POM Class 4

In George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion (named after the Greek mythological character), Eliza Doolittle explains:

“You see, really and truly, apart from the things anyone can pick up (the dressing and the proper way of speaking, and so on), the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves but how she’s treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins because he always treats me as a flower girl and always will; but I know I can be a lady to you because you always treat me as a lady and always will.”

Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion

The greatest takeaway from today's class was the Pygmalion Effect. What is the Pygmalion Effect?  It suggests  that the success of their employees depends not only on qualification, personal qualities or working environment. Manager always has to believe in his people and expect them to achieve the best results. In such case the subordinates will always feel this trust and demonstrate their best skills and abilities in their work. The Pygmalion effect is also an important instrument in management theory.

Some managers always treat their subordinates in a way that leads to superior performance. But most managers (like Professor Higgins from Bernard Shaw's play) unintentionally treat their subordinates in a way that leads to lower performance than they are capable of achieving. The way managers treat their subordinates is subtly influenced by what they expect of them. If managers’ expectations are high, productivity is likely to be excellent. If their expectations are low, productivity is likely to be poor. It is as though there were a law that caused subordinates’ performance to rise or fall to meet managers’ expectations.

Fibonacci Spiral

            We could say that the Pygmalion Effect is a self fulfilling prophecy. A positive spiral improves our performance every iteration it take. It will expand our horizons and allow us the reach new heights much like Fibonacci Spiral.





Goals and SMART Goals:

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps."  ---- Confucius


The second most important takeaway was about GOALS. Goals are what make an organization move. It is the focal point which allows an organization to converge and do something great. An organization without a goal is like a person without a head. Its like a ship without a captain.

The primary objective of the management of any organization is to set goals. But goal setting isn't as easy as most people think it to be. There are various tools and techniques we could use to set effective goals. The most common of all these techniques is the SMART goal. This we discussed in class in great detail.

    

So, What are SMART goals? There are:

1) Specific:
Goal should be clear, unambiguous and to the point. It should be without vagaries or platitudes. The team must be told exactly what is expected, why is it important, who’s involved, where is it going to happen and which all attributes are important.

2) Measurable:
There should be a tangible criteria for measuring progress being made towards achieving a goal. Measuring progress helps a team stay on track and hit the required targets.

3) Achievable:
Goals should be realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a team in order to achieve it, the goal is not extreme. Impossible goals can seriously demoralize the team and lead to extremely inefficient outputs. It will also do lasting damage to the organization.

4) Relevant:
Choosing goals that matter. Only goals that are relevant to the organization would receive the necessary momentum to go through to completion. Relevant goals when achieve bring positive output for the organization and inspires teams to do even better.

5) Time-bound:
And finally, Goals MUST be time bound. Goals achieved very late are not achievements at all. They are negative and drive down both credibility and business. This part of the SMART goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise in organizations. A time-bound goal is intended to establish a sense of urgency and importance.

So to sum up, my two great takeaway were : (a)The Pygmalion Effect and (b) The importance of SMART Goals. Awaiting more classes!!!!