How to Set Goals in Group Work

Group work is often more efficient than individual work.

Group work helps take advantage of the relative strengths of individuals and reinforces the productivity of each member of the group. However, setting goals for group work is somewhat different from setting goals for individual work. The facilitator needs to work with a group as a whole, taking advantage of all possible synergies, rather than setting individual goals for members of the group.

Instructions

1. Identify the primary objective you need the group to achieve. For example, it can be the development of a new product or project, or even a military objective.

2. Break down the primary objective into steps needed to be carried out in order to achieve it. For example, if your group is entrusted with developing a new product, the steps could be: developing the technology, defining the design of the product and setting the price for the product.

3. Discuss the primary objective and the steps needed to achieve it with the members of the group. Make sure all members understand and support your plan to achieve the primary objective.

4. Identify relative strengths of each individual member of the group. Different people are typically better at performing different tasks.

5. Break down the steps needed to achieve the primary objective into tasks that individual members of the group need to do. Take advantage of the relative strengths of the group members, which you identified in Step 4. Set concrete time frames within which the tasks should be achieved.

References

• University of Montana: Setting Group Goals