Managing Work Group Performance by Individual Goals and Group Goals for an Interdependent Group Task

The role of individual goals and group goals in group performance improvement is the focus of this study. Although most studies have explored the effects of individual goals for independent tasks, the present experiment implemented individual goals and group goals for an interdependent work group task in a laboratory setting. The research sample consisted of 138 university junior and senior students, with an average age of 24, average full-time work experience of 3.5 years, average managerial experience of one year, and 60 percent were male students. The goal setting effects were tested by analysis of covariance to control for ability and order effects. Individual goals led to a nineteen percent increase in group performance relative to no goals; group goals led to a twelve percent increase in group performance relative to no goals; the combination of compatible individual goals and group goals led to a thirty-one percent increase in group performance relative to no goals. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for managing interdependent work goups, such as quality control circles, just-in-time task forces, productivity action teams, policy-making groups, and negotiating teams.