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THE EFFECTS OF GOAL EMPHASIS ON PERFORMANCE ON A COMPLEX TASK [1]
Author(s) -
Locke Edwin A.,
Somers Richard L.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of management studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.398
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1467-6486
pISSN - 0022-2380
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1987.tb00453.x
Subject(s) - emphasis (telecommunications) , task (project management) , martial arts , function (biology) , goal setting , task force , aeronautics , operations research , goal pursuit , political science , computer science , psychology , law , operations management , management , history , social psychology , engineering , public administration , economics , telecommunications , archaeology , evolutionary biology , biology
The article reports the results of a naturally occurring field experiment which took place in the Judge Advocate function of the Tactical Air Command (TAC), a major command within the US Air Force. Official Air Force goals for courts‐martial processing time had existed for years but generally were ignored because they were considered unrealistic and unimportant. A new TAC staff advocate decided that processing time should be improved and took steps to emphasize goal attainment through various procedures. The result was a significant improvement in courts‐martial processing time as compared to the rest of the Air Force where no such emphasis occurred. The implications of the results for goal setting theory and leadership are discussed.