The Importance of Moving Quickly Toward Goals

Topic(s): goals, job performance, job satisfaction
Publication: Applied Psychology: An International Review
Article: Velocity as a predictor of performance satisfaction, mental focus, and goal revision
Authors: J.D. Elicker, R.G. Lord, S.R. Ash, N.C. Kohari, B.J. Hruska, N.L McConnell, M.E. Medvedeff
Reviewed by: Benjamin Granger

We all know how great it feels to reach our goals. But what about when we know we are approaching our goals quickly? Goal setting is a process that creates discrepancies between one’s current performance and some future performance ideal. One of the most obvious outcomes of goal attainment is satisfaction (“I did it!”), but in a recent study of college students’ academic goals over the course of a college semester, researchers (Elicker et al., 2010) found that the speed at which people believe they are reaching their goals, which is referred to as velocity, is also important in determining performance
satisfaction.

THE RESEARCH STUDY

While the researchers found that students who had better performance were more satisfied with their performance, the results showed that students who believed they were approaching their goals more quickly (higher velocity) were also more satisfied with their performance. Overall, performance satisfaction tended to be greatest for students who (1) considered their academic goals to be highly important to them and (2) perceived that they were attaining their goals quickly, or high velocity.

In addition to satisfaction, the results suggest that velocity leads to increased mental focus toward goal attainment, which likely increases learning and performance. Another outcome of practical interest is that students who believed they were moving quickly toward goal attainment did not revise their goals as much as those who perceived that they were moving slowly toward achieving their goals. Interestingly, those who perceived low velocity but felt that their goals were highly important to them tended to set higher goals for themselves over time. The authors speculate that this allows people to compensate for their lack of progress toward goal attainment.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The findings of this study point to an often neglected piece of the goal setting puzzle: velocity. The takeaway is that even in situations where goal attainment is far away, satisfaction is still within reach. It is possible that by focusing on velocity toward goal attainment, employees may be better inspired or motivated to eventually complete their goals and achieve success.

 

Elicker, J.D., Lord, R.G., Ash, S.R., Kohari, N.C., Hruska, B.J., McConnell, N.L., & Medvedeff, M.E. (2010). Velocity as a predictor of performance satisfaction, mental focus, and goal revision. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 59(3), 495-514.

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