Ten Questions about MBO

Drucker P. , The Practice of Management (New York: Harper & Row, 1954).

See for example, Tosi H.L. Carroll S. , “Managerial Reaction to Management by Objectives,” Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 2 (1968), pp. 415–425; and Ivancevich J.M. , “A Longitudinal Assessment of Management by Objectives,” Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 17 (1972), pp. 126–138.

This test and all statistical tests reported are based on contingency table analysis at the .05 level using chi-square. Detailed data are available from the authors.

Benefits and problem situations were included in the questionnaire lists if they were cited by more than one source as associated with management by objectives. A majority of the benefits and problem situations listed in the questionnaire were cited by three or more sources. See Raia A.P. , “Goal-Setting and Self-Control,” Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1965), pp. 34–53; Raia A.P. , “A Second Look at Management by Goals and Controls,” California Management Review, Vol. 8 (1966), pp. 49–58; Tosi H.L. Carroll S. , op. cit.; Mali P. , Managing by Objectives (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1972); McConkey D.D. , “20 Ways to Kill MBO,” Management Review Vol. 20 (1972), pp. 4–13; McConkey D.D. , MBO for Nonprofit Organizations (New York: AMACOM, 1975); Humble J.W. , How to Manage by Objectives (New York: AMACOM, 1973); Ivancevich J.M. , “Changes in Performance in a Management by Objectives Program,” Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 19 (1974), pp. 126–138; Levinson H. , “Management by Whose Objectives?” in Harvard Business Review on Management (New York: Harper & Row, 1975); Koontz H. , “Making MBO Effective,” California Management Review, Vol. 20, No. 1 (1977), pp. 5–13; Nystrom P.C. , “Save MBO by Disowning It!” Personnel Journal, Vol. 56 (1977), pp. 391–393; Odiorne G.S. , “MBO: Systematic or Mechanistic? Nine Cases with Precepts,” University of Michigan Business Review, Vol. 29, No. 5 (1977), pp. 9–13; Baker H.K. , “MBO: Making It Work,” Data Management, Vol. 16, No. 10 (1978), pp. 48–51; Muczyk J.P. , “A Controlled Field Experiment Measuring the Impact of MBO on Performance Data,” Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 15 (1978), pp. 318–329.