凭栏听雨Schweitzer admits his research a very large body of literature that praises the many benefits of goal-setting. Advocates of the practice have argued with his team’s use of such evidence as news accounts to support his conclusion that goal-setting is widely over-praised. In a rebuttal (反驳) paper, Dr. Edwin Locke writes: “Goal-setting is not going away. Organizations cannot grow without being focused on their desired end results any more than an individual can grow without goals to provide a sense of purpose.”
But Schweitzer argues the “evidence” linking goal-setting and harmful behavior should be studied to help draw attention to issues that deserve attention and further investigation. “Even a few negative effects could be so large that they outweigh many positive effects,” he says.
The debate is likely to get heated on in future papers, and the practice of setting goals no doubt will continue. For now, though, the lesson seems to be to put more thought into setting goals.
“Goal-setting does help motivate people. My idea would be to combine that with careful management, a strong organizational culture, and make sure the goals that you use are going to be constructive and not significantly harmful to the organization,” Schweitzer says.
51. What does Maurice Schweitzer want to show by mentioning the example of Enron?
A. Setting realistic goals can turn a failing business into success.
B. Businesses are likely to succeed without realistic goals.
C. Companies are certain to meet specific goals with financial rewards.
D. Goals with financial rewards have strong motivational power.
52. How did Sears’ goal-setting affect its employees?
A. They had to work more hours to increase their sales.
B. They competed with one another to attract more customers.
C. They turned to immoral practice to reach their goals.
D. They improved their customer service on a companywide basis.
53. The underlined words “Paragraph 7) can be replaced by ________.
A. agrees with B. goes against C. fits in with D. applies to
54. What is Edwin Locke’s argument against Schweitzer?
A. The practice of setting goals only helps people to develop.
B. Goal-setting is of no use motivating people to accomplish their tasks.
