Goal setting: a possible theoretical framework for examining the effect of priming goals on organizational behavior

Goals can be set consciously or they can be primed. Both goal setting theory [3••, 4] and the automaticity model [7] provide frameworks for doing one versus the other. The present paper describes both field and laboratory experiments that primed goals to pursue organizationally relevant tasks. The results suggest the benefit of testing the automaticity model within the framework of goal setting...