CONSTRAINTS OR CATALYSTS - REEXAMINING GOAL-SETTING WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF NEGOTIATION

Past research suggests that specific, challenging goals lead to higher performance than ''do-your-best'' goals or easy goals in a variety of tasks, including negotiations. In the two studies reported here, we e xplored how seemingly appropriate goals may inhibit rather than facili tate performance. In Study 1, negotiators with challenging, specific g oals failed to appropriately incorporate new information presented dur ing a negotiation and consequently achieved poorer outcomes than negot iators with do-your-best goals. In Study 2, support was found for spec ific, challenging subordinate goals (separate goals for each issue) de trimentally focusing negotiators on the distributive dimension of nego tiations, unlike their counterparts with superordinate goals (one goal encompassing all issues). The implications of these findings for goal -setting theory are discussed.