Effects of Public Posting and Goal Setting on Team Performance in a Residential Setting

Perrin and team worked with direct-care staff in a group home for adults with intellectual disabilities. They wanted staff to record client behavior data more often and more accurately.

The researchers used two simple tools: a public chart on the wall and a weekly goal. Each Monday they posted last week’s percentage of completed data sheets. They also set a clear target, like “hit 90 % this week.”

When the chart and goal went up, completion jumped from about 60 % to 95 % within two weeks. The gains held for all three data-collection tasks that were tracked.

Staff kept the high rates even after the researchers stopped setting new goals, showing the combo worked and stuck.

Mellitz et al. (1983) did something similar 30 years earlier. They posted daily teacher praise counts and then slowly removed feedback. Praise rates doubled and stayed high. The core idea—public numbers drive staff change—is the same, but Perrin swapped fading feedback for weekly goals.

Sellers et al. (2019) extended the goal-setting piece. They added remote feedback and task hints to help supervisors run trial-based functional analyses. Five of six staff reached mastery. Their package was bigger, yet the single lever of clear goals was shared with Perrin.

Wong et al. (2009) mixed public posting with a small lottery and a brochure to cut absenteeism. All three studies show public posting pairs well with whatever extra nudge you choose—goals, feedback, or prizes—to lift staff performance.

You can copy this Monday morning. Print last week’s data completion rate in big font. Tape it by the time clock. Add one sentence: “Let’s beat 90 % this week.” It costs nothing, needs no extra training, and worked in a real house with real staff. If your team struggles with session notes, behavior sheets, or medication logs, try the chart-plus-goal combo first before buying expensive software or running long trainings.