洛克的目标设置理论
——了解SMART原则
设定目标是对人们有强烈激励作用的方式。目标设定的价值早已融入进了被整个管理体系中,像目标管理,目标设定的理论就已经融入其中。
事实上,目标设定理论已经被大家普遍认同,因为在工业及组织心理学、人力资源管理、组织行为学等理论中目标设定理论都被认为是最有效和有用的激励理论。
我们中很多人通过向有学问的人学习、参加研讨会、读商业文章等途径已经对目标设置理论有所了解,包括SMART目标设定原则。目标设定应该符合以下原则,目标应该是明确的、可衡量的、可实现的、相关的和有时间限制的。按照这样的原则来设定的目标,将有助于我们更好更快的实现目标。
但这是真正设定目标最好的方式吗?
要回答这个问题,我们回顾洛克在上世纪60年代末对目标设定和激励的开创性研究。在他1968年的文章“任务激励和奖励的理论”他说对雇员的激励应该是明确的目标和适当的反馈。洛克紧接着说,一个有目标的工作为雇员提供了一个重要的动机来源,以达到目标,这又反过来提高了工作绩效。
这个理论对于40年以后的我们来说,似乎并不具有革命性的作用。这恰恰表明,他的理论已经深入人心,改变了人们的绩效。
在这篇文章中,让我们看看洛克是如何讲解他的目标设置理论的,以及我们如何运用它的理论来实现我们自己的目标。
Locke's Goal Setting Theory
——Understanding SMART Goal Setting
Goal setting is a powerful way of motivating people. The value of goal setting is so well recognized that entire management systems, like Management by Objectives,have goal setting basics incorporated within them.
In fact, goal setting theory is generally accepted as among the most valid and useful motivation theories in industrial and organizational psychology, human resource management, and organizational behavior.
Many of us have learned – from bosses, seminars, and business articles – to set SMART goals. It seems natural to assume that by setting a goal that’s Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound, we will be well on our way to accomplishing it.
But is this really the best way of setting goals?
To answer this, we look to Dr Edwin Locke’s pioneering research on goal setting and motivation in the late 1960s. In his 1968 article “Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives,” he stated that employees were motivated by clear goals and appropriate feedback. Locke went on to say that working toward a goal provided a major source of motivation to actually reach the goal – which, in turn, improved performance.
This information does not seem revolutionary to most of us some 40 years later. This shows the impact his theory has had on professional and personal performance.
In this article, we look at what Locke had to say about goal setting, and how we can apply his theory to our own performance goals.