Meeting Targets
Sunday, 8th May 2005 by Neville Clark
Targets are fine until you use them to measure things that are subjective at their core.
Originally developed in the manufacturing industry, targets were a way of monitoring standards achieved by the workforce making a particular product.
It was a questionable next-step to use them as a motivator to do better and in all studies done they did not work in this respect.
Furthermore the studies revealed that although a short-term improvement in morale was achieved the medium and long-term outcome was a drop from the original standards if no other motivating effort was used.
So - the points I am making are:
"Measurement and Motivation are two completely different activities".
"Measuring alone is demotivating and reduces standards".
"A Target is simply a speculative measurement, a prediction, an expectation and is thus most demotivating if it is not achieved or is believed not be achieveable. A Target is always a demotivating tool to use in any environment except War!"
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