After reading this article you will learn about the problems of objective setting and ways to overcome it.
Problems of Objective Setting:
Setting organisational objectives has the following problems:
1. Risk:
Though challenging objectives increase desire to perform better, they also increase the risk of their non-achievement.
2. Stress:
As a result of risk, the challenging goals may increase mental stress and tension of employees in the pursuit to work hard for their attainment. This may lower their performance, increase the costs or reduce the profits.
3. Low motivation or self-confidence:
Failure to achieve challenging or over-optimistic goals can lower the confidence of workers to achieve these goals and they will be demotivated to reach these targets.
4. Unfair practices:
If non-achievement of goals is followed by punishments and threats, workers would indulge in unfair practices to achieve those goals.
Ways to Overcome the Problems:
These problems can be solved in the following ways:
1. The risk of non-achievement can be reduced by setting rational and scientific goals which can be achieved. The goals should have high probability of success or achievement.
2. Risk can be reduced by reducing the standard of goals or appointing extra staff to attain organisational goals or provide training to existing staff to enhance their skills and abilities to achieve the goals.
3. Non-achievement of goals should be followed by frequent feedback and participation of superiors and subordinates to analyse the reasons for failure to achieve the objectives. Members should be guided and helped to attain these goals.
4. Non-achievement of goals should not be followed by punitive actions. The problems should be solved by mutual discussion and participation; of those who set the goals and those who work to achieve them.