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However, janitors cleaning the floors at a hospital may see their role as essential in
helping patients recover in a healthy environment. When they see their tasks as
significant, employees tend to feel that they are making an impact on their
environment and their feelings of self worth are boosted. [41]

Autonomy is the degree to which the person has the freedom to decide how to
perform tasks. As an example, a teacher who is required to follow a predetermined
textbook, cover a given list of topics, and use a specified list of classroom activities
has low autonomy, whereas a teacher who is free to choose the textbook, design the
course content, and use any materials she sees fit has higher levels of autonomy.
Autonomy increases motivation at work, but it also has other benefits. Autonomous
workers are less likely to adopt a “this is not my job” attitude and instead be
proactive and creative. [42] Giving employees autonomy is also a great way to train
them on the job. For example, Gucci’s CEO Robert Polet describes autonomy he
received while working at Unilever as the key to his development of leadership
talents. [43]
Feedback refers to the degree to which the person learns how effective he or
she is at work. Feedback may come from other people such as supervisors, peers,
subordinates, customers, or from the job. A salesperson who makes informational
presentations to potential clients but is not informed whether they sign up has low
feedback. If this salesperson receives a notification whenever someone who has heard
his presentation becomes a client, feedback will be high.
The mere presence of feedback is not sufficient for employees to feel
motivated to perform better, however. In fact, in about one-third of the cases,
feedback was detrimental to performance. [44] In addition to whether feedback is
present, the character of the feedback (positive or negative), whether the person is
ready to receive the feedback, and the manner in which feedback was given will all
determine whether employees feel motivated or demotivated as a result of feedback.
Goal Setting Theory
Goal setting theory [45] is one of the most influential and practical theories of
motivation. It has been supported in over 1,000 studies with employees, ranging from
blue-collar workers to research and development employees, and there is strong
evidence that setting goals is related to performance improvements. [46] In fact,
according to one estimate, goal setting improves performance between 10% and 25%
or more. [47] On the basis of evidence such as this, thousands of companies around the
world are using goal setting in some form, including companies such as Coca-Cola,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Nike, Intel, and Microsoft to name a few.
Setting SMART Goals
The mere presence of a goal does not motivate individuals. Think about New
Year’s resolutions that you may have made and failed to keep. Maybe you decided
that you should lose some weight but then never put a concrete plan in action. Maybe
you decided that you would read more but didn’t. Why did you, like 97% of those
who set New Year’s resolutions, fail to meet your goal?
Accumulating research evidence indicates that effective goals are SMART.
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. Here is a
sample SMART goal: Wal-Mart recently set a goal to eliminate 25% of the solid

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