It’s not a secret for anyone that when committing any actions, some people are focused on achieving the goal, that is, on the result, and others - on the process itself. Moreover, both orientation options have their own advantages. However, it is very difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to reach mutual understanding for people who have completely different attitudes to their activities. This is due to the fact that with different orientations, thinking, motivation and even behavior are not the same.
What is meant by result orientation? Definition
This concept is often associated exclusively with work processes or career, sports. Meanwhile, it is applicable to any sphere of human life, including the device of everyday life, at home. Even to behavior in society and personal life, it can also be attributed.
Orientation to the result is nothing but the ability of a person to combine the desired goal and his own motivation into a well-organized and time-limited process, the result of which can be quantitatively and qualitatively measured.
What is meant by process orientation? Definition
The achievement of the ultimate goal is far from important for all people; many people like the movement to it. Such people enthusiastically take up the daily repetitive, monotonous things in all areas of life.
Accordingly, this is a combination of self-motivation and organization of the process of activity, in which there is no orientation towards the final result. In other words, the priority in people is those actions that need to be performed on the way to the intended goal.
Which is better - the result or the process?
Although people who have different attitudes to their responsibilities rarely have an understanding of the opposite position, both orientations are important. Not every lesson requires achieving a goal, sometimes a focus on quality is more necessary. The result, no doubt, matters, but in many activities it is not a priority.
Accordingly, it is possible to understand which type of orientation is better only taking into account the specifics of the activity. For example, if a firefighter enjoys the process of fighting the fire element, this can lead to a delay in the elimination of the disaster. But if the trucker strives to reach the final point of the route as soon as possible, this can cause an accident or trouble on the way.
What are the disadvantages of result orientation?
As a rule, such a concept as “result orientation” is used at various trainings for managers. They also mention the phrase “teamwork”, “ability to keep punch”, “fight against objections” and other similar terms.
The essence of such activities is to develop the ability of people to combine the nuances of their internal self-motivation with the focus on the rapid achievement of common goals for all employees of a particular enterprise. This may be an increase in production, sales growth, or something else, implying a greater amount of money earned in the end.
This orientation to the result often often completely suppresses the interest of people in the process itself. This negatively affects the state of affairs of the entire enterprise, no matter what field of activity its interests relate to.
An example of a goal-oriented design flaw without process
If the seller in a small cell phone store is focused on quickly achieving the goal, that is, on increasing sales, he begins to impose on the buyer a lot of related products and those models of equipment that are more expensive. Such tactics give a quick and very tangible result, which consists in increasing income.
However, after some time, the number of customers in this communication salon drops sharply. The trading floor is empty, management cannot understand what is the matter, and usually turns to advertising agencies. These expenses lead to an increase in the value of the goods, which does not contribute to its demand. The result is usually unpleasant things such as lower wages, delays and, as a rule, the dismissal of employees. The resigned seller, who is characterized by a focus on achieving results , takes a new place, and the story repeats.
Why is this happening? Because a person who receives wages in the form of a percentage of sales and is “trained” to quickly achieve the maximum possible number of them does not at all take into account the interests of buyers. Such a seller does not hear what they are asking about, and does not delve into the needs of the visitor. Communicating with him, he "fights objections." This orientation to the result leads to the fact that a person actually makes a purchase, but does not come to this store anymore.
What are the disadvantages of process orientation?
Lack of interest in achieving the goal is often called the scourge of modern business. However, it sounds very pathetic and completely ill-conceived. Of course, if people are completely indifferent to the result of their activities, this is bad. But exaggerated target orientation is much worse for a business that does not open as a one-time source of capital.
However, focusing on the activity itself also has drawbacks. The main one is that employees do not work, but “serve time” at their workplace, constantly looking at their watches and waiting for the end of the day.
Accordingly, people who are not interested in achieving the goal should not be allowed to engage in activities in which this is necessary. For example, if we are talking about conveyor workers or packers of any products, you need to additionally motivate them not only to carry out activities, but also to maximize its effectiveness.
What and when is it necessary?
Goal-oriented people are sprinters. They are able to achieve a specific result as quickly as possible, but are completely unsuitable for a "long-distance race."
This is the main difference between the types of orientation, which must be taken into account by all leaders of both the highest and middle levels. This means that you should not try to instill in all employees the desire to achieve the goal. What kind of orientation is necessary - on the process or on the result, completely depends on the situation in a particular company and the goals pursued by its owners.
That is, if we are talking about a summer cafeteria, open for one season to generate income, gain capital - you need "sprinters", people who quickly achieve their goals. But in the event that a restaurant is opened, the owner of which plans to work for many years, to have a stable flow of visitors and a constant good income, people who are process-oriented are needed as employees.
In whose competence is the issue of employee orientation?
If we are talking about the organization of the workflow, then focus on the result is the competence of managers at all levels. Of course, none of the middle managers has the authority to send their team to the “sprint race” to the detriment of the quality of the work process and against the will of the senior management.
Since what type of employee orientation is necessary depends entirely on the specific needs and circumstances, as well as the vision of the business development by its owners, it is up to them to determine what should be a priority.
A simple result-oriented technique. Self-training method
Many people in their activities (both professional and any other) need a focus on results. Special education in order to cultivate this quality in oneself is not required. You can change your type of orientation yourself. It is not as difficult as it seems at first glance.
Orientation - both on the process of activity and on achieving results - is very closely connected with such a concept as planning. It is this relationship that should be used when developing the right quality in yourself.
A plan should be made for the day. This list should contain clear goals that are time-limited. For example, cooking dinner is from 08:00 to 09:00. Or any other simple task, for example, cleaning an apartment, decorating greeting cards or something else. The main thing is to clearly indicate not only the desired goal, but also the time frame within which it should be achieved.
At the same time, it is important to adequately imagine the time frame that the task requires. You should not plan to carry out spring cleaning in thirty minutes or to cook dinner in six hours.
There should not be too many tasks, because the goal of turning the day into an emergency has not been set. As a rule, 3-4 points in the plan are enough. Of course, all goals on the daily to-do list should be meaningful. That is, the result of their implementation, the benefit of it must be felt in practice, and not in theory.
If the very fact of finding and formulating the problem is difficult, it is likely that you should look for goals to perform in a different area of life.