Impact of Goals on Organizational Development

Organizational development is a continuous process which aims at improving the organization's overall performance. It is essentially a series of deliberately planned activities which help an organization in achieving its strategic goals. In fact, setting a strategic goal is critical to the organizational development. It is interesting to see how goals can affect organizational development.

Goals as a Means of Employee Motivation     

Goals give a definition to all organizational activities. They provide a framework upon which an entire business can function. When the goals are clearly defined everyone in the organization is informed about their respective roles and responsibilities. This helps the employees in realizing what is expected out of them. As a result, everyone can target their efforts towards achieving the goals. 

In this regard, communication of goals is an essential factor. If the goals are not communicated properly, it can result in ambiguity. The employees will be confused as to what is expected out of them, and where should they focus their efforts. As a result, the efforts will not be streamlined and lead to mayhem. In such a scenario, an organization can never achieve its goals, which can constrict the organizational development. Formally publishing the goals through print medium or on the website is a good way of ensuring that the employees are educated about the goals. Direct communication of goals to the employees through their reporting authorities is the most reliable way of communicating goals. 

When the goals are achieved, it gives a sense of accomplishment to the employees, motivating them to perform better in future. It also forges a feeling of unity amongst the employees, as its the teamwork that is getting paid off. This is a critical factor for the success of any organization. Thus, one of the most essential processes of organizational development is setting up of realistic goals and formulating strategies to achieve them. 

For more info about setting goals refer Setting SMART Goals for Your Organization

Many organizations seek help from business strategy consulting firms to set goals and re-align their organizational development activities. Such agencies are well versed with the implications of goals on OD and thus devise intelligent strategies that can help an organization to achieve goals and significantly improve its performance.