Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
This is an excellent paper and required reading especially for those inclined to confuse the measurement with the method. Goal-setting, the gold standard in business methodology, is fraught with destructive side-effects. Among them:
- too specific - "goals can focus attention so narrowly that people overlook other important features of a task"
- narrow goals "may cause people to ignore important dimensions of performance that are not specified by the goal setting system."
- too many goals - "Goals that are easier to achieve and measure (such as quantity) may be given more attention than other goals (such as quality)"
- inappropriate time horizon "[may] prompt managers to engage in myopic, short-term behavior that harms the organization in the long run"
- risk taking - "people motivated by specific, challenging goals adopt riskier strategies and choose riskier gambles"
- unethical behaviour - by taking inappropriate measures to meet goals, or by misrepresenting statements of achievement
- disillusionment - "because perceptions of self-efficacy are a key predictor of task engagement, commitment, and effort"
Via Will Thalheimer.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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