Final answer:
A focus on short-term goals like quarterly profits is likely to lead employees to disregard longer-term planning, which undermines research and development as well as strategic growth. Focusing solely on short-term financial rewards can make companies overlook innovation and sustainability, while ignoring the wider impact on the environment and society.
Step-by-step explanation:
A strong emphasis on short-term goals, such as quarterly profits, would be most likely to cause employees to ignore intermediate- and long-term planning. Focusing primarily on the immediate financial rewards can result in missing the benefits that come from research and development (R&D), which often leads to long-term growth and sustainability. Companies that concentrate on short-term gains may overlook the necessity of investing in product development and innovation, which can ultimately benefit many stakeholders in the long run.
When a leader is highly goal-oriented with a firm eye on accomplishing tasks, this can result in decisions made with short-term profitability in mind. Market demands, constrained by a combination of legal regulations and public sentiment, often dictate the decision-making process. However, such an approach limits the consideration of broader impacts on earth's ecosystems and underemphasizes the value of long-term strategic thinking.
Clear timelines set for projects, under pressures such as funding threats, can further exacerbate the issue. Employees may find it challenging to balance immediate project contributions with funded projects' demands, especially when program plans lack the support of dedicated staff or when the programs themselves are at risk due to conservative financing approaches, such as those threatened during a more conservative government administration.