Goals Sources: Higgins, J.M. 1994. The Management Challenge. NY: Macmillan, 1994, Ch. 6. McShane, S. & Von Glinow, M. Organizational Behavior. NY: Irwin-McGraw Hill, 2000, Ch. 3. Mescon, T. et al. 1999. Business Today, 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Ch. 4. Robbins & Hunsaker. 1996. Training in Interpersonal Skills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Ch. 4. Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborn. 1995. Basic Organizational Behavior. NY: Wiley, Chs. 7.

Goal Setting Definition & Importance Effective goal Characteristics How to set goals Limitations and Caveats The new Ceo of Volvo gave his top managers a watch with three numbers on it: 25, 50, 100. These stood for the goals he wanted the co. to achieve: 25% ROA. 50% reduction in project time 100% attainment of the corp. vision/mission

Goals Targets, objectives or results one desires to achieve

Characteristics of Effective Goals Specific Results-oriented Challenging Time limit Acceptance Feedback

Specific Goals Specific goals communicate more precise expectations by indicating measurable effort over a period of time. Vague Do your best in this course. Specific Achieve an “A” in major assignments.

Results Oriented Goals Should specify a target or standard to be reached. Process Find a way to do well Results Achieve an excellent score on major assignments Process oriented goals refer to the steps needed to achieve the goal. Results refer to the ends or targets you hope to achieve with your effort. Research shows that process oriented goals has people think of various ways of seeking the goal but seems to block people from selecting a method and working toward the goal. Results oriented goals lead to better achievement by focusing on the target, people devise ways to attain the goal.

Challenging goals Goals should be difficult enough to stretch the Person’s ability and motivation to perform at a higher level. Easy To just pass This course Challenging To get an “A” On most major Assignments.

Challenging goals High Performance level Low Easy goals: Often lead to lower performance because people put little effort Can reduce motivation because no recognition for achieving sure things Challenging goals: Lead to higher and more persistent work effort Fulfill need for achievement or growth if goal is achieved Impossible goals: The relationship between effort and performance no longer holds, so people may give up before they start Or put little effort into the goal knowing they will fail any way Low Low Moderate Challenging impossible Goal Difficulty

Time limit Setting a time limit by which the goal should be accomplished. Open ended I am going to Set up my web Page. Time limit I am going to Set up my web page By 5 PM Friday. Open ended goals provide no sense of urgency so we ignore them over other priorities. A time limit establishes the priority and gets your attention. Therefore, increasing the likelihood the goal will not be ignored and will be acted upon.

Acceptance Goals are most likely to be to be achieved when they are accepted by the person. Participation Realistic specific Goals are accepted when: Person participates in setting them Or when assigned goals are: Realistic and specific

Feedback Let people know where they stand regarding goal achievement. Do they need to put forth More effort. Sub goals Progress report Some managers set intermediate goals which are easier to achieve on the way to the larger goal. Achieving those gives you automatic feedback on how you are doing regarding the larger goal.

How to set Goals Specify general task to be done Indicate how performance will be measured Specify target and time span Prioritize goals Goal commitment

Specify What is to be done What do you want to accomplish: tasks, behaviors, and attitudes. Job(student) Learning Social Developmental

Performance measures Outcomes desired and measured in units, time , money, etc. Units: quantity, no. of errors Time: deadlines, attendance, etc. Money: profit, cost, sales

Target & Time End point or desired result and time Period that indicates goal accomplishment. Result(s) you hope to achieve. Including the time period during which it is to be achieved.

Prioritize Goals Rank goals in order of importance when there are multiple goals.

Goal commitment Managers provide support: resources, supply, time, training Participation Know your capabilities Rewards Support: one needs to know that they can achieve, and for that you need the resources Participation: get input into goal setting regarding target, time, etc. Know capabilities: people perform better when they feel confident that they can achieve the goals given to them (feeling of self-efficacy) Rewards: where possible link goal achievement with a positive outcome evn if it is only “good job!” Any or all of these can help secure commitment depending on the circumstance.

Limitations New tasks may require less specific goals in terms of targets and time What is a good goal varies with people’s abilities

Setting your Goals Task Type Target Resources Time Barriers Feedback Course Extra- Curricular Personal Development What type of task or activity do you want to improve or accomplish ? What resources/support will you need to do it ? What result do you hope to achieve? How will you know when you have achieved it? See also Ex. 3e in textbook, p. 69