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 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."