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Five Principles of Goal Setting

Clarity. Challenge. Commitment. Feedback. Task complexity.

1. Clarity

Clear goals are measurable and unambiguous. When a

goal is clear and specific, with a definite time set for

completion, there is less misunderstanding about what

behaviours will be rewarded. You know what's

expected, and you can use the specific result as a

source of motivation. When a goal is vague or when

it's expressed as a general instruction, like "Take

initiative" it has limited motivational value.

To improve your or your team's performance, set clear goals that use specific and measurable

standards. "Reduce job turnover by 15%" or "Respond to employee suggestions within 48 hours" are

examples of clear goals.

Researches show that task performance is affected positively in organization with specific goal clarity

than in organization with no goal clarity at all. Goal clarity influence organization commitment by

affecting task performance of employees. Goals Enhancement can serve to clarify the person's role

in organization and to intensify the person's awareness of associations among his liability and

responsibilities of others. If goals of employment are illuminated, a considerable source of role

uncertainty is reduced, this in turns affect employee clarity of expectation. Goals are sources of

professional Challenge the level of challenge being affected by goal difficulty. Amplification in

difficulty of goal increases job difficulty. (Denis D. Umstot, 1994)Locke summarized in number of

researches it was depicted magnification of goals intensify performance of employees (Locke, 1976).

Oldham It was discovered that it not only boost importance of task but also bring sense to otherwise


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routine job Goal is focus on end results rather than measuring the ways how to achieve these goals

thus making the work environment self- sufficient.

When you use the SMART acronym to help you set goals, you ensure the clarity of the goal by

making it Specific, Measurable and Time-bound.

Setting clear goals is not a passive act. It doesn't happen automatically. You must take direct

conscious action in order to make it so. Everything counts, and nothing is neutral. You are either

moving towards your goals, or you're moving away from them. If you do nothing or if you act

without clarity, then you are almost certainly a victim of "being outgoaled." In other words you are

spending your time working on other people's goals without even knowing it. You are happily

working to enrich your landlord, other businesses, advertisers, stockholders, etc. Each day you spend

working without a sense of clarity about where you're headed is a step backwards for you. If you

don't actively tend your garden, then weeds will grow automatically. Weeds don't need to be

watered or fertilized. They just grow by themselves in the absence of an attentive gardener.

Similarly, in the absence of conscious and directed action on your part, your work and your life will

automatically become full of weeds. You don't need to do anything at all to make this happen. And

when you finally get around to taking a serious look at where you are and where you want to go, the

first thing you'll have to do is pull out all those weeds.

2. Commitment

Goals must be understood and agreed upon if they are

to be effective. Employees are more likely to "buy into" a

goal if they feel they were part of creating that goal. The

notion of participative management rests on this idea of

involving employees in setting goals and making

decisions.

One version of SMART for use when you are working with someone else to set their goals has A

and R stand for Agreed and Realistic instead of Attainable and Relevant. Agreed goals lead to

commitment.


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This doesn't mean that every goal has to be negotiated with and approved by employees. It does

mean that goals should be consistent and in line with previous expectations and organizational

concerns. As long as the employee believes that the goal is consistent with the goals of the company,

and believes the person assigning the goal is credible, then the commitment should be there.

I interestingly, goal commitment and difficulty often work together. The harder the goal, the more

commitment is required. If you have an easy goal, you don't need a lot of motivation to get it done.

When you're working on a difficult assignment, you will likely encounter challenges that require a

deeper source of inspiration and incentive.

As you use goal setting in your workplace, make an appropriate effort to include people in their own

goal setting. Encourage employees to develop their own goals, and keep them informed about

what's happening elsewhere in the organization. This way, they can be sure that their goals are

consistent with the overall vision and purpose that the company seeks.

The Basic Finding from Goal Setting Theory is that under certain conditions difficult goals can lead to

higher level of performance relative to vague or easy goals. One of the most often cited assumption

or condition necessary to that specific or difficult goal is commitment to that specific or difficult goal.

3. Task Complexity

The last factor in goal setting theory introduces two more requirements for

success. For goals or assignments that are highly complex, take special care to

ensure that the work doesn't become too overwhelming.

People who work in complicated and demanding roles probably have a high

level of motivation already. However, they can often push themselves too hard

if measures aren't built into the goal expectations to account for the complexity of the task. It's

therefore important to do the following:

1. Give the person sufficient time to meet the goal or improve performance.2. Provide enough time for the person to practice or learn what is expected and required for

success.


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