A manager tells his sales staff that he wants sales to increase by 18 percent during this year. Even though they are skeptical about whether this goal can be reached, most of them agree to it. However, they were unable to meet the target at the end of the year. Which of the following would best explain the failure to meet this goal? A) If employees are only superficially committed to the goal, it will probably not be achieved.
B) If employees do not believe it is possible to achieve a goal, it is probably because the goal is too vague.
C) If employees are skeptical that a goal can be reached, it is because they do not know how their performance will be measured.
D) If a goal is too specific, employees will be demotivated by the impersonal nature of the goal.