How To Write Organizational Objectives
Before we even begin the article, it is important to understand the distinction between organizational goals and organizational objectives. While organizational goals are much broader and more general statements of what an organization seeks to achieve, organizational objectives are smaller targets that an organization sets in their pursuit of achieving their organizational goals.
To put things in perspective, an organizational goal might be to go international within three years of inception. Whereas, to help achieve that organizational goal, an organizational objective would be to set up offices, distribution channels and the like in 5 different countries. However, writing and achieving organizational objectives are two very different things. In order for an organization to be able to achieve their organizational objectives, they must know how to write them first. It starts with a clear thought of what you want to achieve, followed by how you plan to achieve it, and then finally doing the hard work to achieve it. In this article, we’ll discuss 5 steps for writing achievable organizational objectives.
1. Start With A SWOT Analysis
As mentioned before, organizational objectives are written in pursuit of organizational goals. In order to pursue either a goal or an objective, an organization must know its strengths and weaknesses, as well as what opportunities are presenting themselves now or in the future as well as what threatens their plans. This is exactly what a SWOT analysis is, a careful review of the strengths and weaknesses of a company as well as opportunities and threats. It is a great analytical framework to begin writing your organizational objectives.
2. Use The SMART Model To Set Objectives
The SMART model is a very popular model used by organizations to set organizational objectives. It simply advises the concerned authorities of the organization to keep your objectives Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound. Let us explain this with an example. Say you start with a simple idea, such as becoming a globally well-known company. This idea is not an organizational objective because it has no aspects of the SMART model. To be an organizational objective, it needs to be:
- Specific: In what industry do you want to be well-known?
- Measurable: How will you know when you’ve achieved your objective?
- Attainable: Can you actually achieve this objective with your resources? If not, how are you going to get those resources?
- Relevant: Will this objective benefit your organization? Is it relevant to your growth?
- Time-bound: Have you set a timeline by which you plan to achieve this objective?
3. Determine The Contributions Of Every Member Of The Organization
Every member of the organization will have to contribute something to help achieve the objective. It is always better to determine beforehand who contributes what. For example, what will the stakeholders need to do to ensure the fruition of the objective, what will the marketing team do, what will be the role of the sales department, how will the HR department contribute to the fulfillment of the objective, and stuff like that.
4. Brainstorm With Your Employees
Although writing and planning organizational objectives are reserved for the higher-ups of the organization like directors, stakeholders, and chief officials, it is always better to discuss it with your employees. The employees of the organization can have insights that could make a lot of difference. Employees work out there in the field, interacting with customers and clients and thus sometimes are privy to information the higher-ups may not be. Implement a system so that you can get feedback from all your employees, which should include surveys, social media groups, and direct interviews.
5. Make Sure Your Organizational Objectives Link Together To Fulfill Organizational Goals
It is very important to ensure that your organizational objectives are in line with your organizational goals. As mentioned before, organizational objectives are just stepping stones to an organizational goal. When writing organizational objectives, write them in a way that they link together and complement each other, like pieces of a puzzle that fit to form a larger picture.
Writing and planning organizational objectives is just the first half of the battle, as the actual execution comes afterward. However, if you do the first half effectively, following the above-mentioned points, the second half should be a breeze.
