Goal setting

Goal Setting involves establishing specific, measurable and time-targeted objectives. The ideal - taught - is a disposition that causes an intrinsic drive to be delivered in a professional manner. The parameters of professionalism indicate a time continuum - without continuity - but exhaustion and anxiety: an irony. It is a conundrum out mania, to cause professionals to work backward in order to get to the ultimate goal. It is without faith, but grander thought in moments of observation in hopes to serve need; whether it be self or others. As goal-setters, time-targets become real and more so sensational as the end draws near -- a sense of urgency falls afoot. The time is precise and specific; in which is set by the goal-setter.

Goal setting is a major component of personal development literature. Compulsions, fantasy and dreams that serve an observed inequity - or perhaps it is a personal bout against inequity - is the cause of personality; which can be determined by the value one puts on extrinsic and intrinsic drives usually defined by the individual or goal-setter. Many times the definition of goal-setting comes from free literary expression that serves a needed fulfillment of goals one must fulfill to become satisfied. This expression - written - may bring to hindsight a goal grander that must be made to self in order to fulfill that need, and even desire. At times satisfaction may come from serving others, and at times it comes from serving the self as a result of personal development. It is true that one can not identify another as being like them; for the other has distinctive traits, skills and abilities as a result of individual sovereignty attributed to individual development. It may be difficult to warrant the cause, but it is not difficult to warrant the need when under marginal disillusionment one becomes focused again. What may come to hindsight as a result of sovereignty is relative according to each individual. In other words: goals are different from person to person.

Effective goals should be tangible, specific, realistic and have a time targeted for completion . There must be realistic plans to achieve the intended goal. For example, setting a goal to go to Mars on a shoe string budget is not a realistic goal, while setting a goal to go to Hawaii as a backpacker is a possible goal with possible, realistic plans. In setting goals that are unrealistic - one may never obtain - loses any sort satisfaction; therefore can not continue on the goal setter's path. This path may come to an end abruptly; for it can not be achieved before one's own lifetime. However setting one's mark on the children of tomorrow may bring hope beyond the mania of unmaintainable goals for one person. Realistically, goals are persistent of an individuals intrinsic drives designed by their general environment - defining socialization. Of course in a group environment - where two minds are better than one - goals can be obtained much quicker.

Work on the theory of goal-setting suggests that it's an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants in a group with a common goal are clearly aware of what is expected from them if an objective is to be achieved . On a personal level, setting goals is a process that allows people to specify then work towards their own objectives - most commonly with financial or career-based goals.

However, some say that much of what is currently taught about goal setting is incomplete.

Prominent speakers on goal setting such as Jim Rohn or Zig Ziglar have suggested that goal setting is more than writing something down, setting a date and working towards that end. In order to make the success or achievement a lasting value the person must become something different in the process. There are significant differences in how a person accomplishes a "be" goal (Character driven) versus a "Have" goal. (An accomplishment or a possession to obtain.)

Some people feel that one possible drawback of goal setting is that implicit learning may be inhibited. This is because goal setting may encourage simple focus on an outcome without openness to exploration, understanding or growth. "Goals provide a sense of direction and purpose" (Goldstein, 1993, p. 96). Locke et al. (1981) examined the behavioral effects of goal-setting, concluding that 90% of laboratory and field studies involving specific and challenging goals led to higher performance than easy or no goals.

In business, goal setting has the advantages of encouraging participants to put in substantial effort; and, because every member has defined expectations set upon him or her (high role perception), little room is left for inadequate effort going unnoticed.

While some managers would believe it is sufficient to urge employees to ‘do their best’, Locke and Latham have a clear contradicting view on this. The authors state that people who are told to ‘do their best’ will not do so. ‘Doing your best’ has no external referent which implies that it is useless in eliciting specific behavior. To elicit some specific form of behavior from others, it is important that this person has a clear view of what is expected from him/her. A goal is thereby of vital importance because it facilitates an individual in focusing their efforts in a specified direction. In other words; goals canalize behavior (Cummings & Worley p. 368). However when goals are established at a management level and thereafter solely laid down, employee motivation with regard to achieving these goals is rather suppressed (Locke & Latham, 2002 p. 705). In order to increase motivation the employees not only need to be allowed to participate in the goal setting process but the goals have to be challenging as well (Cummings & Worley p. 369).

Managers cannot be constantly able to drive motivation and keep track of an employee’s work on a continuous basis. Goals are therefore an important tool for managers since goals have the ability to function as a self-regulatory mechanism that acquires an employee a certain amount of guidance have distilled four mechanisms through which goal setting is able to affect individual performance:

1. Goals focus attention towards goal-relevant activities and away from goal-irrelevant activities.
2. Goals serve as an energizer; higher goals will induce greater effort while low goals induce lesser effort.
3. Goals affect persistence; constraints with regard to resources will affect work pace.
4. Goals activate cognitive knowledge and strategies which allows employees to cope with the situation at hand.

Through an understanding of the effect of goal setting on individual performance organizations are able to use goal setting to benefit organizational performance. have therefore indicated three moderators which indicate the success of goal setting:

Goal commitment

People will perform better when they are committed to achieve certain goals . Goal commitment is dependent of:

1. The importance of the expected outcomes of goal attainment and;
2. Self-efficacy - one's belief that they are able to achieve the goals;
3. Commitment to others - promises or engagements to others can strongly improve commitment

Feedback

Keep track of performance to allow employees to see how effective they have been in attaining the goals. Without proper feedback channels it is impossible to adapt or adjust to the required behavior.

Task complexity

More difficult goals require more cognitive strategies and well developed skills. The more difficult the tasks ahead, a smaller group of people will possess the necessary skills and strategies. From an organizational perspective it is thereby more difficult to successfully attain more difficult goals since resources become more scarce.

Employee motivation

The more employees are motivated, the more they are stimulated and interested in accepting goals.

Macro-economical characteristics

The position of the economy in the conjucture puts pressure or simply relieves the organization. This means that some goals are easier set in specific macro-economical surroundings. Depression is for instance the least successful conjucturial phase for goal setting.

These success factors are not to be seen independently. For example the expected outcomes of goals are positively influenced when employees are involved in the goal setting process. Not only does participation increase commitment in attaining the goals that are set, participation influences self-efficacy as well. In addition to this feedback is necessary to monitor one's progress. When this is left aside, an employee might think (s)he is not making enough progress. This can reduce self-efficacy and thereby harm the performance outcomes in the long run .

See also

• Goal
• Goal-setting theory
• I-Change Model

External links

• 5x5p5 goal setting booklet

Further reading

• Robert F. Mager, Goal Analysis, 3rd. edition, 1997.