Business homework
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Chapter2.pptxGoal Setting: A Five Step Approach to Behavior Change
Chapter 2
How Goals are conceived?
Goals are conceived in general by individuals but also are conceptualized as belonging to the organization.
What is the role of organizations in this process?
Organizations are seen as mechanisms through which goals that are beyond the reach of individuals acting on their own can be practiced.
Inter-organizational collaboration provides as well mechanisms by which organizations seek collaborative advantage
Organizations, jointly, seek to achieve the aims that none of them could achieve on its own. Hence, the need for goals to be clear, compatible and agreed upon.
Introduction
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Examples of Superordinate Goal:
“I have a dream” – Martin Luther King;
“The just society” – Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau;
Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” – John F. Kennedy
“Learning through entertainment” – Walt Disney
What is a Superordinate Goal
A Superordinate goal is like a “slogan” to induce/encourage people, to translate a message to people
“A Superordinate goal captures “the heart”. It focuses mainly on affect; it appeals to emotion.
A Superordinate goal is a bottom-up goal. Bottom-Up goals are more powerful than Top-Down goal since they are expressed in the language of the employees.
Three questions allow the development of Bottom-Up Superordinate goals:
Why do we exist as a unit?
Who should miss us if we are gone?
What is our primary source of discontent?
Check example on pp. 11-12 (Washington post).
Superordinate Goal
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What is goal setting?
Goal setting is a cognitive variable (i.e. based on understanding, knowledge, observation, reasoning), whereas Superordinate goal aims only to affect.
Goal setting is the manifestation of needs and values.
What is the purpose of goal setting?
The purpose of goal setting is to make the Superordinate goal concrete, to move it from emotional to concrete action steps.
To achieve that goal must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and have a Time-frame.
In other words, we need to have a SMART goal as to transfer a “Superordinate goal” into a “concrete goal”.
Example: Walt Disney
Superordinate goal: “Learning through entertainment”
SMART goal: Putting in place the Epcot center that allows people to be more knowledgeable and wiser after passing a day at the center than they were in the morning when they came.
(check pp. 12 for more examples)
Goal Setting
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Why Goals are important?
Goals are important because they provide people with:
a challenge
feelings of accomplishment when progress is made toward goal attainment
meaning to otherwise meaningless tasks
That is why goals need to be specific, clear and well set as to allow positive outcome and satisfaction (for instance; instead of saying to employees “do your best”, it is better to say “do what is required” and clearly specify tasks required)
Example: In the forest products industry, harvesting trees hour after hour can be tiring, monotonous work. When loggers set a specific high goal as to the number of trees each person would cut in a day and in a week, both attendance and performance increased significantly and people bragged about their accomplishments.
Importance of Goals
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Goals are as well important because they can reduce the stress if they are in few numbers. They allow people to see the progress that they are doing in relation to the goals.
Goals remove the ambiguity (opposite of clarity) as to the criteria for which you and others will hold yourself responsible and accountable.
In order to achieve goals, there is a need to have a commitment. Without commitment there is no goal.
The empathy box allows to understand ways of gaining goal commitment (book pp. 13, 14, 15; optional reading).
Importance of Goals
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As stated, commitment to Superordinate and SMART goals is a must.
Managers need to make sure that what they are saying is in line with the pre-set goals (Superordinate and SMART goals).
They need to pay extreme attention to the signals that they send unconsciously.
Leaders need to set learning goals to make people comfortable.
Informal channels are seen in general better than formal channel as to the achievement of goals (discussion with employees over coffee, at lunch, etc.). The managers can ask the employees about their opinion as regards the SMART goals set, if they are still applicable, what need to be changed, what actions are taken by the management and are hindering the goal achievement.
Integrity
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It is difficult to be an effective leader when you are inaccessible to the people who are on your team.
Leaders need to be accessible for two reasons:
Let people know what they are doing is noticed and appreciated with regard to goal attainment
To encourage opposition with the goals that are set. People in general have a tendency to commit to what they know is wrong (Groupthink). People need to say their honest opinion if to achieve goal even if it is against leader opinion
Leaders need to reinforce their behavior in accordance to Superordinate and SMART goals. If they do not do so, indifference/laziness might emerge. As such recognizing people and being close to them is an effective way to laziness and indifference.
Consequently, in goal setting, sense of unity, sense of one team is very important.
In addition, employees need to feel that their needs and welfare are taken into consideration. Example: This is the case of “Unions” where leaders stress the importance of solidarity within the workforce. Union leaders set specific goals that reflect the needs of the employees that they represent. Any lack of attention to the needs and values of the employees from union’s leaders result in conflict.
Accessibility
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In order to achieve what has been advanced, a change of culture might be needed.
Culture refers to the shared values and behaviors that differentiate one organization from another.
Effective ways to change the culture:
Identify the behavior that define the desired culture
Set SMART learning or behavioral goals for teams and individuals
Acknowledge that what people are doing in relation to the goals is noticed and appreciated.
Examples: Employees are given opportunities to acknowledge in team meetings who is doing what to bring the desired culture change. The behavior of others lead the change of culture.
The main source of behavior change (i.e. change of culture) is one’s peers. The change of culture needs to address the groupthink by appointing and rotating “nay sayers” before any decision is taken.
Accessibility (Ctnd.)
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“Which gets measured, gets done”.
Measurement conveys clearly what organizational decision makers believe is important, versus what they say is important.
Effective leaders ensure that the measurement system is aligned with the Superordinate and SMART goals.
When dysfunctional behavior is observed, the cause more frequently lies in the goals and/or measurement system than it does in the person who is exhibiting the behavior.
Measurement systems have to be set in accordance with the goals. If you change the goal, than the behavior should be changed and hence the measurement system.
Measurement
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