Incentives and Unintended Consequences
Title:
Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting
Authors:
Lisa D. Ordóñez, Maurice E. Schweitzer, Adam D. Galinsky, and Max H. Bazerman
Publisher:
Harvard Business School, Working Paper No. 09-083
Date Published:
February 2009
Managers should avoid using goals as their sole tool for motivating employees, as it may lead some workers to adopt unethical tactics or take unnecessary risks.