Minimizing inappropriate behavior following goal setting

Numerous experiments have shown that when (1) only a self-report measure of performance is used as the dependent variable, (2) for which there are no consequences for exaggerating how well one performed the task, and a (3) performance goal as opposed to a learning or a behavioral goal is (4) assigned rather than self-set or set participatively, (5) without taking into account an individual's ability and the required resources to attain it, two moderators specified by goal setting theory, some people may not tell the truth as to how well they performed a laboratory task. Most importantly, (6) in a field setting, an organization's culture can have an adverse effect on the causal goal-performance relationship. The present chapter reviews the goal setting literature as to ways to mitigate the effect of these six impediments to the normally beneficial effect of goals on performance.