Setting Objectives

Presentation Slides

MDR1: Module 2

Module overview

• Why it’s important to set objectives• Preparing to set objectives• Setting S*M*A*R*T objectives• Stretching objectives without becoming unrealistic• Measuring objectives during the year

Your learning objective

• What is your learning objective for this session? • What is one question that you hope we answer during this

module?• Share what you’d most like to learn as a result of this

session with your neighbour

Objectives and objective setting

• Objectives: future outcomes (results) that individuals and groups desire and strive to achieve

• Objective setting: the process of specifying desired outcomes toward which individuals, teams, departments, and organisations will strive and is intended to increase organisational efficiency and effectiveness

Source: Don Hellriegel & John W. Slocum, Jr. Organisational Behaviour

Motivational aspects of setting objectives

Directing one’s attention

Regulating one’s effort

Increasing one’s persistence

Encouraging the development of goal-attainment

strategies or action plans

Objectives motivate

the individual

by...

Task performanc

e

Source: E.A. Locke and G.P. Latham, A theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.

When objectives are

Attributes of motivating objectives

When objectives are Performance will tend to be

Specific and clear Higher

Vague Lower

Difficult and challenging Higher

Easy and boring Lower

Set participatively Higher

Set by management (top down) Lower

Accepted by employees Higher

Unrelated to rewards Lower

Source: E. A. Locke and G. P. Latham, A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.

Other research findings

1. Individuals whose managers are supportive accept or set much higher objectives than those whose managers are not supportive

2. On-going feedback on progress enhances the process – when people are told how well they are doing they can continue unchanged or adjust what they are doing

3. Objectives should be prioritised if there are a large number of them

4. Informal competition among staff members produced by objective setting and feedback can enhance performance – but don’t push it too far!

5. Depending on how they are used, objectives can increase or decrease the amount of stress felt by staff members – negative stress occurs when objectives have a high risk of failure or when there is objective ambiguity, objective overload or objective conflict. Stress can be reduced when expectations are clear and balanced

Characteristics of good objective setting

• Requires an investment by you in thinking about the goals of the department and the contribution each member of staff can make – the big picture

• Responsibility for the process of objective-setting is shared between you and each staff member – success requires good communication and mutual understanding

• Ongoing communication throughout the year is the backbone of effective objective-setting. You need information all year long about what’s going well, what’s behind schedule, and potential or upcoming problems. Create a climate that encourages staff members to communicate with you

“Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating the talents of those who work for us and pointing them towards a certain goal” – Walt Disney

Activity

• But what do you do if the individual refuses to engage in objective setting?

Policy

• For academic staff, where an agreement cannot be reached, general expectations can be stipulated, consistent with the principles of academic freedom, and these must be endorsed by the Head of Department. In academic departments where the reviewer feels unable to set such expectations, for example where they do not have line management responsibility for senior colleagues, the reviewer should pass the matter to the Head of Department, who will define objectives with endorsement by the Dean of Faculty

• University of Bath

Linking the goals of the institution with the work of the

individual

How am I doing?Performance Review

Annual Appraisal

What are we here for?School / Directorate’s Vision

School / Directorate’s Operational Plan

What are we here for?University’s Vision

University’s Strategic Plan

What must I achieve in the short to medium terms?

Performance ObjectivesProbation or Annual Appraisal

What am I here for?Job Role

Induction & Probation

Source: Cardiff University

An old story, but still valid...

• “Any organisation which boasts one Statement of Purpose, one Vision, five Values, six Goals, seven Strategic Priorities and eight Key Performance Indicators without any clear correlation between them is producing a recipe for total confusion and exasperation.”

• Learmont Report, October 1995, on the Prison Service

Activity: Vital goals

• With the person next to you identify the few ‘vital goals’ for your team or department

• Feedback to the group

• Preserving and improving human life; medicine is for the patient not for the profit; imagination and innovation – Merck

• We are about cars – especially cars for the average person - Ford

• Winning – being the best and beating others; personal freedom of choice is worth defending – Philip Morris

SMART Objectives

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic TimelyThe What, Why, and How of the SMART model

Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set

Objectives must be stretching, but not so far that people become frustrated and lose motivation

Realistic means "do-able”. Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that the individual isn’t very capable

Putting an end point on the objective gives a clear target to work towards.

What exactly are we going to do, with or for whom? What strategies will be used? Is the objective well understood? Is the objective described with action verbs? Is the outcome clear? Will this objective lead to the desired results?

How will I know the change has occurred? What evidence is needed to confirm it?

Can it be done in the proposed timeframe?Is it within the individual’s capabilities?Do we understand the limitations and constraints? Can we do this with the resources we have? Has anyone else done this successfully? Is this possible?

Do you have the resources available to achieve this objective? Is it possible to achieve this objective?How sensible is the objective in the current business/project/department context?Does it fit into the overall pattern of the individual’s job?

When will this objective be accomplished? Is there a deadline?Are there review dates?

SMART Example

Objective• Publish three quality research papers in a refereed journal in

accordance with approved research criteria by 31 December

Breakdown of Objective• Specific - says what the staff member will do (publish

research papers in refereed journals)• Measurable - states the use of UTEI scores as a benchmark

(min. accepted % score)• Achievable - staff member has the necessary resources and

support to teach• Relevant - links in with faculty's goal to improve overall

teaching standards across the faculty• Timely - to be achieved by end of Semester/Term 1

Individual activity

Convert the following into SMART objectives:• I am currently involved in three large collaborative research

projects. These projects should yield significant publications over the next two years

• Gain greater international recognition for research on survey methodology and gender and politics

• Contribute to debate on electoral reform in UK• Collaborate with private opinion research firms• Contribute on an ad hoc basis to modules at both UG and

PG level• Attract more international students

Setting SMART objectives

Write a SMART objective for the two people you identified as part of your pre-work:

1. High Performer

2. Low or Average Performer

Remember to:– Ensure there is a clear line-of-sight between your

team/department goals and the staff member’s role– Test each objective against all of the SMART criteria

S t r e t c h i n g objectives

• Review your two SMART objectives– Is there anything you would change to make the

objectives more challenging?– What can you do to increase the chances that the staff

member is successful in achieving the objective?

Measuring progress

Output

Outcome

Measure

Process

Classes taught

Research papers published

Performance reviewscompleted

Objective

Result

Department reputation

Student satisfaction

Staff satisfaction

Don

’t lo

se s

ight

of w

hat

you’

re t

ryin

g to

ach

ieve

Activity

• How would you measure the objectives you have set during the year?

• Are your measures outputs or outcomes?

Summary

Capability“I am able to do it”

Motivate“I want to do it”

Communicate“I know what to do”

Authority“I am allowed to do it”

Source: “Kaizen Strategies for Customer Care”; Wellington

Personal learning andaction planning

• Individually, review the learning goal(s) you set for yourself at the start of the module. What have you learned as a result of this session?

• Now identify 2-3 S*M*A*R*T actions that you plan to take as a result of this workshop

• In groups share both your personal learning and your actions with colleagues