Goal setting theory

Motivate your team through compelling goals while dreaming big as well as empowering them via trainings and inspirational speeches.

Goal setting is another way of motivating that can be used by itself or by adding it to other theories like with reinforcement techniques.

 In fact, you can use it to motivate yourself as well as other people because we wall should have something to live for due to our need to feel that there is something out there that is worth it and challenging us so that we will not feel boredom again.

A goal is a desired state of affairs one attempts to achieve; just the act of setting goals seems to increase the probability of success.

During thousands of years ago mankind was challenging forces of nature and wild forests and deserts then the brain will give us reward when we survive and for that reason we love to achieve goals and feel victorious.

But some ways of setting goals are better than others in terms of motivational impact.

The eight necessary characteristics for a goal to have a maximum motivational impact.

1-Write down a goal rather than just keep it in mind.

 In a technical sense, one does not do” a goal, but achieves a goal. Therefore, the proper way to write a goal statement is with the word to follow by an action verb-for example, “To finish reading this article by 5 o’clock.” Something about writing down a goal creates greater commitment on the part of the writer. It is harder to ignore, and seeing it on your desk or in your notebook constantly makes the goal harder to forget.

Writing down a goal can also facilitate planning because you are consciously identifying the actions you must take to achieve the goal.

2- Because specific goals are much better motivators than general goals, a properly stated goal should be very clear.

3- A date or time by which the goal is to be accomplished should be specified. The presence or absence of a deadline is a critical attribute of any goal-setting exercise. Deadlines stimulate action, and the closer the deadline, the more motivation to act. The absence of a deadline makes the urgency of the goal indefinite and hence less motivating

4- A goal should be perceived as attainable. Impossible goals often are demotivating because there is no reason to try if they cannot, by definition, be attained. (Problems may also occur, however, if the goal is too attainable.)

6- Although a goal should be attainable, it should also be challenging. There is little or no satisfaction in achieving a goal that presents little challenge. The best goal in Terms of motivation is one that is perceived as attainable yet challenging, that can be achieved, but only with significant effort.

Psychologist David McClelland (1985) demonstrated this phenomenon many years ago.

Children were asked to throw beanbags into a box from various distances, including a position located right next to the box. After they had thrown from various distances, they were asked from which position they preferred to throw. Very few picked the location that was the same but most picked a position farther away-a decision consistent with the properties attainability and challenge. In effect, the children were setting their own goals, and the to the goals they set were challenging but attainable.

7- When setting a goal for someone else, the goal must be understandable to the people for whom you are setting them. If they cannot understand the goals, how can you expect them to achieve them? As in so many areas, clarity is extremely important.

8- It was originally believed that if the participants were not involved in setting the goals, they would reject them. Subsequent research, such as in the Weyerhaeuser study, People are quite willing to accept goals that others set for them.

 This does not mean that involving people in establishing goals is a waste of time. Among other things, if the people who will actually be trying to accomplish the goals take part in formulating them, there is a greater chance that they will more completely and accurately understand the goals. And although people may be willing to accept goals established by others, there may be greater motivation if they participate.

Managers often worry about involving subordinates in decision making, including decisions about goals and goal levels.

A study comparing goals that managers set for their subordinates to goals for the same activities set by the subordinates themselves revealed that the subordinates set more difficult goals with higher ambitions and they may achieve them and sometimes unrealistic goals that may frustrate them (Hitt, Middlemist, & Mathis, 1983, p. 289).

Although this may not happen all the time, it is an intriguing finding that supports the notion of including subordinates in the goal-setting process.

So the manager should always let those set goals and he can adjust later and tell them the final decision and goal.

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