Organizations should always set goals for their employees. It creates a set of benefits for the employees as well as for the organization that cannot generally be obtained in other ways. Setting definitive goals for employees and departments can create motivation that moves throughout the organization. Having individual and group goals can give employees a sense of ownership in the organization.
Clear Expectations
When management sets goals for employees, it defines what is expected of them in their job. If management would like to take this step to the next level, the employees should be involved in setting the goals. This will give the employee more of a sense of ownership in the tasks and may improve productivity even further.
Sense of Accomplishment
When goals are reached, employees will have a sense of pride and accomplishment in what was done. Management gave a clear set of goals that needed to be reached and the employee was able to meet expectations by reaching the goals. This can create goodwill among employees when they are rewarded for doing a good job and accomplishing the goals of the organization.
Momentum
When goals have been given to employees, those who value the organization, along with their job, will reach out of their comfort zone to reach those goals. Goals give these employees a sense of purpose and something to strive for in their daily tasks and interactions on the job. It creates momentum that can leak into other areas of the job.
Increased Self Esteem
When goals have been reached, employees will have a sense of accomplishment. It will reinforce that they have the skills and intelligence needed to do a good job for the organization. Because clear expectations were set, the employee will know that he is doing what the organization wants out of him in his job. This will increase self esteem in the area of his career and will further motivate him when working on future projects.
More Productivity
Those who reach goals will be able to easily see that the sky is the limit. When one goal has been accomplished, it is much easier to see that others can be handled as well. This can lead to increased productivity. This is especially true when the goals were a little out of reach or were seen by the employees as being unreachable. The increase in self esteem and the sense of accomplishment will motivate employees to be even more productive on the job to reach other goals that have been set.
When an organization sets goals, not only will there be benefits from the goals being reached, the employees will also benefit from the increased motivation. Management should strive to challenge employees with goal setting for benefits that will be seen across all areas of the organization.
Stacey Abler - Stacey Abler is a freelance writer and entrepreneur who lives near Atlanta, Georgia. She has successfully operated several businesses ...
