In the mid-1990s, Trinity College president Evan Dobelle charged head coach Paul Assaiante with building a program good enough to take on the then-dominant Ivy League programs at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Dobelle said "I need to be able to walk into boardrooms and raise money and get people excited, because I'm trying to give this school a facelift and a morale boost. And the fact that you're competing with those schools is very important to me. And my question to you is how do we take it to the next level in that pond? … if the squash team wins the national championship against a Princeton or a Harvard or a Yale, that's very compelling." This is a specific example of Dobelle's efforts to employ which of the following performance motivation theories?

Question

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This is an example of goal theory, which emphasizes setting specific and challenging goals as a way to motivate individuals or teams. Dobelle's goal was for Trinity's squash team to be able to compete and win against Ivy League schools, which would help elevate the school's reputation and morale.

In the Mid-1990s, Trinity College President Evan Dobelle Charged Head