Valley Crossing & Goal Setting

Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, materials, and money. The size of management can range from one person in a small organization to hundreds or thousands of managers in multinational companies. In large organizations the board of directors formulates the policy which is then implemented by the chief executive officer. Some business analysts and financiers accord the highest importance to the quality and experience of the managers in evaluating an organizations current and future worth.

Learning this management through games is always fun.  So lets learn management through

a Valley Crossing Exercise. 

THE PROBLEM

The problem is that 3 people have to cross a valley and the only resource they have is a rod. The width of the valley is such that it is longer than a step a person can take but shorter than 2 steps a person can take.

THE SOLUTION

1.      When the first person will take the first step, he will be half risky since one of his feet will be in air and other on the ground, at the same time other two people will be full safe.


2.      Everybody will take one more step at this moment, first person will be fully risky and other two will be full safe. But since other two people will be holding the rod, with proper communication and trust they can cross.


3. This process will be repeated for other two persons. Every time they will be either half risky or full risky.

Persons	First Person	Second Person	Third person
Step
1	Safe	Safe	Safe
2	Half Risky
3	Full Risky
4	Half Risky	Half Risky
5		Full Risky
6		Half Risky	Half Risky
7			Full Risky
8			Half Risky
9	Safe	Safe	Safe

SO WHATS IN IT FOR US


Teamwork :


Just as the valley could not have been crossed individually, but rather as a team, in the same way in any organization optimal efficiency cannot be achieved in isolation. Every member of the team has to work together. What better example to give than that of the Indian army , who have won many a battle as a team, in the army the importance of team work and team spirit is stressed upon right from the joining days.




Goal setting: 

Can you imagine that the valley could have been crossed if each person had a different goal. Had person A wanted lunch, person B sleep and only person see , to cross the valley , it would have been very difficult to cross the valley, therefore it is of utmost important in any organization to define clearly, as to what the goal is and ensure that each person works in concordance with the laid objectives. Management by objectives is precisely which  is of paramount importance.




Communication :




Communication is perhaps the most important aspect to achieve anything, in this example , all three have to communicate continuously to achieve this task. In an organization it is very important for every level of management , and within those levels to communicate with each other. concepts like JIT, kanban would not have achieved their full potential without solving the communication bottlenecks.



Trust:

Trust for three people crossing the valley is very important , as at different times, a particular person becomes very vulnerable and his safety lies in the hands of the other 2 people . so is the case for any small or large, significant or mundane activity in any organization. As the success in any endevour of the of the organization hugely depends on teamwork, trust among the members is important for coordinating effectively to achieve the objectives of the organization. An example where trust is paramount is medicine , the relation between the doctor and patient is fully based on trust.

Goal Setting : The SMART Criteria

Specific

The first term stresses the need for a specific goal over and against a more general one. This means the goal is clear and unambiguous; without vagaries and platitudes. To make goals specific, they must tell a team exactly what is expected, why is it important, who’s involved, where is it going to happen and which attributes are important.

A specific goal will usually answer the five "W" questions:

• What: What do I want to accomplish?

• Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

• Who: Who is involved?

• Where: Identify a location.

• Which: Identify requirements and constraints.

Measurable

The second term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether a team is making progress toward successful completion. Measuring progress is supposed to help a team stay on track, reach its target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs it on to continued effort required to reach the ultimate goal.

A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:

• How much?
• How many?

How will I know when it is accomplished

Attainable

The third term stresses the importance of goals that are realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a team in order to achieve it, the goal is not extreme. That is, the goals are neither out of reach nor below standard performance, as these may be considered meaningless. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. The theory states that an attainable goal may cause goal-setters to identify previously overlooked opportunities to bring themselves closer to the achievement of their goals.

An attainable goal will usually answer the question:

• How: How can the goal be accomplished?

Relevant

The fourth term stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. A Bank Manager's goal to "Make 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by 2:00pm." may be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Time-Bound, but lacks Relevance. Many times you will need support to accomplish a goal: resources, a champion voice, someone to knock down obstacles. Goals that are relevant to your boss, your team, your organization will receive that needed support.

Relevant goals (when met) drive the team, department, and organization forward. A goal that supports or is in alignment with other goals would be considered a relevant goal.

A relevant goal can answer yes to these questions:

• Does this seem worthwhile?

• Is this the right time?

• Does this match our other efforts/needs?

• Are you the right person?

Time Bound

The fifth term stresses the importance of grounding goals within a time frame, giving them a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps a team focus their efforts on completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise in an organization. A time-bound goal is intended to establish a sense of urgency.

A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:

• When?
• What can I do 6 months from now?
• What can I do 6 weeks from now?
• What can I do today?