Choice of unattainable group goals and effects on performance

Abstract

This study is an experimental investigation of several factors which may account for an earlier survey finding that United Fund organizations which persistently fail to attain campaign goals do so mainly because they set goals which are virtually unattainable in the light of prior performances. Four-man teams of high school boys worked on an interdependent group skills task in competition with teams from nearby schools. Three conditions were studied: (a) apparent success of own team (b) prior success of school to which team belonged and (c) strength of external pressures to raise group aspirations to high levels. Results show that all three factors have independent and additive effects on increasing the positive discrepancy between past performance and future goals. It is also shown that there is a negative relationship between size of goal discrepancy and subsequent performance for failing teams but no relationship is found for successful teams. The implications of these results for goal setting in United Funds and for group decision making are discussed.