S.M.A.R.T Goals

What are SMART goals ?

After explaining in detail  the differences between craftsmanship of yester years and modern management using real-life examples, Professor Mandi's yet another session on 'Principles of Organization and Management' begins with how goals of an organization (or any individual for that matter) must be set.

Dr. Mandi elaborated on the concept of organizational goals in terms of : 

Goal

A goal is a statement of a desired future an organization wishes to achieve. It describes what the organization is trying accomplish.

First of all, why set goals? 

• Goals provide a clear idea of what we are trying to  achieve. 
• We are able to plan what we need to do to achieve these goals through
   people, time and resources etc; 
• Goals allow us to measure our progress.

“Goal setting is one of the basic tools used by organizations to assist in setting a direction and achieving it. Successful organizations often set long- and short-term goals for service development, improving quality, reducing errors, becoming more customer-focused, and building better internal and public relations.” says Jeffery Davis, the author of the book - Managing and Achieving Organizational Goals

Apart from this, individuals may set goals to achieve a personal objective such as career advancement.

So, how do we set goals?

The S.M.A.R.T. method is one way to help you remember how to walk through the process of setting your goals.

SMART is an acronym where the letters stand for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound respectively.

    

Continuing with the discussion, Professor Mandi went on to say that each aspect of SMART goals as in the above table must be in consonance or in agreement with each other.

Then, Professor taught us the strategy to be used while setting goals.The strategy was well defined in terms of clarity as it included performance measures :

1. Goal set
2. Goal achieved
3. Goal achieved in history
4. Potential
5. Realistic goal set
6. Realistic goal achieved
7. Performance

To help us understand better, the classical example of tower building was used.

This time, a group of students were asked to work like they own a construction company and build a tower (made of small identical cubes) as high as possible.

As goal achieved in history for a tower building exercise was 27, the professor advised that we set our new goals using some methodolgy like :

Goal set = Goal achieved in history  + x %  ( Goal achieved in history )

Where 'x' is a subjective figure. 

The students made use of the strategy discussed above to set their goals, before actually getting started with building the tower.

A series of trials were through and finally the students who were assumed to own an organization that builds towers, were succesful in building a tower that was 28 cubes tall.

In this way, the students were enlightened on the purpose of organizational goals, the 'smart' way of defining goals and the strategy to be used in setting goals.

More on SMART goals :

Craftsmanship versus Modern Management

Before we actually start compare them both, let us take a closer look at each of them.Let's begin with craftsmanship.

Craftsmanship can be defined as 'The production and delivery of quality goods or services from highly skilled workmen'.These quality goods made by using the process of planning, patience, accuracy and finishing each completely before the next, by skilled craftsman lasted a long time.

Craftsmanship can be found in every field or endeavor be it product sector or the services sector.

The characteristics of craftsmanship :

• Craftsmen are very dextrous
• They have no interdependencies
• Feel their professional life to be their actual life who believe that the product they produce is the reflection of themselves
• One step is complete before the product is actually moved to the next stage i.e there exists no parallelism in craftsmanship
• The sastisfaction levels of craftsmen are really high as they are students of their own profession who constantly thrive to improve

But in the end, it all boils down to what consumer wants. As time passed demand for goods and services kept increasing rapidly with increasing purchasing power of the consumers. Hence goods had to be delivered in mass numbers and this is when 'Mass Production' was introduced.

Now let's look at Modern Management

Mass production is the creation of many products in a short period of time using time-saving techniques such as assembly lines and specialization. It allows a manufacturer to produce more per worker-hour, and to lower the labor cost of the end product.This in turn allows the product to be sold for a lower cost.

But mass production entails complexity in the process of delivering goods and servies.This complexity is handled through 'Modern Management'.

