Goal Setting

In the first class of POM, we experienced the tower building game .Although we have played this game in our adolescent days,this time it had lots of insights to offer. The tower building game involved putting one square block over another and achieving the maximum height possible till the tower collapses.

To set a goal,we should keep the follwoing things in mind -

Before the player could begin the game , the class was asked about the number of blocks before the tower will collapse. The students came up with varying responses for the number of blocks. In management,this is known as the goal setting activity for a process where individuals set the appropriate or desired target based on their perception of the activity. A student was randomly chosen who had himself set the target as 10. The student performed the exercise and the height achieved was 18 blocks. from this exercise, we got to know that goal should be set in such a way that it realizes the potential.This can be realized only when a human’s perceived limits are tested and it performs beyond the limits.

A modified case for this exercise maybe where the individual will be blindfolded and helped by some other open-eyed individuals for building the tower. Now the targets will be realized as this is a new challenge. It was observed that:

1) Some of the students lowered the target from the previously stated one .This is not preferred since the organization shouldn't lower their targets despite the hurdles which come across as this portrays a negative outlook.Also,this strategy does not work in the longer run for the growth of the company.

2) Some of the students retained the target. This is preferable as the organization continues to work towards the defined target despite the hurdle through motivation and team effort and effective co-ordination,

3) Some increased the target. Ideally, organizations need to expand even during tough times when others are contracting and avoiding risks. A good  example can be Apple , which during recession perceived as threat to many  used as opportunity to expand their market share and generate more products like iPad.This lead to increased profits and increased market share.

Based on on how an individual responds,we can generate a graph depicting different parameters-

In this graph,

A is Potential of an individual.As it can be seen from the graph,it is limitless and beyond measure.

B is  goal set for an individual by the manager.

C is  achievable goals assumed by the individual for himself.

D is  goal actually achieved by the individual.

As it can be seen ,A,B,C,D are in descending order.This is a perennial problem for every manager and every manager finds new ways to overcome it.

Overall, the tower building exercise helps in understanding an important element in management - Goal Setting Process and how an ideal manager responds to it.

It also is a realistic example for the above mentioned graph.