IMPACT OF PROCESS AND OUTCOME FEEDBACK ON THE RELATION OF GOAL SETTING TO TASK PERFORMANCE.

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated the interactive effects of goal setting and feedback. The present study examined process and outcome feedback as moderators of the relation of goal setting to performance, task-strategy quality, appropriateness of information search, effort, and self-confidence. Using a stock-investment computer simulation, 85 students worked under experimental conditions in which goals and process and outcome feedback were varied in a completely crossed factorial design. Results support the hypothesis that both process and outcome feedback interact with goal setting to enhance performance. In addition, the interaction of goal setting and process feedback was more strongly related to the quality of information search and task strategy than the interaction of goal setting and outcome feedback; the latter was more strongly related to self-confidence and effort than was the interaction between goal setting and process feedback. We discuss the results in terms of expanding the role of studying feedback in research on goal setting. Feedback and goal setting have become integral management tools because they are thought to serve both informational and motivational functions that enhance an individual's work performance (Kopelman, 1986; Locke, Cartledge, & Koeppel, 1968). Feedback can provide information about the correctness, accuracy, and adequacy of work behaviors. Motivationally, feedback may be necessary for instilling a sense of competence, accomplishment, and control in workers (Bandura, 1977; Hackman & Oldham, 1976). Likewise, the beneficial effect of specific and challenging goals on an individual's task performance is a well-documented phenomenon (Locke, Shaw,