A Motivational Technique that Works - Assignment Example

INTERVIEW WITH A MANAGER ON GOAL SETTING AND ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS (Name) (Course) (Institution) (Instructor’s name) (Date) Executive Summary Goal setting and organizational planning are core elements in determining effective management. The role of a manager revolves around setting clear goals, measuring results and reviewing the progress of the implemented goals. The following report is a practical cum theoretical study on organizational planning and goal setting. The content of the report is based on views of Danny McGenniskenby, who is the Store Manager at Woolworths, collected during an interview with him regarding goal setting and how the manager works with his subordinates. Introduction Setting goals is an important process both at a personal level and at a professional level. For managers, setting goals can be a resourceful way of motivating employees and can be used as an effective pointer of the work performance and work ethics of employees (Locke & Latham, 1984). Through goal setting, employees are better positioned to regulate their individual and group work. Based on findings from a study conducted by Samson & Daft (2012), setting clear, specific and challenging goals in key areas enhances performance. This forms the basis of this report, which seeks to analyze the validity, accuracy and relevance of these findings by interviewing Danny McGenniskenby, who is the Store Manager at Woolworths about their view on personal and organizational goal setting. Q1. Draw an organizational chart showing the interviewee’s position in the hierarchy. Indicate on the chart the person who you interviewed. Figure: Organizational structure at Woolworths Limited Source: Woolworths Limited official website http://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/ Q2. Draw a bar chart, continuum or other figure to show the degree of goal setting and personal organization by the manager you interviewed. Include your own self-score results as a comparison. Figure: the degree of goal setting and personal organization by the manager compared to my score Q3. A summary of the responses regarding the manager’s view of personal and organizational goal setting in relation to his/her position. During the telephone interview, the Woolworths store manager, Danny McGenniskenby, was able to answer all the eight questions from the ‘New manager self-test questionnaire’. Based on the responses, it was clear that goal setting and planning plays an important role in how the store manager carries out his role to manage, direct, control, supervise and operate the day to day operations at Woolworths. Based on the questionnaire, the store manager scored very highly, achieving eight points for the eight questions. According to the store manager, setting goals influenced how he as the manager and his subordinates operated in relation to who does what, when do they do it, how long it takes for them to do it and even where they are supposed to do it. The store manager implied that at Woolworths, goal setting was the basis for short-term, intermediate and long term planning, which ensures Woolworths retains its strategic position in the market, both at the local and at global level. This means that setting goals not only dictate the time frame but also, influences other variables such as resource allocation, delegation of roles and responsibilities and measuring the rate of performance (Locke & Latham, 1984). According to Bipp & Kleingeld (2011), the process of setting goals can be applied as a tool for appraising performance. Primarily, goals are expected future outcomes which an organization hopes to achieve while planning entails defining goals for future performance of a firm and deciding on the appropriate resources and roles required to achieve them as supported by Samson & Daft (2005). On the other hand, organizational skills entail the knowledge and abilities required by the manager to organize and undertake their duties in managing, directing, controlling and supervising the operations of the organization (Rouillard, 2003). When responding on the need for setting specific and clear goals in question 1, 3, 4 and 8, Woolworth’s store manager Danny McGenniskenby indicated that his decisions and actions while carrying out his mandate is always informed by the goals he, (in consultation with his team), have agreed and set, which are aligned with the mission statement and vision of Woolworths. According to Danny, these agreed and set goals are at all times specific in nature, quantifiable, attainable, realistic and time bound which correlates with arguments made by Locke & Latham, (1984). Danny was categorical in saying that by setting specific, challenging and clear goals, they ensure that he and the entire organization does not spend resources such as time, money, information and labour in developing and implementing reactive strategies that are more often than not costly, unsustainable in the long term and ineffective in the long term. Goal setting ensures that the organization reacts proactively to changing factors within the internal and external environment (Rouillard, 2003). While responding to question 7 and question 8, the store manager insisted that setting challenging goals for him and his team is important in facilitating creativity and motivation, which are essential for personal and organizational growth. However, Danny stated in clear terms that although goals must be challenging, one must ensure they can be achieved to ensure that the success or failure to achieve them is not as a result of variety of circumstances and factors that are beyond their control. These arguments by Danny align with discussions made by Samson & Daft (2005) who suggests that setting specific and challenging goals results in increased performance in comparison with easy –to-achieve goals or having no goals. This is because, specific, clear and challenging goals allows the employee to be more focused, more persistent and more motivated to achieve what they need to achieve. Failing to planning is associated with planning to fail (Rouillard, 