
performed better than those
who set general, easy goals.
5 PRINCIPLES OF GOAL-SETTING THEORY
Clarity
Challenge Commitment
Task
Feedback Complexity
Clarity
A clear, measurable goal is more
achievable than one that is poorly
defined. In other words, be specific!
The most effective goals have a
specific timeline for completion.
Challenge
The goal must have a decent level of
difficulty in order to motivate you
to strive toward the goal.
Commitment
Put deliberate effort into meeting
this goal. Share your goal with
someone else in order to increase
your accountability to meet that
goal.
Feedback
Set up a method to receive information
on your progress toward a goal. If
losing 30 pounds in four months turns
out to be too hard, it is better to
adjust the difficulty of your goal mid-
way through the timeline than to give
up entirely.
Task Complexity
If a goal is especially complex, make
sure you give yourself enough time to
overcome the learning curve involved
in completing the task. In other words,
if a goal is really tough, make sure you
give yourself some padding to give
you the best chance at succeeding.
Th er e’ s cl ar it y in th at si tu at io n
an d it is al so ch al le ng in g to
m ov e up in yo ur ca re er .
I want to be
Ev er yd ay yo u ar e do in g yo ur
promoted! be st at w or k an d yo u’ re
pa ss io na te ab ou t th e pr oj ec ts
be in g as si gn ed to yo u.
Yo ur bo ss is giv ing yo u fe ed ba ck
ab ou t yo ur pe rf or ma nc e pe rio dic all y
an d yo u ha ve th e tim e ma na ge me nt
sk ills to at ta in all th e ta sk re lat ed to
yo ur jo b.
CO N C L U S I O N
Edwin Locke's goal-setting theory emphasizes the importance
of setting clear and challenging goals to enhance motivation,
performance, and success. Through specific and attainable
objectives, individuals are empowered to strive for excellence,
leading to increased productivity and accomplishment in both
personal and professional endeavors.
THANK
YOU!
Prepared by: Orbeta. Windy A.
