A Harvard Business School study indicated that goal setting was over 70% more effective when they were written vs. floating in someone’s head. That story has been floating around for more than forty years. Notable statement, but it doesn’t address goal setting methodology, especially for HR. Merely writing down some odd wishes in a flash of thought is not going to mean much in the end either. HR Goal setting requires a methodology, a way to ensure they will produce the outcomes expected.
Try the four C’s for HR Goal Setting.
Consequential
- Effective Goals must contain meaning and consequence
- Of importance to the organization or group
- Reflects directly on the individual’s job performance, responsibilities or achievement
- Linked to departmental or section goals
- Tied directly to the organizational mission and vision
- Supportive by all involved
Calculable
- Effective goals must have the ability to be measured, calculated and be achievable
- Must contain identifiable metrics to be calculated against
- Milestone measurement must occur to ensure that all involved understand the commitment to the goals.
- Must be clearly understood and individuals held accountable for the outcomes
- Realistic goals that can be achieved with effort
- Unrealistic goals de-motivate and decrease outputs
Capable
- Goals are useless if utilized with the untrained and incapable participants
- Effective on-boarding, ongoing training, certifications are all tools to sharpen the skill set
- A digital resource center that provides ‘round the clock access to policy, procedure, training materials, regulations and other information to ensure a capable staff. Click here for more information
Communal
- Goals should be individual, team, group, department, section, etc.
- Specific and distinct, i.e. Increase department output of product X by 10 percent over same period last year
- Reduce waste of raw materials by 5 metric tons this quarter
- Improve individual productivity as measured against line output by 3 percent this month
- Agreed upon by the entire group.
- Understood by each individual, with acknowledged understanding
- Individual input assures acknowledgement and achievement through buy-in.
HR goal setting is an art as well as science, and an effective HR department is wise to the techniques to capture enthusiasm, develop team and individual buy-in and create a resource area from which employees can acquire information at a moment’s notice. Additionally, establishing a specific reporting area on goal attainment factors will aid in the competitive atmosphere. A focus board highlighting group efforts indicating progress will benefit greatly.
Today’s employment situation is critical, and every effort to retain the best staff is paramount to sustainability. A well-informed, creative and responsive HR department will not only prove to be a worthy expense department, but through innovation and creativity, become a revenue producing one.
We at Myco Portal are ready and willing to support your endeavors to create the type of environment that can thrive on easy to access digital information sources that can be available to everyone, depending on your chosen settings. For a no obligation consultation, feel free to contact us today.
