SMART Goal Essay

Introduction

In a world characterized by continuous change due to disruptive forces, organizations are moving rapidly and as such, their people need to be agile and adapt as well. The importance of management comes into play as individuals must reflect upon their strengths and weaknesses to set long-term goals to continue to develop professionally and attain desirable skills. This report will comprise two main sections:

1. A critical evaluation of the effectiveness of my SMART goals focused upon motivation and trust, utilizing qualitative and quantitative evidence obtained from the course assessments and/or experiences drawn upon other activities; and
2. A plan to further my professional development beyond MGMT1001 through the establishment of improved SMART goals.

This analysis will be utilized in order to identify key characteristics to facilitate growth throughout my time at the university and within the professional workforce.

1. Self-reflection

My preceding Professional Development Portfolio Checkpoint focused upon motivation as my key strength with the goal of driving motivation across the whole team to yield better team discussions and results. In accordance with, ‘McClelland’s acquired needs theory’ (Kinicki et al. 2018, pg. 405), motivation is driven by three needs “achievement, affiliation, and power”. This was chosen as my strength, indicated through the self-assessment exercise (see Appendix A) and initial peer review where I scored a 4.8/5 for Motivation and Conflict management (see Appendix B).

However, upon reflection on my motivational drivers, it was clear that my initial focus on the excellence of results as opposed to motivation which progress can bring, as outlined in the ‘progress principle’, may have been detrimental to our team's progress (Teresa Amabile 2011). This was evidenced through the initial setup of our team agreement where the scribe, I dominated the group conversation which enabled groupthink to occur which is the “idea that a group is unwilling to consider alternatives, as they are uncomfortable with challenging another’s views” (Kinicki et al 2018, pg. 452) when establishing our goals. This was further exemplified in the granulation where as CEO, I often made decisions that I believed would generate the best results without consulting the team. Through qualitative feedback where a team member indicated I should discuss with others prior to making choices (see Appendix C) and particularly through “Cool in Crisis”, where my decision saw a decrease in metrics collectively by 24% (see Appendix D), I was able to identify the importance of communicating and setting clear goals collectively.

Revisiting ‘McClelland’s acquired needs theory’ (Kinicki et al. 2018, pg. 405), ‘team success’ is said to be accomplished by identifying and creating environments suitable for individual needs. As outlined in my SMART goal, we evaluated our team agreement to re-establish our team goals, this time with a larger focus on the team's progress rather than a specific score. Where conflict arose through this process, I was quick to consider everyone’s absolves the issue at hand to establish an effective goal. Through ‘positive reinforcement’ of the new goals (see Appendix E) and encouraging everyone to share their opinions to eliminate ‘groupthink’, our collective goal and the new environment enabled us to achieve better results where our satisfaction ratings increased by an average of 37% (see Appendix F) and our placing in the class moved from second-last to first. In encouraging the use of the dialectic method (Kinicki et al. 2018, pg. 493) to replicate ‘job rotation’ (Kinicki et al. 2018, pg. 448), ‘groupthink’ was further reduced. Taking the time to reflect upon our results through the debrief exercise during the tutorial, our team was able to discuss if and how we achieved the team goals we established our motivations throughout the process and conflict management.

Although my original SMART goal was achieved through the measurement criteria I indicated, an increase in the average mark in Motivation and Conflict Management from 4.2 to 4.8 (see Appendix G), I realized that the set goal did not correlate with my original intentions and/or purpose in establishing my goal. Through personal feedback, it was brought to my attention that my goals needed to focus more on what I could change on an individual level (see Appendix H). As such rather than motivation itself, I believe the appropriate area to address in my improved SMART goals, where my strengths also lay, would be conflict management (see Appendix I). It is my belief that conflict management is often achieved by establishing common goals and/or motivation. This will be addressed and refined through my future development goals outlined in Section 2. That aside, a personal achievement was when my teammates remarked upon my improvement in discussing my decision with others (see Appendix J).

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Separately, my ability to build and maintain trust with my team was another skill that I identified to be my development area within the Professional Development Portfolio Checkpoint. In reflecting upon incidences where I have had to work within a team, I recognized my lack of belief in ‘motivation through mutual accountability’ (Kinicki et al. 2018, pg. 447). This was further exemplified in the IPIP-NEO personality test, where I scored low in Openness to experience as well as trust (see Appendix K). My lack of trust, “defined as reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behaviors” (Kinicki et al. 2018, pg. 446), within a team has mainly arisen due to previous negative experiences with group assignments, where individuals did not contribute leading to others having to shoulder more of the workload. Indeed, these negative perceptions have carried through to my professional conduct where I consider myself a micro-manager when setting tasks. This is primarily displayed through my diligent tracking of actionable emails I send to ensure they are completed rather than trusting an individual to complete the task. Upon reflection, this route has caused an unnecessary increase in stress and the time required to monitor emails. In the context of MGMT1001, perhaps my initial lack of discussion with regard to my decisions (discussed above), could also connect back to my negative perceptions where I questioned my team’s credibility as critical and reliable thinkers as we were relative ‘strangers’ to each other.

