Previous research on goal setting and feedback is placed in the context of an organizational control system model. Using a sample of 100 managers, the independent impacts of three components of a control system (goal setting, measurement, and corrective actions) on managerial satisfaction and performance are examined. Results show that aspects of each of the three model components are independently related to performance but not to satisfaction. Respondents' perceptions of top management's support for the performance-appraisal system, a factor not considered in most research on feedback and goal setting, emerges as an important correlate of high performance.
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