Advantages And Disadvantages Of Goal Setting

When we think of a goal a lot comes to mind: To be the best in the class, to lose ten pounds, to swim a mile under sixteen minutes. We can set any goals that our heart desires but it doesn’t do any good if they are not realistic. There is the fine balance between setting a goal too high versus setting the goal too low. But when we find the sweet spot, we can achieve our goals to in order to gain a sense of reward and success. As human beings we always want to strive to do more, to tackle our fears and to become our best in and out of the workplace. Goal setting is a unique tool that can create advantages for the company and the individual if used correctly. But it can also lead to employees feeling inferior at their work if self-worth is based …show more content…
However, there are some disadvantages associated with goal setting in teams. Four main problems associated with team goals are lack of leadership, fuzzy focus, stuck in sameness and perfectionism. Fuzzy focus is a problem because “The team does not really know how to function. Without a clear focus, team members frequently react to events in their environment” (Lantz, pg. 1). In order to accomplish goals, we need to understand what is going on. Groups also can sometimes be stuck in the sameness which can also lead to problems. If teams can’t adapt and innovate, then team members tend to participate in group think leading to the same old thought. If new ideas aren’t being created or being thought of the team will fall behind which could lead to the company falling behind to other companies. Lack of leadership can lead to ineffective goal setting. Without a strong leader, the direction of the company will be unknown that in turn will lead to vague goals that will be hard for the company to follow along. Companies need to have strong leaders who have a clear sense of direction that require employees to follow. A final problem with goal setting in teams is perfectionism. A study was done with police officers to see the relationship between perfectionism and maximum versus typical employee performance. In two studies of 1,393 officers, the individuals had a hard time believing that they were valuable to the organization if they did not meet their goal that they set. “One important aspect was that self-worth was a direct negative predictor of typical performance”(Harabulik). Employees felt less worthy and wanted to be perfect all the time. This caused them to second guess their value to the organization. This is key because goals that are set too high can lead to discouraged