Goal Setting

Often it happens that whenever we choose to pick up a specific task or choose a particular option out of the given options, we fail to analyze this choice on a personal level. That is why ‘Goal Setting’ is one of the most important, significant and effective aspects of our lives.

When we are surrounded by thousands of options, possibilities and opportunities to choose between, it is extremely vital to know ourselves and our capabilities on individual levels, so that we can set optimally achievable goals for ourselves.

SMART Goals

We learnt the SMART goals through the ‘Tower Challenge’ wherein the rules were:-

Three people, a Manager, Owner and a Worker play

Worker has to follow the instructions of the Manager

Owner can interfere in the Work planned to achieve the goal only in worst conditions

Worker has to be blindfolded

Manager has to give the proper instructions to the Worker so that he puts the cubes one on top of the other in a manner that the tower does not fall

Build a tower of maximum possible length

Once the tower falls, game ends

Given: A tower of 17 cubes was built in the past

Specific Goals were determined by sorting out these 3 important aspects of the task:-

The first, and fundamentally the most important factor in Goal Setting is to realize that WHY do we want to or WHY should we set a goal. The moment we get an answer to this ‘WHY’, it acts as a thrust in the remaining process of Goal Setting. As soon as we realize the needs or the wants behind setting these goals, we recognize our own competence and ability in establishing these goals. The ‘WHY’ acts as the triggering factor for it. Eg. if I am told that I have to make a tower using cubes, I might not get enough answers from my conscience, that act as a boost to take up this task, i.e. my insight is still hazy about the ‘WHY’ of this task. This might inculcate laziness and procrastination. But if I am told that I have to make a tower using cubes along with the fact that some other person (who was in my shoes at some point of time) managed to create it as long as 17 units, then it gives me a sense of confidence, determination, and competence because I know that it is achievable and maybe I might be able to outstand this task if I concentrate on my abilities and perform optimally. This inculcates a sense of purpose and direction. It also increases desire, passion, motivation and certainty.

Once we realize ‘WHY’, the next step is to think on a broader scale that WHAT do we want to achieve. As soon as we realize it, we have just sought our vision. But this vision is to be divided into smaller goals in order to accomplish it. These smaller goals are nothing but the missions to be accomplished which aid in achieving the vision set in the beginning. Eg. a task of building a tower of maximum height by keeping cubes one over the other is a larger goal. This goal is further divided into smaller goals wherein each smaller goal is a task of putting one cube successfully over the previous cube.

The next step is to figure out the ‘HOW’ part of it. Here is when the managers need to apply their managing techniques wherein the conceptual skills come into picture. The towers, cubes, how to create, what it will be in the end, is a big gamble. So how one brings in the Conceptual aspect in the planning, the execution and the changes is what makes the Big Difference.

Measurable Goal: It should be maximum possible, atleast 17 cubes. The measurability of a goal is indispensible for the management of actions required to achieve the goals.

Attainable Goal: Previously, a tower of 17 cubes was made, so the target of 18 cubes was attainable.

Relevant Goals: This aspect is like a check point. We try to go back to the above three goals and verify if our goals are realistic or doable.

Time-Bound Goals: This aspect sets a timeframe for the goal. E.g.The completion of tower building within the lecture timings.

Tower Builing : Blind Folded

         While working I never realized the great perspective of how tough it is for all the stakeholders of an organization to work together for the success of the organization. It was showcased very clearly in our class. We did an activity called tower building. It took courage for 3 of our fellow mates to pitch in by the process of bidding where they kept money at stake and went on to participate in the event. The learning I had from it is "to be confident of achieving it and go ahead without worrying about the failure which is the most important element of entrepreneurship.

           The activity brought out the work and stress involved in every process. It was about building a tower using cubes. The person who builds the tower will be blind folded and has to use only his left hand to build it. He is synonymous to any other employee of the organization. He will be assisted by another person who will be his guide and gives direction to the person. He is synonymous to the manager of the organization who has been entitled to manage a set of resources under him and given targets to accomplish. Finally, there was one more person who will be the watching the entire activity and interfere in the process occasionally to guide them and give them suggestions. He is synonymous to the top management of the company.

             The top management was very curious when the builder was building the blocks and he interfered many a times often causing confusion. It was clear from this that the top management will be curious of each and every move their employers take. The person who gave instructions had to take care of every small needs of the employee. He is very cautious of the work.

Thus it showed the organizational structure in very simple manner.

3 Idiots crossing the Valley

When several workers come together to achieve a high common goal , thereby giving more significance to collective success over individual gains, then that is called team-work.


Since prehistoric times, man has been working in teams to realize dreams that would have been impossible for him to go alone.

