Cautions on Goal Setting

…goal setting should be undertaken modestly and carefully, with a focus more on personal rather than financial gain. They^* also make the case that much more research–and more skepticism–is needed about the practice of goal setting. “Rather than dispensing goal setting as a benign, over-the-counter treatment for students of management, experts need to conceptualize goal setting as a prescription-strength medication that requires careful dosing, consideration of harmful side effects, and close supervision,” the authors write. “Given the sway of goal setting on intellectual pursuits in management, we call for a more self-critical and less self-congratulatory approach to the study of goal setting.”

—Goals Gone Wild:
How Goal Setting Can Lead to Disaster
Knowledge @ Wharton

^*Maurice Schweitzer, Wharton
Lisa D. Ordóñez, Arizona
Adam D. Galinsky, Kellogg
Max H. Bazerman, Harvard

More on goal setting: podcast & workbook.