Dr. Edwin Locke is a pioneering figure in motivation theory and a world-renowned scholar in organizational psychology. He holds the distinguished position of Dean's Professor Emeritus of Leadership and Motivation at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, where he has been affiliated since 1967. Dr. Locke earned his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Harvard University in 1960 and completed his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Cornell University in 1964. His distinguished academic career spans over five decades, during which he progressed from Assistant Professor of Psychology to becoming Chair of the Management and Organization Faculty from 1984 to 1996, before attaining the prestigious Dean's Professorship in Leadership and Motivation from 1998 to 2001.
Dr. Locke's most seminal contribution is his groundbreaking goal-setting theory, first introduced in his 1968 paper Toward a Theory of Task Motivation and Incentives, which revolutionized the understanding of workplace motivation and performance. His research demonstrated that specific, challenging goals consistently lead to higher performance than easy or vague goals, establishing a fundamental principle that has been validated across thousands of studies worldwide. Through his extensive collaboration with Gary P. Latham, Dr. Locke developed and refined this theory into a comprehensive framework published in their influential 1990 book A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance, which remains the definitive work in the field. His research has generated over 336 scholarly publications and has been cited extensively, fundamentally transforming organizational behavior practices in both academic and corporate settings worldwide.
Beyond his theoretical contributions, Dr. Locke has significantly shaped the field through his mentorship of generations of scholars and his application of psychological principles to practical management contexts. He has authored or co-authored 13 books spanning topics from work motivation to philosophical applications, including The Selfish Path to Romance and his recent 2017 publication The Illusion of Determinism Why Free Will is Real and Causal. His work continues to influence contemporary research in organizational behavior, with his goal-setting principles forming the foundation for modern performance management systems across global corporations. Dr. Locke remains actively engaged in scholarly discourse, particularly in exploring the intersection between psychological science and philosophical frameworks, ensuring his legacy continues to shape future directions in motivation research.
