An organizational goal refers to the general objectives, purpose and mission of a business that have been established by the management of the organization and communicated down to the employees. An organizational goal is strategic in nature if outlines broad statements that an organization wishes to be at some point in the coming future.
It may also be a tactical objective. Such a goal defines specific short-term outcomes for certain units within an organization (King, & Lawley, 2012).
Setting Goals
The way a goal is set is as much important as the goal itself. Thus, it is quite important to set goals that meet precise criteria and ensure their easy accessibility. The use of the ‘SMART’ acronym is a viable way of evaluating a goal.
SMART goals provide an excellent framework to improve goals setting. It also helps create more compelling objectives for an organizati
...on. The SMART acronym stands for the following;
- S-Specific
- M-Measurable
- A-Attainable
- R-Relevant
- T-Time-bound
Specific
A goal is said to specific if it provides a proper description of what is to be accomplished. A particular objective is a focused target.
It states what an organization plans to achieve. The outline needs to be concrete and focused. It also needs to be simple for easy understanding by the partakers for its achievement. The goal needs to be written down to facilitate smooth and clear communication (Kondalkar, 2007). A specific goal makes it possible for those writing the objectives and action to be able to address many issues in the best way possible. Such issues include;
- Whose involvement is necessary for the accomplishment of the goal?
- What the goal aspired to attain?
- Where i
it to be done?
Measurable
A goal is said to be measurable if it is quantifiable.
Measurement is accomplished by obtaining data. It also checks on target towards which progress is on a measure. It also puts into consideration the benchmarks to measure progress along the way. A well formulated measurable goals aims to answer the answer the following;
- How much?
- How many?
- How will you know the accomplishment level?
Attainable
A goal is said to be attainable if there is a realistic likelihood of achieving the goal.
A goal should be challenging. It should be an outline of the person who handles its achievement. Goal setting requires the active involvement of the organization’s leadership and stakeholders. These two parties should agree on the importance of the goal.
Thus, they should allocate enough time and appropriate resources that focus on its accomplishment. Flexibility is also a crucial factor when determining an attainable goal. An objective that is unachievable should be changed or left out (Robbins, Campbell, & Judge, 2010).
Relevant
An organization should set goals that are appropriate and consistent with the mission and vision of the organization. Each objective that an organization adopts should be the one that moves the organization towards achieving its vision. A well-formulated goal that is relevant will not conflict with other organizational objectives.
All short-term goals should be consistent with the long-term and broader goals of an organization.
Time-bound
A particular time frame must bind a goal. Thus, a viable goal should have a starting point and an ending point. A viable organizational goal should have some intermediate points. Such points help assess the
progress towards achieving the goal.
Limiting the time frame in which a goal must get to its attainment level contributes to focusing more efforts towards its achievement.
Key Organizational Goals
There is the particular areas that an organization should establish result-oriented goals. These areas include;
- Innovation-excellent companies need to have viable goals in their innovations operations.
- Market share-organization should come up with result-oriented goals so as to retain the existing market share, and gain a new customer base.
- Productivity- This is a primary objective for any organization. Each firm should adopt goals that lead to the production of greater outcomes with fewer inputs. Such a goal provides a firm with a competitive edge. With an increase in productivity of a firm, market share goals of a company also increase with the reduction of prices of products.
- Physical and financial resources- An enterprise should formulate an objective that aims at maintaining and renovating its physical equipment in the long run. An increase of the cash flow is also necessary for new ventures.
- Profitability- This is a goal whose expression exists as a percentage and should always have an explicit statement.
- Management performance and development- Management training is equally important because management is critical for any organization success.
- Employee’s performance and attitude goals- employees are the most valuable asset in any organization.
- Social responsibility- this aspect has become part and parcel of gaining legitimacy for any organization in the modern world. The public image of an organization is an adorable acquisition through active involvement in corporate social responsibilities.
Conclusion
Well-formulated organizational goals inspire employee performance. Clear communication of organizational goals confirms why employees work in the
firm in the first place. Clearly communicated organizational goals help engage employees in their work.
By aligning employee performance plans with organizational objectives, firms have a positive employee performance (Pettinger, 2013).There should also be a discussion of such goals with employee goals. Thus, this is a proper way in which supervisors can maximize the powerful effects that a company’s objectives have on improving its existence and performance. Good communication and implementation of such goals become real to the employees.
Reference List
- Arvinen-Muondo, R., & Perkins, S. (2013). Organizational behavior. London: Kogan Page.
- Farmer, M., Yellowley, W., & Smith, P. (2012). Organizational Behavior.
London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
- King, D., & Lawley, S. (2012). Organizational behavior. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Kondalkar, V.
(2007). Organizational behavior. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers.
- Pettinger, R. (2013).
Organizational Behavior. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
- Robbins, S., Campbell, T., & Judge, T. (2010). Organizational behavior.
Harlow u.a.: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
