Question

Managers who establish effective goals can enhance the performance of their employees and of their company. The manager in the scenario presented next realizes that goals are essential to improving performance. Goal setting helps motivate employees by clarifying their roles at work and establishing performance objectives. Effective goal setting is more than just asking employees to do their best or to try harder. It requires attention to key goal characteristics that increase intensity and persistence, and ultimately improve performance. The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your understanding of goal setting by matching each employee’s goal with his or her goal characteristic. Match each employee’s goal with his or her goal characteristic.

1. Achievable Goals
2. Measurable Goals
3. Relevant Goals
4. Time-Frame Goals
5. Specific Goals
6. Reviewed Goals
Match each of the options above to the items below.
Carlos’ goal is to reduce average loan processing by fifteen percent within the next 6 months.
Michelle is a salesperson. Her goal is to increase the number of sales calls made to potential customers.
Sam has been reviewing customer accounts at a rate of two per day. His goal is to double that rate. That is possible, but he’ll have to work hard and be creative to reach this goal.
Chen has been given a project, and his manager clearly communicated the quantity and quality expectations to him.
Elizabeth has just been given a project which needs to be completed within 6 weeks.
Kelly is most excited about adopting goals because it means she’ll finally have a clear measure of how well she is doing.

Answer 1

In a business environment, goal setting is critical for improving performance. By understanding and applying SMART goals characteristics, managers can better guide their employees toward achieving specific objectives. This exercise matches each employee's goal with the appropriate SMART characteristic.

Step-by-step explanation:

Understanding goal setting in a business context is crucial to enhancing employee performance and, ultimately, the success of a company. SMART goals, which stand for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound, serve as an effective framework for setting such goals. Let's match each employee's goal to the appropriate characteristic:

• Carlos' goal falls under Time-Frame Goals because it includes a specific target date for reducing loan processing by fifteen percent within the next 6 months.
• Michelle is aiming for Measurable Goals as she seeks to increase the number of sales calls, an outcome that can be quantified and tracked.
• With Sam's objective to double the rate at which he reviews customer accounts, he's setting an Achievable Goal, which is realistic yet challenging.
• Chen's project, with clear quantity and quality expectations, represents a Specific Goal.
• Elizabeth's project has a clear deadline, thus her goal is Time-Frame Goals.
• Kelly finds motivation in having Reviewed Goals, as it provides her with a clear measure of performance.

Each of these goal characteristics enhance different aspects of goal setting, improving clarity, motivation, and the ability to evaluate progress. It's essential for managers and employees alike to understand and utilize these characteristics when establishing professional goals.

Answer 2

Answer: See explanation

Step-by-step explanation:

a. Carlos’ goal is to reduce average loan processing by fifteen percent within the next 6 months. - Reviewed goal.

Reviewed goals has to do with the goals set by an individual when the individual takes into consideration the previously set goals and he or she reviews them. This is used by Carlos as he takes into consideration his previous average loan processing.

b. Michelle is a salesperson. Her goal is to increase the number of sales calls made to potential customers. - Relevant goal.

Relevant goal simply means that the goal must be realistic and also reasonable. In this scenario, Michelle wants to increase the number of calls regarding sales made to customers. This is reasonable.

c. Sam has been reviewing customer accounts at a rate of two per day. His goal is to double that rate. That is possible, but he’ll have to work hard and be creative to reach this goal. - Achievable goals.

Achievable goal simply means a goal that it's possible for an individual to achieve and it's attainable.

d. Chen has been given a project, and his manager clearly communicated the quantity and quality expectations to him. - Specific goals

A specific goal is a goal that is well defined and also clear. This can be seen in the above example.

e. Elizabeth has just been given a project which needs to be completed within 6 weeks. - Time frame goal.

Time frame goal is a goal that has a deadline and is expected to be finished within a set date. In this scenario, Elizabeth has six weeks to complete the said project.

f. Kelly is most excited about adopting goals because it means she’ll finally have a clear measure of how well she is doing. - Measurable goal.

A measurable goal is a goal that one tracks his or her progress as one continues the project. Kelly has a clear measure of how well she's doing. This is a measurable goal.