Abstract
Background: Given the centrality of goal setting to managerial roles, it is surprising that limited attention has been paid to the impact of managers’ goal setting styles on subordinates’ goal reactions. This, in part, could be attributed to the absence of a coherent theoretical account of managers’ goal setting styles. A limited understanding and contradictory views surrounding subordinates’ goal reactions might also have restricted the number of studies on the interpersonal exchanges between managers and subordinates when setting goals. Considering the limited research, it is not surprising that predictive models of hierarchical goal setting are restricted to a few direct effects. Models that uncover the psychological processes underlying the serial formation of subordinates’ goal reactions to managers’ goal setting styles could, however, provide a more eloquent representation of hierarchical goal setting. Other interpersonal factors and individual characteristics, such as supervisor-focussed justice and the dimensions of the Five-factor Model of Personality (also referred to as the Big Five personality traits) could also have bearing on the ways in which subordinates make sense of managers’ goal setting styles, and might have implications for the ways in which subordinates react to goals.
Research objectives: In order to address the shortcomings with respect to managers’ goal setting behaviours, Objective 1 was to investigate whether eight styles could be differentiated and arranged around the circumference of a circle (also known as a circumplex model). The eight factors differentiated included the reasonable, deliberative, considerate, complaisant, distorted, hostile, disregardful, and directive styles. Objective 2 was to address the theoretical paucity regarding goal reactions by establishing the extent to which four higher-order factors (each consisting of a cognitive, affective, volitional, and behavioural intentional facet) could be differentiated and presented in a typology. Goal reactions were conceived to consist of goal commitment, compliance, withdrawal, and resistance. Based on the premise that more coherent and differentiated models of styles and reactions could be developed, Objective 3 of the study was to investigate the serial indirect effects of goal setting styles on goal reactions, thereby uncovering the cognitive motivational mechanisms underlying hierarchical goal setting. Supervisor-focussed justice was further included as a variable in the serial mediational models to address Objective 4, which was to investigate the fairness criteria that subordinates employ when making sense of managers’ goal setting styles. Finally, Objective 5 was to determine the moderating effects of personality traits on the...
Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology)