Goal Setting and Feedback in the Management of a Professional Department

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of a goal setting and feedback intervention in the engineering department of a light truck manufacturing company. The intervention involved subordinate participation in setting goals for completing special engineering projects and the public display of feedback about goal attainment. The intervention also served as a catalyst for changing the way in which the entire engineering department was managed. The behavioral objectives of the intervention were to reduce project design errors and missed project completion dates for three engineers in the department. Both objectives were realized. However, due to the nature of a case study, these results are interpreted with caution. A number of suggestions are offered for future research.