February 24, 2009
Goals for an Individual
No individual is without a goal. A goal is something that an individual wants to achieve either for himself or for his organization. It is obvious that if there is disagreement between the manager and subordinates, the group goal cannot be the cause. It is the group goal that can make them work in perfect harmony.
An individual is a sensible human being. In an organization, he faces certain realities that he must learn to accept unconditionally. One such reality is that by joining the organization, he places himself in a situation where he surrenders some of his personal rights for the protection of the organizations. As such, it would be wise for him to be more flexible in his relationships with other people in the organization. He makes the most of the opportunity by getting on with his personal plans until he would have no choice but to accept the group goals as his own. Albert k. Wickesberg says that Goals must be established for the organization, its component units, and for its individual members. These goals must must be understood and accepted by the subordinates if maximum performance is to be achieved.
In a democratic organization, group goals are the summation of the individuals’ wishes, interest, and prejudices operating within the group’s resource constraints. However, there are goals set for a group by people other than the group. The group thus becomes a tool of those who set goals for them. This is especially true of autocratic organizations such as the military, the government, big business, etc. In that regard, the individual pursues the group goals in a mood of diversity, creativity, compromise and consensus. He stays firm at his conviction, while setting his personal goals at a realistic level.
Because a manager is basically optimistic about the group goals, he adapts to changing conditions in the organization. Thus, realizing the differences between setting the group goals and attaining them.
This situation has been made more understandable by knowing that the individual and group goals are at the opposite end of the spectrum. Because of this, there are conflicts of interest inherent in trying to attain both of them simultaneously.