Essentials of Planning and Managing by Objectives

Multiplicity of objectivesObjectives are normally multiple. For example, merely stating that auniversity's mission is education and research is not-enough. It would be muchmore accurate (but still not verifiable) to list the overall objectives, which mightbe the following:• Attracting students of high quality• Offering basic training in the liberal arts and sciences as well as in certainprofessional fields• Granting postgraduate degrees to qualified candidates• Attracting highly regarded professors• Discovering and organizing new knowledge through research• Operating as a private school supported principally through tuition and giftsof alumni and friendsLikewise, at every level in the hierarchy of objectives, goals are likely to bemultiple. Some people think that a manager cannot effectively pursue more thantwo to five objectives. The argument is that too many objectives tend to dilutethe drive for their accomplishment. But the limit of two to five objectives seemstoo arbitrary; managers might pursue more significant objectives. It would be wiseto state the relative importance of each objective so that major goals receive moreattention than lesser ones. At any rate, the number of objectives managersshould realistically set for themselves depends on how much they will dothemselves and how much they can assign to subordinates, thereby limitingtheir role to one of assigning, supervising, and controlling.How to Set Objectives 10Without dear objectives, managing is haphazard. No individual and no groupcan expect to perform effectively and efficiently unless there is a dear aim.Table 4-1 illustrates some objectives and how they can be restated in a way thatallows measurement.Quantitative and qualitative objectivesTo be measurable, objectives must be verifiable. This means that one must beable to answer this question: At the end of the period, how do I know 'if theobjective has been accomplished? For example the objective of