Gary P. Latham

Gary P. Latham is a professor of organizational behavior and human resource management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. His research concerns work motivation and the practical conditions under which goals influence performance.

Latham and Edwin A. Locke developed goal-setting theory through research on task performance. Their 2002 review describes the value of specific, challenging goals while emphasizing qualifications such as goal commitment, feedback and the strategies people use to carry out complex tasks. Latham’s work helps explain what a goal can do for motivation without treating a goal, by itself, as a decision about organizational direction.