Are Goals Always Good? No....Watch Out for Side Effects.

A nice new review of research on goal-setting provides some balance in how goals can be used to guide workplace performance.

The following (admittedly low-quality) graphic comes from the authors' working paper.

The authors don't deny that goals can be useful and powerful. Instead, they focus on the negative side-effects that can occur.

Their balanced approach seems eminently sensible to me. The SMART goal revolution didn't always acknowledge some of the downsides, nor did it provide a Situation-Based Learning Design approach, providing learners with a sense of when to use goals, and when not to.

Everybody in the Learning-and-Performance field ought to read this working paper at once.

The authors: Lisa D. Ordóñez, Maurice E. Schweitzer, Adam D. Galinsky, and Max H. Bazerman

My thanks to marciamarcia on Twitter for letting me know about this important work.

Working Paper Executive Summary (copied from first link above):

For decades, goal setting has been promoted as a halcyon pill for improving employee motivation and performance in organizations. Advocates of goal setting argue that for goals to be successful, they should be specific and challenging, and countless studies find that specific, challenging goals motivate performance far better than "do your best" exhortations. The authors of this article, however, argue that it is often these same characteristics of goals that cause them to "go wild." Key concepts include:

• The harmful side effects of goal setting are far more serious and systematic than prior work has acknowledged.
• Goal setting harms organizations in systematic and predictable ways.
• The use of goal setting can degrade employee performance, shift focus away from important but non-specified goals, harm interpersonal relationships, corrode organizational culture, and motivate risky and unethical behaviors.
• In many situations, the damaging effects of goal setting outweigh its benefits.
• Managers should ask specific questions to ascertain whether the harmful effects of goal setting outweigh the potential benefits.

Comments

[Simon Carswell]

Good points. I think the biggest problem is goals set in isolation from strategy or even from the goals of other team members. And I wonder whether it isn't starting to get even harder than it ever was to set goals in the 'correct' way. So perhaps we should learn to do without 'top-down' goals and let them emerge more?

[Sharon Boller]

All I can say is "wow." I'm now not sure what to think about goal-setting as an exercise. Without them, how do you ever know you've succeeded at something? With them, do you risk people ignoring opportunities that are not directly related to their goals?

Thanks for sharing the info!

[Ben Curtis]

Thanks for publicizing this interesting article. The section on Goals, Learning, and Cooperation on p. 13 elicited the thought that since Learning Objectives are specific goals, maybe we should consider their impact in this context. The authors weren't talking about training specifically, but perhaps there is some bleedover.

[Gregory Evans]

It's a bit of a non-story, inasmuch as the risks involved in goal setting are regularly cited in studies on reward and recognition.

Mainstream books such as Aubrey Daniels' Bring Out the Best in People (McGraw Hill, 2000) have covered this ground.

Like any tool used in organisations, goal setting can be used to good or ill effect.

[Will Thalheimer]

Well Gregory, you may have known about the risks of goal-setting since your teenage years, but many of us need to know that goals are a double-edged sword.

Just because something is published or known by some doesn't mean that everybody else instantly knows it. Do you really think everybody's read the studies on reward and recognition?

I've seen many management/leadership courses that say NOTHING about the risks of goal-setting.

People still need to know. It's our job to spread the word, not just grind our gold fillings in public.

[Gregory Evans]

Just because something is published or known by some doesn't mean that everybody else instantly knows it. Do you really think everybody's read the studies on reward and recognition?

Not in the least, and nor does my post imply that. It’s interesting, however, that the issue may not be widely known among people working in learning and development – people whose work involves attempting to change the behaviour of others - despite goal setting receiving close scrutiny from those working in related fields.

Well Gregory, you may have known about the risks of goal-setting since your teenage years, but many of us need to know that goals are a double-edged sword.

Sure, regardless of whatever my adolescence has to do with it.

I've seen many management/leadership courses that say NOTHING about the risks of goal-setting.

Same on this side of the Pacific. By the same token, it’s not uncommon to come across people claiming to train others in the development of instructional materials, who know little about instructional design. It happens.

People still need to know. It's our job to spread the word, not just grind our gold fillings in public.

And you are. Please note that I’m not disagreeing with you, nor disparaging your choice of linking to the Harvard Working Paper. I’m expressing surprise there’s not greater awareness of the problems inherent in goal setting, which have been widely published.

[Will Thalheimer]

Greg,

Thanks again for your response.

I suppose I read more rancor in your comments than intended. My apologies.

Sounds like we agree on the goal-setting issues.

Keep in touch, I like a little wake-up call now and then.

And on a personal note: I have twice tried to email you and received a message that your email mailbox was full.

--Will

[Ugg Outlet]

If you would go up high, then use your own legs! Do not let yourselves carried aloft; do not seat yourselves on other people's backs and heads.

[oil screw press]

Now all became clear to me, I thank for the necessary information.

[wood pellet making machine]

How long have you been in this field? You seem to know a lot more than I do I’d love to know your sources. Cheers!

[atenolol side effects]

I read your other post as well, all were good. I really appreciate the author. Thanks for the post, it was nice.I will share with my friends and I know they will like it.

[red bottoms]

I like ANMJ on FB & just subscribed to the email feed! :)