The characteristics of modern management:

• In contrast to craftsmanship (craftsman only), here many workers are involved
• Interdependency is high
• Alieanation is high
• Higher degrees of parallelism in terms of work execution
• A non-worker is the head of the production when compared to the crafsman himself being both the worker and the head of his production 
• Workers will become experts in one area of the production line because of 'Deskilling'
• Specialization occurs and workers will be exposed to a single area of the production line instead of being skilled in all areas of production like a craftsman

We will understand this better when we talk about the 3 'E's of management :

1. Efficiency
2. Effectiveness
3. Excellence

Efficiency - It is related to the speed with which we perform the given task. 

Effectiveness - It is related to identifying the necessity of the task itself.

Excellence - It is the product of the above two factors.( Excellence = Efficiency * Effectiveness)

Adding to the above explanation :

Effectivenss defines "Who/What/When/Where/Why" 

Efficiency defines "How"

Therefore, any organisation that is into mass production and uses modern management techniques must try to attain 'more out of less' (efficiency) for 'more' (effectiveness) to ultimately reach excellence.

Douglas McGregor's theory X and theory Y : What Works ?

The objective of this blog is to comprehend the nuances of various management styles using McGregor's theory X and theory Y.

Douglas McGregor

Douglas McGregor

Douglas McGregor, was a pioneer of management theory. He was a social psychologist who became the president of Antioch College and later worked as a professor of management at MIT. He is best remembered for his 1960 book, The Human Side of Enterprise, in which he presented his now-famous Theory X and Theory Y. 

Theory X and Theory Y are still referred to commonly in the field of management and motivation. Though recent studies have questioned the rigidity of the model, it still remains a valid basic principle to develop positive management styles and techniques.


About Theory X and Theory Y

Assumptions of Theory X management: 

• People dislike work and will avoid it if possible
• Most people must be “coerced, controlled, directed, and threatened with  punishment to get  them” to work
• The average human prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has little ambition, and wants security

These assumptions lead managers to :

• Deny employees control over their work environment and to use methods of influence that are direct and harsh

                            

• Emphasize the chain of command, reward-or-punishment motivational techniques, and close supervision of subordinate behavior along rigidly defined behavioral parameters 

It is argued that classical management practice was hindering rather than helping organizations solve prob- lems, meet goals, and deliver a product in a reliable manner.

  Assumptions of Theory Y management: 

  Theory Y managers assume that :

• The  people they supervise are as committed to work and as capable of finding solutions to work-related problems as they are themselves
• People inherently prefer to work rather than not to work and as a result, they tend to push responsibility for work down the chain of command 
• They can grant employees autonomy within their areas of accountability, and they structure work so that subordinates have ample opportunity to   identify problems and find creative solutions to them

Theory Y managers attempt to structure the work environment so that     employee goals coincide with organizational goals, resulting presumably in greater creativity and productivity.

Let us try to understand the implications of four different possible combinations on organisations, like :

1. Theory X Manager assume LAZY workers as LAZY and make them work

In this scenario, a theory X manager who inherently feels that people dislike work and will avoid it if possible (LAZY) will try to control and push the lazy workers to get the job done.This might result in getting work done but it will not complete in all respects(will be failing in some or the other aspect like quality of work).

2. Theory X Manager assume NOT LAZY workers as LAZY and make them work

In this case, diligent workers are treated as lazy workers which eventually leads to high degree of animosity between workers and manager as the theory X manager denies employees control over their work environment uses methods of influence that are direct and harsh.This results in employees being reluctant and feeling highly demotivated to work.

3. Theory Y Manager assume LAZY workers as NOT LAZY and make them work

As these managers believe that people inherently prefer to work rather than not to work and as a result, they tend to push responsibility for work, motivate the lazy workers and thrive to achieve positive results in the end.

Although this process of motivating the lazy workers consumes some time before good results manifest, it is actually possible that it gradually yields intended output.

