| Course | PS390 Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Paper type | Discussion board post |
| Length | About 420 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Psychology |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PS390 Unit 7
The Ninety Percent Goal That Taught People to Transfer Calls: A PS390 Unit 7 Discussion Board Post on Goal Setting
PS390 · Unit 7 Discussion Board Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The writer, the call center, the employees and the classmates are composite; the sources cited are real.
Initial Post
In January, our utility customer service center in Charlotte set a team goal: ninety percent of calls resolved on the first contact, up from seventy-eight percent. Representatives who met it each month would earn a small bonus. By March, reported first-call resolution had risen to eighty-six percent. But transfers to the billing specialists' queue had nearly doubled, and specialists complained that many transferred calls were simple ones the representatives could have handled.
Locke and Latham (2002) pulled together thirty-five years of studies: a clear, hard target beats an open plea to try your best, on three conditions that matter on a phone floor: representatives must buy into the number, see their own results often and actually know how to fix the callers' problems. On our floor, that meant the ninety percent figure told everyone where to look, made them try harder and sent them hunting for a way to hit it.
The last point explains what happened. Our system counted a call as resolved on first contact if the customer did not call back within seven days, and a transferred call was credited to the specialist, not the representative. Representatives found a strategy: transfer anything that might go badly.
The goal did exactly what goal research predicts, it focused attention, just on the measure instead of the customer.
Goals can also have harmful side effects (Ordóñez et al., 2009), including narrowing focus to the measured target, encouraging unethical behavior or shortcuts, and undermining cooperation, and managers often prescribe goals without considering those risks.
Our revised approach replaced the single target with two goals reviewed together, resolution and appropriate transfers, rated by supervisors on a sample of calls, and set the target at eighty-five percent after asking representatives what was achievable. Transfers fell back to normal within a month.
When have you seen a workplace goal change behavior in an unintended way?
Reply to Tasha
Tasha, your hospital example of discharge-time targets is a strong one. Locke and Latham (2002) would ask whether staff had the ability and resources to meet the goal without cutting corners.
Reply to Derek
Derek, I agree that bonuses raised the stakes. Tying rewards to narrow goals can increase shortcut behavior (Ordóñez et al., 2009).
References
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
Ordóñez, L. D., Schweitzer, M. E., Galinsky, A. D., & Bazerman, M. H. (2009). Goals gone wild: The systematic side effects of overprescribing goal setting. Academy of Management Perspectives, 23(1), 6-16. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2009.37007999
What the PS390 Unit 7 assignment asks for
The Unit 7 board in PS390 asks you to apply a theory of work motivation to a real situation. Describe a goal, incentive or other motivational practice in a composite or real workplace and what happened after it was introduced. Explain the theory's main claims and conditions, and use it to account for the results, including any unintended behavior. Draw on research about when the approach backfires. Describe what was or should be changed. Close by asking classmates about a time a workplace goal changed behavior in a way no one intended. About 400 words suits the first post, followed by two replies that each name a condition under which the theory might fail.
How this PS390 Unit 7 example is built
The post opens with a ninety percent goal and rising transfers. A paragraph describes the target, the bonus and the results by March. A paragraph summarizes Locke and Latham's conditions for effective goals in the floor's own terms. A paragraph explains how the measure credited transfers to specialists. A highlighted line says the goal focused attention on the measure instead of the customer. A paragraph cites Ordóñez and colleagues on side effects. A paragraph describes two paired goals and a target set with representatives. The closing question asks about unintended effects. Replies discuss hospital discharge targets and how bonuses raise the stakes. The revised goals are explained in terms of what each one measures and why.
Reading the PS390 Unit 7 grading rubric
Strong posts apply motivation theory to explain an actual result, including the parts that went wrong. Accurate statement of the theory's conditions, such as commitment, feedback and ability, earns credit. Recognizing that a goal can work as intended and still produce harm shows depth. Evidence on side effects belongs in the post, tied to what happened. The fix should follow from the diagnosis. Replies should add a boundary condition rather than agree. Cite goal-setting research in APA style, keeping employees composite. Mentioning how the measure itself was redesigned usually strengthens the post with graders. Keep the numbers illustrative and the narrative specific. Explaining how representatives helped set the new target adds weight.
PS390 Unit 7 help: mistakes that cost points
Motivation posts often summarize a theory without applying it to a result. Others treat any drop in performance as proof the theory is wrong. Students frequently miss how the way a goal is measured shapes behavior. Side effects such as gaming or reduced cooperation are rarely discussed. Replies tend to add anecdotes without connecting them to theory. Before posting, state the theory's conditions and check each one in your case. Describe how the measure could be gamed. Propose a change to the goal or the measure. In replies, name one condition under which the classmate's theory might break down. Keep employees composite. Then reread the measure's rules for any loophole you missed.
Get a PS390 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
Send the prompt and the rubric. A custom post applies a work motivation theory to one team. It is free the first time and back in 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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PS390 Unit 7 questions, answered
What is goal-setting theory?
Specific, difficult goals with feedback raise performance more than vague goals.
When do goals backfire?
When they are impossible, conflict with quality or invite gaming.
What should replies add?
A condition under which the classmate's theory might fail.
Where can I find a free PS390 Unit 7 sample paper?
This page holds the complete PS390 Unit 7 post on a goal that produced unintended transfers at a composite call center, with replies.
Why did transfers rise in the PS390 Unit 7 sample?
Transferred calls were credited to specialists, so representatives could meet the resolution goal by passing hard calls along.