2003). Q4. Discuss how the manager’s goal setting and organizational skills suited, or did not suit, the nature or their organization’s environment and his/her work requirements. The goal setting and organizational skills by Woolworths store manager sufficiently suited not only the type of organizational environment that he works in but also, the industrial environment that he operates in. The retail industry is a rapidly changing one and therefore, industry players need to proactively plan by setting specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound goals in order to not only satisfy the needs, expectations, tastes and preferences of the customers but also, enhance their sustainable competitive advantage. As Danny noted, ‘the retail industry is so dynamic and is often characterized by shifting market forces that requires industry players such as Woolworths to respond proactively. With a turbulent environment such as we are witnessing presently as a result of the global recession, a manager such as I, must always focus on the future by simply developing specific goals, continually monitoring and evaluating them and ensuring the progress of the goals is effectively and efficiently reviewed.’ A manager must ensure they are able to bring their team on board in accomplishing tasks (Davidson et al., 2006). Danny’s goal setting and organizational skills has helped him to bring his team on board in achieving the set team and organizational goals by engaging them and aligning the team’s goals with the firm’s goals and mission. Engaging the relevant parties during the goal setting process is fundamental in gaining their commitment, accountability and increased efforts in meeting the set goals as echoed by Hollenbeck & Klein (1987). When people are involved in setting the goals they are expected to achieve, they take ownership of the goals and they are more motivated and committed in achieving them, which generate overall success (Mintzberg, 1990). According to Locke & Latham (1984), setting goals is an activity that should always be entrenched in a firm’s organizational culture to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are not only engaged but also committed and accountable to achieving them. Setting goals should not be a one- time thing done every new financial year, it must be done every so often and it must entail incorporating all forms of goals namely operational goals, tactical and strategic goals to cater for the short term, intermediate and long term planning respectively as noted by Samson & Daft (2005). Based on the response Danny gave for question 5 in regards to setting time each day or week to plan his work, it aligns with the need for regular goal setting which indicates that Danny’s goal setting and organizational skills does suit his work requirement as a manager. Setting goals is among roles that a manager carries out. Failure to effectively set goals that are clear, challenging and specific in nature leads to the workforce lacking direction since they do not understand what they are supposed to do, they are not motivated because goals are easy to achieve and they do not know what to benchmark their performance against, respectively (Rouillard, 2003). Mintzberg (1990) states that it is important for a manager to clarify and define their goals in order to ensure that the team and individual team members are able to set goals that are aligned to the strategies, goals and mission of organization. Just as proposed by Danny, it is important that every relevant stakeholder is engaged in the goal setting process to ensure they accept them and recognize them as important, which facilitates easier and successful implementation. It is one thing to develop or set goals and it is completely another to successfully achieve them. To ensure that the set goals are effectively and efficiently achieved, it is important that the involved parties during implementation understand the importance and the reward for achieving the set goals. For this reason, setting goals should be accompanied by setting rewards for achieving set goals which can be financial or non-financial rewards (Hollenbeck & Klein, 1987). Conclusion & Implementation Goal setting in an organization plays an important role in offering direction to the management and the workforce. Failing to plan is planning to fail. As noted in the report, setting goals can be a resourceful way of motivating employees, regulating the work of employees and it can be used as an effective pointer of the work performance and work ethics of employees. To effectively and efficiently carry out their role as a manager in directing, managing, controlling, and supervising, a manager must be able to set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, challenging and time bound goals. Although I did not score all the points in the questionnaire, through practice, I will in the long term gain the goal setting and organizational skills required to function effectively and competently as a manager. References Davidson, P, Simon, A, Gottschalk, L, Hunt, J, Wood, G, & Griffin R. W. (2006). Management – core concepts and skills (Australasian ed.). Milton, Qld: Wiley. Hollenbeck, J.R. and Klein, H.J. (1987). “Goal commitment and the goal setting process: problems, prospects, and proposals for future research”, Journal of Applied Psychology, 72 (2): 212-20. Locke, E.A. and Latham, G.P. (1984). Goal-setting: A Motivational Technique that Works. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mintzberg, H. (1990). ‘The manager’s job: folklore and fact’. Harvard Business Review. Rouillard, L. (2003). Goals and Goal Setting: Achieving Measured Objectives. London: Cengage Learning. Samson, D. & Daft, R. L. (2012). Management (4th Asia Pacific ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia. Samson, D. & Daft, R. L. 2005. Fundamentals of Management. South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia. Tanja Bipp, & Ad Kleingeld, (2011)."Goal-setting in practice: The effects of personality and perceptions of the goal-setting process on job satisfaction and goal commitment", Personnel Review, 40 (3): 306 – 323. Read More