Setting Objectives
Presentation Slides
MDR1: Module 2
Module overview
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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
Objectives
motivate the
individual
by...
Regulating one’s effort
Task
performance
Increasing one’s
persistence
Encouraging the
development of goalattainment strategies
or action plans
Source: E.A. Locke and G.P. Latham, A theory of Goal Setting and
Task Performance Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.
Attributes of motivating
objectives
When objectives are
When
objectives
aretend to be
Performance
will
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
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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 must I achieve in the short
to medium terms?
Performance Objectives
Probation or Annual Appraisal
What am I here for?
Job Role
Induction & Probation
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
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
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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
SMART Objectives
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely
The What, Why, and
How of the
SMART 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 "doable”. 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/depar
tment 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?
SMART Example
Objective
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Publish three quality research papers in a refereed journal in
accordance with approved research criteria by 31 December
Breakdown of Objective
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Specific - says what the staff member will do (publish research papers
in refereed journals)
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Measurable - states the use of UTEI scores as a benchmark
(min. accepted % score)
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Achievable - staff member has the necessary resources and support
to teach
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Relevant - links in with faculty's goal to improve overall teaching
standards across the faculty
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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
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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 SMART objectives
Write a SMART 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 SMART 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 reviews
completed
Objective
Result
Department reputation
Student satisfaction
Staff satisfaction
Activity
• How would you measure the objectives you have set during
the year?
• Are your measures outputs or outcomes?
Summary
Communicate
Motivate
“I know what to do”
“I want to do it”
Authority
Capability
“I am allowed to do it”
“I am able to do it”
Source: “Kaizen Strategies for Customer Care”; Wellington
Personal learning and
action 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