Difference in setting team and employee goals

A 2020 report by Gallup states that collaborative and highly connected teams improve the profitability of a company by 21% as compared to fragmented teams. Setting team and employee goals is a process that organizations and managers may ignore at their peril. 

According to the Oxford dictionary, a goal is simply something one hopes to achieve. It is an outcome to be accomplished within a particular frame of time. For example, “The bank will open ten new branches across the country in the next six months.” 

53% organizations, according to a study by Deloitte: reported a significant performance improvement as they shifted to a team centric model of operations. What makes a group of people; a team is a shared goal. In this article find out more on the difference in setting team and employee goals.

The difference in setting team and employee goals

The broad objectives of the organization can divide into goals for teams. The individuals in a team work together to achieve an end result, for example specific sales target or to gain a certain number of followers on social media etc. 

On the other hand employee-specific goals give them a sense of direction where they can take distinctive paths. Then they can take in the larger goals of the team and take the right actions to achieve them.

Regardless of whether the manager is setting up team and employee goals, they have to be S.M.A.R.T i.e. Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound. These goals are specific to the responsibilities and the job requirement of an individual.

You can join our platform on setting employee goals and find out how to set goals more efficiently. 

Manager’s goals for the team

One of the manager’s main tasks is to set goals for the whole team. 

Some of the performance goals that a manager can set for the team are:

• Sales Teams: increasing sales by a certain percentage in the next quarter.
• Marketing Teams: improve customer retention ratings.
• HR Teams: achieve industry average employee retention rate in the next six months.
• Digital media Team: increase the number of followers, likes, shares, follower engagement, SEO, and social media metrics by a certain number.

Some of the behavioral goals that a manager can set for the team are:

• All team members must reach the office by 9:00 am (or whatever the starting time is).
• All team members must update their task sheets at the end of the week. 
• All team members must read one book related to business/communication in the next two months.
• Reduce overtime by a certain percentage in the next three months.
• Conduct one activity for team building every month.

Setting team and employee goals

Employees are the ones who usually do not set goals because there is always somebody higher whose responsibility it is. When setting up these goals, the managers must set the team goals first and then set up the individual goals to align them with their specific roles.

As a manager, you need to set a clear timeline for progress tracking and communicate it with the team. Stick to guidelines and define penalty/strict measures for lag. Ask employees about their personal goals and see where their goals cut across organizational goals. Gauge their strengths and weaknesses to determine how their personal goals align with team goals.

Whether the goals are set for the team or the employees, it is vital to let employees and teams know that what they do “matters” and creates an impact. Share the organizational goals with them, and instead of dictating them on their goals, let them define personal goals on their own and then refine them to align with the team goals that eventually serve the organizational objectives. 

Check out our other articles such as Teamwork challenges you should try to avoid.