This conflict was reconciled through my SMART goal of creating a code of practice by refining the team agreement to instill a sense of responsibility, accountability, and trust among team members. Keeping in mind the ‘five stages of the group and team development’ where at most we were still within the storming phase (Kinicki et al 2018, pg. 444), I actively invested within the team relationship by conversing with my teammates in an out-of-class context. By developing a friendship with my teammates, our communication and collaboration improved significantly allowing my trust in them to develop. Through the leadership report (see Appendix L) generated at the end of the simulation exercise, I was assessed to be an authentic leader which is characterized by ‘high moral and ethical standard’, ‘self-awareness’, and ‘transparent’. These characteristics are in line with empathic behavior which is associated with higher levels of trust (Guinaliu 2010). As such, it is evidenced that I have made conscious efforts to increase my trust through my SMART goals although further improvements can definitely be explored particularly within a professional context to continue my self-development.

2. SMART goals

In light of my self-reflection, it is clear to see that refinement and implementation of SMART goals can assist in the development of my professional skills (Kinciki et al. 2018, pg. 175). Per Kinicki, ‘SMART Goals are ones which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented and have Target dates’ (Kinicki et al. 2018, pg. 208).

My primary avenues to continue to develop my skills will be through involvement in extra-curricular activities and future studies at university due to the high nature of teamwork involved. Thus, this will provide a diverse platform to continue to develop skills in conflict management and build trust to attain my professional development targets.

My first SMART goal will aim to continually seek the opinions of my peers and be open-minded and receptive to new ideas. Having scored low for openness on my IPIP-NEO personality test (see Appendix K), it will be imperative that I listen to other opinions. A particular scenario in which I could apply this SMART goal would be through my involvement in Case of Competitions at the University. Conflict can often arise through this process as we seek to solve a problem and create a strategy within a very limited timeframe, meaning teams are susceptible to disagreements. The knowledge obtained through implementing an action plan and having set SMART goals compels me to establish a common goal prior to beginning a competition so our motivations can be aligned. Reverting back to the ‘process principle’, it is important to remember that motivation and value derived from partaking in this competition should be derived more so from the process of forming a team and coming up with a solution rather than the results as an indication of development and growth (Teresa Amabile 2011). In being receptive to others’ ideas, I expect improved team motivation which naturally has a flow-on effect, leading to cohesion and success. I will measure this goal through a review system, where I will seek mentors and my teammates to rate my ability to manage conflicts and my overall communication throughout the week based on metrics. The success of this SMART goal will be determined by achieving an average score of 8/10 throughout the next 12 months with a milestone check-up every quarter. By measuring this, I will be able to identify areas of improvement for conflict management and motivation thus, continuing to develop within this space.

Over the long term, I will continue to develop consistency in my approach to teamwork. As most students will find, group work is a fundamental component of most courses. Particularly within my major, Information Systems itself, group projects compose of a large assessable element of each course to mimic real-world practices. In order to perform well, a significant amount of trust is placed in each team member. As mentioned, when tasks are delegated, I often become extremely inquisitive as to the stages of project development, routinely checking what team members are up to, the expected date of completion, and the quality of provided work. Often this could be detrimental to team dynamics as team members may feel a sense of belittlement, resulting in negative outcomes and de-motivation. I aim to develop trust within my team member’s capabilities by restricting my ‘questioning’ of the group's progress to only as outlined within the set timeline/ timeframes established by the group at the beginning of the course. My success will thus be measured if I follow the team agreement, working to recognize the credibility of my members as critical and reliable. Heightened trust will likely increase group cohesion. Another actionable I would implement is actively conversing with my teammates during the ‘forming’ stage (Kinicki et al 2018, pg. 444) of our groups so greater connectivity and trust can be established early on. Due to the high volume of group tasks I expect to complete throughout my degree, I will self-reflect upon my goal after each course to determine if changes to my behavior are required.

Conclusion

Conclusively, in a world characterized by continuous change due to disruptive forces, individuals must continue to self-reflect and establish SMART goals in order to develop the necessary professional skills to remain competitive. In this report, I have highlighted significant improvements in my conflict management skills and trust through analysis of the Liberty Air granulation, tutorial exercises, and feedback received from my teammates. Through a critical evaluation, I have also identified further SMART goals which must be used beyond the MGMT1001 course to continue my personal growth and development. The knowledge obtained in undergoing this reflective exercise will be utilized throughout my time at university and as I seek to enter the professional workforce.