Pygmalion Effect and Study of Goal Setting....

Hello again...well..today we are going to discuss about Pygmalion effect, Goal-Setting and its importance and about SMART goal and conceptual skills.

The Pygmalion effect is type of self-fulfilling prophecy (SFP) in which raising manager expectations regarding subordinate performance boosts subordinate's performance. Managers who are led to expect more of their subordinates lead them to greater achievement.

Expectations play an important role in determining leadership  effectiveness. Scholars and practitioners have assumed for a long time that leaders who expect more get more. Despite this general awareness, until recently there was little empirical research illuminating how and why leader expectation effects operate, and how they can be profitably utilized in practice. In parallel, work motivation theorists have long postulated the central role of self-expectations in motivating the exertion of  effort in job performance and in determining the level of productivity achieved .

Moreover, theory and research have largely ignored the interface between the manager’s expectations of the subordinate and the subordinate’s self-expectations. The  manager-as-Pygmalion model is unique in focusing on the interlinking expectations of managers and subordinates as a  key  to understanding- and enhancing-the motivational power  of effective leadership.



A goal is a desired result  a person or a system envisions, plans and commits to achieve a personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. Many people endeavor to reach to goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.

It is roughly similar to purpose or aim, the anticipated result which guides reaction, or an end, which is an object, either a physical object or an abstract object, that has intrinsic value.

Goal-setting ideally involves establishing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bounded (S.M.A.R.T) objectives. Work on the goal-setting theory suggests that it can serve as an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants have a clear awareness of what they must do to achieve or help achieve an object. On a personal level, the process of setting goals allows people to specify and then work towards their own objectives most commonly, financial or career-based goals.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal

Specific
The first term stresses the need for a specific goal over and against a more general one. This means the goal is clear and unambiguous; without vagaries and platitudes. To make goals specific, they must tell a team exactly what is expected, why is it important, who's involved, where is it going to happen and which attributes are important.

Measurable
The second term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether a team is making progress toward successful completion. Measuring progress is supposed to help a team stay on track, reach its target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs it on continued effort required to reach the ultimate goal.

Attainable
The third term stresses the importance of goals that are realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a team in order to achieve it, the goal is not extreme. That is , the goals are neither out of reach nor below standard performance, as these may be considered meaningless. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. The theory states that an attainable goal may cause goal-setters to identify previously overlooked opportunities to bring themselves closer to the achievement of their goals

Relevant
The fourth term stresses the importance of choosing that matter. Many times you will need support to accomplish a goal; resources, a champion voice, someone to knock down obstacles. Goals that are relevant to your boss, your team, your organization will receive that needed support.
Relevant goals (when met) drive the team, department, and organization forward. A goal that supports or is in alignment with other goals would be considered a relevant goal

Time-bounded
The fifth term stresses the importance of grounding goals within a time frame, giving them a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps a team focus their efforts on completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the SMART goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise in an organization. A time-bound goal is intended to establish a sense of urgency.


Achieving the goal, one has set for himself is a measure of success, and being able to meet job challenges is a way one measures success in the workplace. It has been said that "Goal setting capitalizes on the humans brain's amazing powers: our brains are problem-solving, goal-achieving machines."


Conceptual skill is the ability to visualize the organization as a whole. It includes Analytical, Creative and Initiative skills. It helps the manager to identify the causes of the problem and note the symptoms. It helps him to solve the problems for the benefit of the entire organization. It helps the manager to fix goals for the whole organization and to plan for every situation. Conceptual skills are mostly required by the top-level management because they spend more time in planning, organizing and problem solving.

Conceptual skill involve knowing how to and being able to formulate ideas. Individuals who have strong conceptual skills typically have excellent cognitive abilities to think creatively and solve problems. In a business environment, someone who has these skills might come up with an idea for a new product or a new process. He or she is able to examine a complex issue and formulate a specific, effective course of action.

well, I end up my today's discussion here, will be posting again..till the, keep blogging......