Results Focus — SMART Goals and Group-Centric vs Ego-Centric
Goals Required
Goals Required
At the individual and team level, optimal performance requires setting goals to stay on track.
Not All Goals Alike
But not all goals are alike.
SMART Acronym
SMART Goals
Goal setting is most likely to improve performance when goals are:
- S — Specific
- M — Measurable
- A — Attainable
- R — Relevant
- T — Time-Bound
Specific
S — Specific
Specific objectives/targets should answer:
- Who is involved
- What is to be accomplished
- Where it is to be done
- When it is to be done
- Which requirements and constraints exist
- Why (purpose) the objective is being accomplished
Measurable
M — Measurable
Establish criteria for measuring:
- Progress toward each objective/target/milestone
- Attainment of each objective/target/milestone
…until the desired objective is met.
Attainable
A — Attainable
Ensure:
- Applicable resources are available
- Objectives/tasks (within acceptable levels of risk) are possible
Action-Oriented Statements
It may also be helpful to use action-oriented statements rather than passive voice.
Attainable Doesn't Mean Easy
Attainable Not Easy
The term "Attainable" does NOT imply that goals should be easy to attain.
Difficult Goals Improve Performance
Research has consistently found that setting difficult or challenging goals improves performance MORE than setting goals that are easy or only moderately difficult to meet.
Relevant
R — Relevant
Link to:
- The mission
- The vision
- Goals
…and ensure they are meaningful and relevant to the user.
Obtainable Yet Purposeful
Good objectives must be obtainable, yet purposeful.
Time-Bound
T — Time-Bound
Provide date for completion.
Targeted Dates
Targeted dates provide:
- Periodic accountability
- Overall accountability
Group-Centric vs Ego-Centric Goals
Group vs Ego Goals
While goal setting can improve both individual and group performance, interdependent work may require a focus on how individuals contribute to the group ("group-centric" goals).
Ego-Centric Backfire
Goals that are strictly focused on maximizing individual results ("ego-centric" goals) may BACKFIRE when collaboration is needed.
Help Desk Example
Help Desk Example
Imagine managers set numeric goals for help desk technicians to resolve a certain number of help desk tickets each month:
- "Egocentric" goals for each individual employee to resolve a certain number of tickets may disincentivize support to other team members, such as training and coaching new team members
- "Group-centric" goals for an entire work unit to resolve a certain number of tickets may be more likely to increase overall performance by inherently incentivizing both processing tickets individually AND providing support that will help other team members resolve tickets as well