Goal-setting works. A review* of 23 field experiments and meta-analyses of Managing by Objectives (MOB) research found that MOB increased productivity in 97% of them.
When people get hyper-focused on a particular goal, they can lose sight of other objectives and miss important and relevant information. In one study*, participants were so intent on counting the number of passes in a basketball game that they failed to realize there was a man dressed as a gorilla on the court. Similarly, a manager could, for example, be so focused on employees hitting their marks that she doesn’t see that these workers are miserable. The solution is to keep a list of ALL your goals and zoom out periodically to check them so that one doesn’t dominate.
*Pennsylvania State University’s PSYCH 484: Work Attitudes and Job Motivation
(This eTip brought to you by the Goal-setting/Prioritization link in your Productivity Chain.)