Edwin A. Locke
Edwin A. Locke is an American psychologist and a pioneer of goal-setting theory. He is a retired Dean's Professor of Motivation and Leadership at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was also affiliated with the Department of Psychology. According to the Association for Psychological Science, "Locke is the most published organizational psychologist in the history of the field. His pioneering research has advanced and enriched our understand
Read biography ↓Biography, research & contributions
Edwin A. Locke is an American psychologist and a pioneer of goal-setting theory. He is a retired Dean's Professor of Motivation and Leadership at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was also affiliated with the Department of Psychology. According to the Association for Psychological Science, "Locke is the most published organizational psychologist in the history of the field. His pioneering research has advanced and enriched our understanding of work motivation and job satisfaction. Goal-setting theory, developed based on decades of work with Gary Latham is arguably the most widely validated theory in industrial-organizational psychology." “His 1976 chapter on job satisfaction continues to be one of the most highly-cited pieces of work in the field."
Top Publications
- The nature and causes of job satisfaction (1976) - 6,087 citations
- Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. (2002) - 6,070 citations
- A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance (1991) - 4,910 citations
- Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. (2002) - 4,800 citations
- Negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. (2003) - 2,815 citations
At a glance
- Full name
- Edwin A. Locke
- ORCID
- 0000-0002-6044-3167
- OpenAlex ID
- https://openalex.org/A5056903564
Research interests
- Education, Achievement, and Giftedness, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior, Behavioral Health and Interventions, Human Behavior and Motivation, Management Theory and Practice
Research topics
Education
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Selected research & further reading
A curated reading list, not a ranking by citation count. References use DOI metadata, matching public scholarly records or authoritative lecture sources.
See the source-linked reading and original works in the research guide above.
Citation & publication trends
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Source: OpenAlex · Retrieved 2026-10-07. Metrics are database-specific and are not a scientific ranking.
Most-cited linked publications
Publications matched across ORCID and OpenAlex. Citation counts are source-specific.
- The nature and causes of job satisfaction ↗1976 · Medical Entomology and Zoology6,087OpenAlex citations
- Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. ↗2002 · American Psychologist6,070OpenAlex citations
- A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance ↗1991 · Academy of Management Review4,910OpenAlex citations
- Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. ↗2002 · American Psychologist4,800OpenAlex citations
- Negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. ↗2003 · Journal of Applied Psychology2,815OpenAlex citations
Recent linked publications
Publications matched across ORCID and OpenAlex. Citation counts are source-specific.
- The nature and causes of job satisfaction ↗1976 · Medical Entomology and Zoology
- Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. ↗2002 · American Psychologist
- A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance ↗1991 · Academy of Management Review
- Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. ↗2002 · American Psychologist
- Negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. ↗2003 · Journal of Applied Psychology
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Institutions
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Awards & honors
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Career timeline
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Co-authors
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Education & career institution links
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Sign in to claim this profileSources & data information
Editorial review: 2026-10-07 · Last data update: 2026-10-07 21:06:42
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