Determinants of goal commitment in an incentive-paid workforce

Abstract

The Hollenbeck and Klein (1987) expectancy-based model of goal commitment is revised to reflect current critiques in the literature. The model contains elements suggested by Eden (1988) which are designed to better integrate goal and expectancy theory. This revised model is used to examine the determinants of goal commitment in an incentive-paid workforce. Support was found for the antecedent relationship of trait expectancy and goal level to state expectancy. No support was found for the causality of any of the antecedent relationships to goal commitment at the individual level of analysis. The data were examined to determine if there were team effects present. Teams did affect the magnitude of some attitudinal measures and all but one of the correlations of concern to the hypotheses presented here. When the teams are considered as wholes, all but one of the research hypotheses are supported, although no determinations of causality can be made. The results are discussed, as are the limitations of the study and directions for future research.