Ants working in a team

The Situation at the Valley

Team work v/s Individual work

This problem was presented to us in the class while discussing about team-work. The message was self evident and beautifully depicted.
3 people have to carry a payload(a log in this case) and deliver it to the destination. But there is a problem, there is a valley like gap in between where each member has to rely on other two to cross. 
Would this have been possible had it been a single individual? No. 
What makes the difference now? Its the TEAM. Each of the member can now hang on while crossing the valley from the other two and also provides support when his team mates are endangered.


This is how the entire activity will get completed:

Observations:

• Each team member is fully safe once and half safe twice i.e. the risk is distributed.
• All of them will have to safeguard each other when they get into a risky situation i.e. the work is equitably distributed.
• All of them have to ensure instantaneous communication and cooperation to finish the task.

These 3 key points can be applied to any scenario of team-working.

Tower Building

No I am not a CIVIL ENGINEER and no I have not built any tower for that matter. But yes when you are in prof Mandi's class u get to build tower- from small cubes. Yes there are some rules too- U have to place the cubes one above the other so as to build the highest tower and tower is not allowed to take any support.

This task is done in different forms-

1. Individually
2. In team
3. In team with the person building the tower is blind folded.

This exercise has a lot to offer to anyone who is looking to setup an organization or one who is part of an organization. It helped us in understanding the importance of goal setting. In any organization, effective goal setting is an essential ingredient for the professional well-being of the employees. It is rightly said that “Most of the employees don’t leave a company but they leave their managers”.  An organization consists of two different entities: Employees and Managers. Effective goal setting done by the managers, taking into consideration the needs of the employees, will go a long way in maintaining a good bonding of the employees with their company.
Some of the findings when the exercise was done in different form was -
1. When done individually the person was able to build higher tower as compared to the team - This means that it is relatively difficult to work in team. The performance of the team can be improved only when their is good coordination among the team members.
2. The expectations fell when the team with blind folded person started the exercise - This is human tendency, that they tends to expect very less in case of negative circumstances.

These exercise also helped us learn how important it is to set the right goals for an individual so that he remains always motivated. The equation for goal setting is -

Goal set >Goal achieved >= Goal achieved historically 

This is the basic principle which should always be followed.

Three Monks!!

You might have heard about Gandhiji k teen bandar each of them signifies some meaning - bura mat dekho, bura mat socho and bura mat suno. Likewise we have chineese version - Three monks.

Three Monks is a Chinese animated feature film that highlights the importance of teamwork. It make us understand how people react in real life situations where there are conflicts. Thus, it aimed at bringing home the value of team work and co-operation. This was yet another example of the off-the-beaten-track learning methodologies being applied in POM.


The film is based on the ancient Chinese proverb "One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will share the load, but add a third and no one will want to fetch water." A noticeable point is that the film does not contain any dialogues, allowing it to be watched by any culture.


Plot
A teenage monk lives a simple life in a temple on top of a hill. He has one daily task of hauling two buckets of water up the hill. He tries to share the job with another monk who had recently joined the monastery, but the carry pole is only long enough for one bucket. The arrival of a third monk prompts everyone to expect that someone else will take on the chore. Consequently, no one fetches water though everybody is thirsty. At night, a rat comes to scrounge and then knocks the candleholder, leading to a devastating fire in the temple. The three monks finally unite together and make a combined effort to put out the fire. Since then they understand the old saying "unity is strength" and begin to live a harmonious life. The temple never lacks water again.


Observations
#1 Disagreements will arise when people work together due to difference in viewpoints.
#2 Work needs to be divided scientifically and objectively.
#3 The solution should be conceptual.
#4 When multiple parties with differing opinions are involved, what is required is Participative Management.
#5 The last scene of using a pulley to get water says that for success, one has to go for disruptive methods that have the power to change the game.


Productivity
Does team work increase productivity or decrease it? Rather than answering in a straight yes or no, lets go step by step. 

• Initially, a single monk could get 2 pails of water daily. High effort, high output. 
• When the second monk joins, they get 1 pail of water everyday. Now, the effort as well as output has become 1/2 of original (for a team of two). 
• The work comes almost to a standstill when the third monk comes, nobody bothers to get the water himself as all of them leave it on the other person to take care of the chore. Originally, this behavior was called “social loafing,” a term coined by a French professor, Max Ringelmann in the 1890s.

Then how can the management ensure high productivity in an interconnected and interdependent environment?

• Availability of adequate support systems and resources for teams
• High degree of instantaneous feedback and communication
• Rigorous accountability systems for teams
• Synergistic work environment will increase the productivity manifolds for a team

Thus, team work can actually increase the productivity exponentially, given that above features are incorporated in the work culture laid out by the management.

Learning
The story of the three monks teaches us that everyone is capable of being selfish and working individually, but doing so diminishes our ability to cooperate with one another.

A thought on Team Work- "If its not efficiently effective then its not useful."