The emergence of management by objectives
11/06/2019 by Hicham HMICHE
11/06/2019 by Hicham HMICHE
To give a clear idea of the concept, one can oppose management by objectives to all the so-called classical or traditional management methods. In other words, to task-based organisation. This principle The labour market, which is still widespread, has many shortcomings. Its negative reputation developed when employees and managers began to realise that it failed to motivate workers. Equally alarming is the underlying lack of autonomy. In order to meet today's challenges and the modernisation of work, change was needed. Where to find the solution? This is where management by objectives makes its debut on the stage. Its name defines what it is. Indeed, management by objective proposes to determine a final objective to be reached thanks to several sub-objectives. Once this objective Once the final plan has been defined, the manager and his teams work together to draw up the action plan that will enable it to be carried out. Of course, it is therefore crucial that this objective remains realistic and attainable. If not, it is would be demotivating for employees.
As a result, we find ourselves in a project-based management. This type of structure requires meticulous organisation, regular monitoring and a precise analysis of the results if we want to learn from the work done. At the end of the project, it will be a question of check as a group that the objectives have been achieved. And to define the new desired results for the future project.
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This new type of management comes with many advantages. The first of them is the greater involvement of employees in defining and organising their daily work. The manager is no longer the referent or the decision-maker when it comes to structuring missions. Whereas previously it was he who defined the main tasks before assigning them to his staff, the roles are now the same again modified. We are thus witnessing the birth of a manager-collaborator binomial. Together, they have a different, much more relevant vision, in order to determine the objectives to be achieved and the different tasks to be carried out. to accomplish to get there.
This new way of working not only has advantages for employee involvement. A more involved employee is also a more committed employee. In other words, he will be more inclined to communicate with his/her manager and other team members. Relationships shift from principal and subordinates to allies. This is where the word collaborator takes on its full meaning.
In reality, to know the advantages of management by objectives, it is almost enough to look at the drawbacks of traditional management methods. Earlier, we mentioned the lack of motivation. It is a real problem that traditional systems are struggling to solve. Thanks to the new management, the team is indeed doing its own work. They take full responsibility for it. This is a key factor when it is about developing individual motivation!
Success depends above all on the ability to define the objectives to be achieved. It is therefore necessary to be particularly vigilant at this level. The chosen objectives must be perfectly achievable, both by the employee alone than by the whole team. It is not only useless, but totally counterproductive to want to set unattainable objectives that one hopes to achieve without having the means to do so. Once the objectives known, it is a matter of moving on to the action plan. The action plan should include several sub-objectives that help to clarify the general objective and help employees to achieve it. It will contain a succession of tasks and different missions to be carried out until the ultimate goal is reached. This action plan should neither be imposed by the manager nor be developed by the employees alone. It is about teamwork and collaboration that involves all collaborators involved in the project.
After the overall objective and the action plan to achieve it, the next step concerns the definition of competences. It is equally essential to the success of the project. Concretely, it involves define the set of skills and knowledge (technical, but also human) that are essential to achieve each of the sub-objectives in the action plan. The interest is twofold. On the one hand, this stage enables work to be carried out on any gaps so that the team has the necessary skills to carry out its work. On the other hand, it allows for the identification of any equipment shortages that could pose a problem for a at some point in the project. It is best to plan all the conditions for success from the outset.
This is the last step before finally embarking on the project itself. What are the useful monitoring indicators for monitoring the progress of the tasks? Once again, the reflection is together: manager and employees. The experience and knowledge of each will help you to better understand the different alternatives available to you. These indicators are not an option. They allow us to estimate the success of the final objective. As a bonus, they can also be used to measure the success of all the sub-objectives met before it. It is therefore mandatory to set up a precise follow-up process. But especially to stick to it throughout the project. This is so that you always know where you stand and what adjustments, if any, are required.