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Related Experiment Videos

Targeted goal setting: helping nurses manage a turbulent work environment

D K Burkhalter1, V A Farmer-Dougan, C R Nordstrom

  • 1Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Normal, USA.

Journal of Nursing Management
|March 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Nurses with an internal workplace locus of control (WLOC) set more goals and prefer long-term objectives. Understanding WLOC helps supervisors optimize nursing staff goal setting and performance.

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Area of Science:

  • Nursing Management
  • Organizational Psychology

Background:

  • Effective goal setting is crucial for optimizing nursing performance.
  • Workplace locus of control (WLOC) influences employee behavior and goal orientation.
  • Understanding the interplay between WLOC, goal preference, and goal setting is vital for leadership.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationships among WLOC, preference for proximal and distal goals, and goal setting behavior in hospital nurses.
  • To explore differences in WLOC and goal setting between supervisory and non-supervisory nursing staff.
  • To provide recommendations for nursing supervisors to enhance staff performance through optimized goal setting.

Main Methods:

  • A correlational study surveying nurses in a mid-sized Midwestern US hospital.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Data collection focused on workplace locus of control, goal preference (proximal vs. distal), and goal setting behaviors.
  • Statistical analyses were used to examine interrelationships and group differences.

    • Main Results:

    • Nurses with an internal WLOC demonstrated significantly higher engagement in long-term, short-term, and overall goal setting behaviors compared to those with an external WLOC.
    • Internal WLOC nurses reported a stronger preference for distal goals and perceived greater control over goal setting.
    • Supervisors did not differ from non-supervisors in WLOC orientation or goal setting frequency, but supervisors perceived greater control over goal setting.

    Conclusions:

    • An internal WLOC is associated with enhanced goal setting behaviors and a preference for distal goals among nurses.
    • Supervisors' perception of control over goal setting is higher, irrespective of their WLOC or goal setting frequency.
    • Findings suggest that tailoring goal-setting strategies based on individual WLOC orientation can optimize nursing staff performance.