Developing effective organizational goals is critical to the success of many companies. It ensures that all leaders are on the same page, gives a company’s workforce direction, and makes sure that resources are appropriately allocated.
However, outlining goals that genuinely drive success and improve outcomes requires the right strategy. Otherwise, the targets are potentially too ambiguous to be reachable or actionable, leading to lackluster results.
For companies looking to boost efficiency, improve organizational outcomes, and achieve success, SMARTIE goals are typically the best choice. If you want to leverage SMARTIE goals to enhance outcomes, here’s what you need to know about this technique.
What Are SMARTIE Goals?
SMARTIE is an acronym that builds on the classic SMART goals framework. Each letter in SMARTIE stands for a specific concept, which is broken down as follows:
- Specific: identifies a narrow target
- Measurable: associated with metrics to define success
- Achievable: reasonable targets with actionable steps
- Relevant: aligns with priorities and the big picture
- Time-Bound: associated with deadlines
- Inclusive: input from an array of people to broaden the perspective
- Equitable: everyone’s contributions are on equal footing
Essentially, SMARTIE provides guidance on goal formation to ensure any chosen targets are well-defined and correctly developed. However, applying the concepts in the order above isn’t always necessary. Instead, organizations can adjust when each one is addressed. For example, a company can prioritize relevancy, inclusion, and equity early in the process and focus on associating metrics and setting a timeline until closer to the end.
How SMARTIE Goals Enhance Outcomes
SMARTIE goals enhance outcomes and propel organizations toward success by ensuring companies create well-defined targets to guide actions within the business or agency. Once fully distributed to all staff members, SMARTIE goals basically get everyone on the same page. They demonstrate the company’s priorities and development commitments, as well as shape the upcoming steps and determine when success is achieved.
The addition of inclusive and equitable to the class SMART goals paradigm also creates new opportunities. They effectively encourage organizations to ensure that broader participation is possible. In turn, companies can often gather unique insights they may otherwise miss if the group-creating goals were narrower. Usually, this improves overall outcomes, as it leads to better planning.
Plus, more participation increases organizational buy-in. When employees at all levels play a role in creating, defining, and shaping goals, they’re often more committed to seeing them achieved. In many cases, this leads to higher engagement and more dedication as a wider array of employees takes ownership of their part in the overall journey. Essentially, their enthusiasm matters, and it often makes achieving better outcomes more efficiently possible.