   

4. Theory Y Manager assume NOT LAZY workers as NOT LAZY and make them work

This is the most ideal combination of workers and manager and hence is the most desirable as workers it can be trusted to do their jobs to their utmost ability.Workers work with great motivation and high levels of satisafaction as enough freedon and autonomy is granted.Also, management can be trusted to support them and look out for their well being.

For visual understanding of Theory X and Theory Y, watch the video below

As evident from the above explanation, Theory Y of management calls for an integrative form of management. It is based on employee motivation which is a vital tool for ensuring productivity. Motivated employees are committed to the overall organizational goals and they are also loyal to their organizations.

Hence,Theory Y of management is widely used today to meet the organizational objectives and goals in a more cost effective way.

Even in my personal experience, i have met those managers who belong to the class of Theory Y managers who have always motivated, encouraged and trusted their workers in the job that they perform.This style of management actually yielded very good results. My co-workers, colleagues and my self have increased our committment and creative thinking in parallel to our contributions to the organization we work for. 

This experience has taught me that unlike in traditional management theories which believed that people could be controlled like machines, people have other pyschological needs like motivation and pyschological rewards like encouragement which drive a person to work at maximum potential rather than money or monetary rewards.

Wise teaching and the 'Tower Building Exercise'

All through my life i have only witnessed the mediocre ways of teaching i.e. at school, at high school and next, though i expected this to change at least during my graduation, nothing actually happened.

After i took a break of three years from all this pedagogy and education system by starting my professional career in an MNC,i felt like may be i should study in a reputed and prominent institution where i can actually see and feel the methods and practices of engaging, interactive and intriguing teaching which i missed out in the past.

Change for the better

That's when i joined NITIE, Mumbai. A top b-school of the nation.I happily write this first blog of mine as the days have come when i would start experiencing a different way,style and class of teaching.

My very first day started with a lecture on 'Principles of Organization and Management'. Prof. T.Prasad briefly introduced himself and started giving things that looked like toys. Though they were really toys, but it was not a lecture.Apparent in his way of teaching, he is a professor who believes in interactive learning and hence seldom used a chalk or a presentation to teach.The things brought by himself to the classroom were used to explain and make learning simpler.

One of the students mentioned that Prof. Prasad was popularly known as Dr.Mandi.The professor explained why he was called so and then went on to make us realize the opportunity cost of studying at NITIE by saying "Aaj ka roti aaj hi kamana hai".He elaborated in detail why it is very important for every one to earn their bread each and every day although being a student. It was a totally different thought and truly encouraging.

In keeping with what was in my mind regarding the present day education system, Prof. Mandi criticized it for its practices and ways of teaching.On the other hand, he advised that students and youngsters of today's generation who have got obsessed with smart phones, tablets, Internet and similar technological innovations must thrive to educate the have nots using that very technology. One example cited was usage of blogs to spread thoughts, awareness, innovations, ideas in a constructive manner that not only reaches people spread all over, but educates in mass numbers.

On the whole,the session on day one was generic,very informative and very interesting.

The demonstration : Tower building exercise

The next day, Prof. Mandi began with the concepts of organization and management.This,he started explaining with the help of the tower building exercise.

The tower building experiment initially was demonstrated by one student where he began piling up small and identical cubes to form a tower.The experiment ended with a tower that was 16 cubes tall.The learning from this first experiment was that the tower building activity of the student was pure craftsmanship which doesn't need any organization and management and where satisfaction levels are high.

As part of the same exercise, eight students volunteered for the next tower building demonstration. But this time, the student forming the tower was blindfolded and the remaining had to guide that student in formation of the tower.It ended with a tower that was 7 cubes tall.

The inference to be drawn from this exercise is that craftsmanship where one person was involved in a single activity needed no organization and management.As the number of people involved scaled up, the need for organization and management was clearly evident and that the sole purpose of it is to work towards achieving the mission and vision.

Thanks to 'wise teaching', the impact of organization and management was demonstrated with the help of a live example and this is something that will not easily fade away in our memories.

As Albert Einstein truly said : "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge"