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2.3 Assessing Organizational Performance

Learning objectives.

  • Understand the complexities associated with assessing organizational performance.
  • Learn each of the dimensions of the balanced scorecard framework.
  • Learn what is meant by a “triple bottom line.”

Organizational Performance: A Complex Concept

Organizational performance refers to how well an organization is doing to reach its vision, mission, and goals. Assessing organizational performance is a vital aspect of strategic management. Executives must know how well their organizations are performing to figure out what strategic changes, if any, to make. Performance is a very complex concept, however, and a lot of attention needs to be paid to how it is assessed.

Two important considerations are (1) performance measures and (2) performance referents ( Figure 2.5 “How Organizations and Individuals Can Use Financial Performance Measures and Referents” ). A performance measure is a metric along which organizations can be gauged. Most executives examine measures such as profits, stock price, and sales in an attempt to better understand how well their organizations are competing in the market. But these measures provide just a glimpse of organizational performance. Performance referents are also needed to assess whether an organization is doing well. A performance referent is a benchmark used to make sense of an organization’s standing along a performance measure. Suppose, for example, that a firm has a profit margin of 20 percent in 2011. This sounds great on the surface. But suppose that the firm’s profit margin in 2010 was 35 percent and that the average profit margin across all firms in the industry for 2011 was 40 percent. Viewed relative to these two referents, the firm’s 2011 performance is cause for concern.

Using a variety of performance measures and referents is valuable because different measures and referents provide different information about an organization’s functioning. The parable of the blind men and the elephant—popularized in Western cultures through a poem by John Godfrey Saxe in the nineteenth century—is useful for understanding the complexity associated with measuring organizational performance. As the story goes, six blind men set out to “see” what an elephant was like. The first man touched the elephant’s side and believed the beast to be like a great wall. The second felt the tusks and thought elephants must be like spears. Feeling the trunk, the third man thought it was a type of snake. Feeling a limb, the fourth man thought it was like a tree trunk. The fifth, examining an ear, thought it was like a fan. The sixth, touching the tail, thought it was like a rope. If the men failed to communicate their different impressions they would have all been partially right but wrong about what ultimately mattered.

Figure 2.5 How Organizations and Individuals Can Use Financial Performance Measures and Referents

image

This story parallels the challenge involved in understanding the multidimensional nature of organization performance because different measures and referents may tell a different story about the organization’s performance. For example, the Fortune 500 lists the largest US firms in terms of sales. These firms are generally not the strongest performers in terms of growth in stock price, however, in part because they are so big that making major improvements is difficult. During the late 1990s, a number of Internet-centered businesses enjoyed exceptional growth in sales and stock price but reported losses rather than profits. Many investors in these firms who simply fixated on a single performance measure—sales growth—absorbed heavy losses when the stock market’s attention turned to profits and the stock prices of these firms plummeted.

image

The story of the blind men and the elephant provides a metaphor for understanding the complexities of measuring organizational performance.

Wikimedia Commons – public domain.

The number of performance measures and referents that are relevant for understanding an organization’s performance can be overwhelming, however. For example, a study of what performance metrics were used within restaurant organizations’ annual reports found that 788 different combinations of measures and referents were used within this one industry in a single year (Short & Palmer, 2003). Thus executives need to choose a rich yet limited set of performance measures and referents to focus on.

The Balanced Scorecard

To organize an organization’s performance measures, Professor Robert Kaplan and Professor David Norton of Harvard University developed a tool called the balanced scorecard . Using the scorecard helps managers resist the temptation to fixate on financial measures and instead monitor a diverse set of important measures ( Table 2.6 “Beyond Profits: Measuring Performance Using the Balanced Scorecard” ). Indeed, the idea behind the framework is to provide a “balance” between financial measures and other measures that are important for understanding organizational activities that lead to sustained, long-term performance. The balanced scorecard recommends that managers gain an overview of the organization’s performance by tracking a small number of key measures that collectively reflect four dimensions: (1) financial, (2) customer, (3) internal business process, and (4) learning and growth (Kaplan & Norton, 1992).

Table 2.6 Beyond Profits: Measuring Performance Using the Balanced Scorecard

Because the concept of organizational performance is multidimensional, wise managers realize that understanding organizational performance is like flying a plane pilots must be on track in terms of altitude, air speed, and oil pressure and make sure they have enough gas to finish their flight plan. For tracking organizational performance, assessing how the organization is doing financially is just a starting point. The “balanced scorecard” encourages managers to also monitor how well the organization is serving customers, managing internal activities, and setting the stage for future improvements. This provides a fast but comprehensive view of the organization. As shown below, monitoring these four dimensions also can help individuals assess themselves.

Scorecard Point Definition You could ask yourself…
such as and –relate to effectiveness and profits. How can I improve my personal wealth? Measures might include cash, savings account, and retirement.
such as and –relate to customer attraction and satisfaction. How strong is my social network? The number of new contacts you make over time might reflect this dimension.
such and –relate to organizational efficiency. Am I getting better at my current job? Tracking improvements in personal efficiency such as the time needed to complete a task can be helpful.
such as the –relate to the future and emphasize that employee learning is often more important than formal training. What skills should I develop now for the future? Although the acquisition of new skills is hard to measure, the attainment of specialized licenses or earning of a graduate degree are tangible benchmarks.

Financial Measures

Financial measures of performance relate to organizational effectiveness and profits. Examples include financial ratios such as return on assets, return on equity, and return on investment. Other common financial measures include profits and stock price. Such measures help answer the key question “How do we look to shareholders?”

Financial performance measures are commonly articulated and emphasized within an organization’s annual report to shareholders. To provide context, such measures should be objective and be coupled with meaningful referents, such as the firm’s past performance. For example, Starbucks’s 2009 annual report highlights the firm’s performance in terms of net revenue, operating income, and cash flow over a five-year period.

Customer Measures

Customer measures of performance relate to customer attraction, satisfaction, and retention. These measures provide insight to the key question “How do customers see us?” Examples might include the number of new customers and the percentage of repeat customers.

Starbucks realizes the importance of repeat customers and has taken a number of steps to satisfy and to attract regular visitors to their stores. For example, Starbucks rewards regular customers with free drinks and offers all customers free Wi-Fi access (Miller, 2010). Starbucks also encourages repeat visits by providing cards with codes for free iTunes downloads. The featured songs change regularly, encouraging frequent repeat visits.

Internal Business Process Measures

Internal business process measures of performance relate to organizational efficiency. These measures help answer the key question “What must we excel at?” Examples include the time it takes to manufacture the organization’s good or deliver a service. The time it takes to create a new product and bring it to market is another example of this type of measure.

Organizations such as Starbucks realize the importance of such efficiency measures for the long-term success of its organization, and Starbucks carefully examines its processes with the goal of decreasing order fulfillment time. In one recent example, Starbucks efficiency experts challenged their employees to assemble a Mr. Potato Head to understand how work could be done more quickly (Jargon, 2009). The aim of this exercise was to help Starbucks employees in general match the speed of the firm’s high performers, who boast an average time per order of twenty-five seconds.

Learning and Growth Measures

Learning and growth measures of performance relate to the future. Such measures provide insight to tell the organization, “Can we continue to improve and create value?” Learning and growth measures focus on innovation and proceed with an understanding that strategies change over time. Consequently, developing new ways to add value will be needed as the organization continues to adapt to an evolving environment. An example of a learning and growth measure is the number of new skills learned by employees every year.

One way Starbucks encourages its employees to learn skills that may benefit both the firm and individuals in the future is through its tuition reimbursement program. Employees who have worked with Starbucks for more than a year are eligible. Starbucks hopes that the knowledge acquired while earning a college degree might provide employees with the skills needed to develop innovations that will benefit the company in the future. Another benefit of this program is that it helps Starbucks reward and retain high-achieving employees.

Measuring Performance Using the Triple Bottom Line

Ralph Waldo Emerson once noted, “Doing well is the result of doing good. That’s what capitalism is all about.” While the balanced scorecard provides a popular framework to help executives understand an organization’s performance, other frameworks highlight areas such as social responsibility. One such framework, the triple bottom line , emphasizes the three Ps of people (making sure that the actions of the organization are socially responsible), the planet (making sure organizations act in a way that promotes environmental sustainability), and traditional organization profits . This notion was introduced in the early 1980s but did not attract much attention until the late 1990s.

image

The triple bottom line emphasizes the three Ps of people (social concerns), planet (environmental concerns), and profits (economic concerns).

In the case of Starbucks, the firm has made clear the importance it attaches to the planet by creating an environmental mission statement (“Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business”) in addition to its overall mission (Starbucks, 2011). In terms of the “people” dimension of the triple bottom line, Starbucks strives to purchase coffee beans harvested by farmers who work under humane conditions and are paid reasonable wages. The firm works to be profitable as well, of course.

Key Takeaway

  • Organizational performance is a multidimensional concept, and wise managers rely on multiple measures of performance when gauging the success or failure of their organizations. The balanced scorecard provides a tool to help executives gain a general understanding of their organization’s current level of achievement across a set of four important dimensions. The triple bottom line provides another tool to help executives focus on performance targets beyond profits alone; this approach stresses the importance of social and environmental outcomes.
  • How might you apply the balanced scorecard framework to measure performance of your college or university?
  • Identify a measurable example of each of the balanced scorecard dimensions other than the examples offered in this section.
  • Identify a mission statement from an organization that emphasizes each of the elements of the triple bottom line.

Jargon, J. 2009, August 4. Latest Starbucks buzzword: “Lean” Japanese techniques. Wall Street Journal , p. A1 . .

Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. 1992, February. The balanced scorecard: Measures that drive performance. Harvard Business Review , 70–79.

Miller, C. 2010, June 15. Aiming at rivals, Starbucks will offer free Wi-Fi. New York Times . Section B, p. 1.

Short, J. C., & Palmer, T. B. 2003. Organizational performance referents: An empirical examination of their content and influences. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes , 90 , 209–224.

Starbucks, Our Starbucks mission statement. Retrieved on March 31, 2011, from http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information/mission-statement . Accessed March 31, 2011.

Mastering Strategic Management Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Organizational Effectiveness: A Critical Review of the Proposals for Conceptualization and Measurement of the Construct

  • First Online: 14 December 2021

Cite this chapter

essay on organizational performance

  • Sinésio Gomide Júnior   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0944-4380 4 ,
  • Diogo Freitas Pereira Gomes 4 ,
  • Susiley Correa Costa 4 &
  • Áurea de Fátima Oliveira   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5404-0540 4  

939 Accesses

1 Citations

Human performance in organizations has received great attention from publications while the space dedicated to the performance of organizations themselves is more timid. The literature has shown that organizational performance (effectiveness) is a construct related to different domains of organizational activities, comprising multiple approaches. This variety of approaches seems to be due to the fact that the criteria that define organizational effectiveness are the result of individual values and preferences. With regard to the issue of measuring organizational effectiveness, international studies have focused on two aspects: instruments oriented by the social, economic, systemic and political dimensions or by the socio-technical orientation, market orientation and economic-financial or competitive orientation dimensions. Given these perspectives and diversity, this chapter aims to examine the international (and, eventually, the national) literature on theoretical/conceptual development and on empirical investigations related to the organizational effectiveness construct, with a focus on measurement models.

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Gomide Júnior, S., Gomes, D.F.P., Costa, S.C., Oliveira, Á.d.F. (2022). Organizational Effectiveness: A Critical Review of the Proposals for Conceptualization and Measurement of the Construct. In: Macambira, M.O., Mendonça, H., Paz, M.d.G.T. (eds) Assessing Organizational Behaviors. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81311-6_11

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Improving Organizational Performance, Essay Example

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World has went through number of instances of unsuccessful and successful entities taken their activities related to business successfully in a distinct way and established numerous parts the structure in an organization. The most significant, however, part of any organization, not based on its dimension, profile of type or activity – is its work force which is the amount of employees comprise on the driving part of any business and presents its efficiency (Smith, 2004). Owner of any company put all power on its enhanced performance that is the basic and important indicator of sustainability and profitability of a company. This paper aims to deal with the methods to improve the performance of an organization with the help of influence on workforce, escalating their motivation and managing with stress while working in the routine matters that is expected to turn out the dominant hindrance to the stipulated goal’s achievement.

Improve Organizational Performance

There can be number of suggestions on how to influence the performance of an organization through a constructive method, the core of that demands to provide consideration to stress exist in any occupation. If the productivity indicators are plunging and the workers reveals the dissatisfaction signs, the significant responsibility of the employer is to identify factors that are of stressful nature and are evident in the business. This must be the basic and essential point of the organizational change intends at establishing a more constructive environment for work, more encouraging environment, and enhances employee efficiency and satisfaction. As this has been observed in the simulation of the AirDevils, Inc. Company, the basic and main steps taken by the initiated were to understand the major causes for workers dissatisfaction. They proved to be manifold – spanning from under-payment to opportunity inequality and selectivity of reach to benefits provided by the administration of company. It provided that people who perform their jobs are extremely motivated about the nature of job they perform – stunts group’s representatives in reality perform the main part of responsibilities in a business and put their full potential are not encouraged and admired according to the extent of their effort to the performance of company. Moreover, they protest about the particular opportunities as they believe that they can perform their duties with better understanding, in a large amount of tasks. Under-recognition and Under-payment go without stating as further part of the complaints list. Therefore, the most important challenge that destabilized the performance of employee and satisfaction of job was the work monotonousness that he or she performed. It is important to keep in mind that inhibits performance is an intense kind of sports; merely those honestly caring for what they perform will be capable to perform their work in the environment. It must be associated with sound emotions, with the drive of adrenaline, etc. – therefore, the workers were rationally dispirited to perform out of tiredness and boredom they face in the working environment. (Smith, 2004)

Change Implementation Stage

The list of following solutions was provided – to present performance-based rewards, to establish to guide in other stunts, to present physical and mental facilities of training, to enhance the design of job, to permit stunt workers to contribute in open challenges, etc. Along with the provided solutions it became more helpful to select the enhancement the design of job, the employees’ rotation to make sure a large range of accountabilities and the incentives to contribute in external challenges to improve their competitive emotions, preference from stunts, etc.

This level of the simulation may be known to the importance of stress at place of work and its deep effect on the mental and physical condition of workers (Jex & Britt, 2008). The workers met an intimidating psychological situation at workplace, responding to it with a set of pessimistic results. Lots of workers complained of rising issues at house because of the very much workload, also can be known to the work-family clash appearance. This stressor is rational because of the supposition that individuals who feel stress at workplace fail to realize their social roles satisfactorily, e.g. they may have issues with their partners, friends and families etc… (Jex & Britt, 2008)

Managing Stress and Motivation

Recognizing the set of stressors for a specific organizational case, the organization or the change agent accountable for the elimination of stress and enhancement of the organizational performance not simply has to describe the methods of enhancement introduction, but also desires to hire the responsible staff for the accomplishment of the work. As it became clear from the simulation, the change will be accomplished much more professionally in case the group of change agents is composed of workers are performing within the company and are at the equal hierarchical position with those at who the change is directed. Several theorists identify joint effort as a cultural practice of increasing fame, which occurs because of the very much group potential to alter the inner attitudes and boost worker involvement with the work in situation the team participants also share attitude, ideas, and have very little conflict potential (Sisaye, 2001).

In the situation the influence of team on the employees is effectively accomplished, it is potential to calculate highly positive results for the organization’s performance, approach toward work, inner motivators and participation symbolize the major stimuli for better determination, and performance at work. On the other hand, in situation the stressor is not removed, no opposite-stress procedures will work. This reality has also been assessed in the simulation on the illustration of loyal workers, crewmembers’ absenteeism because several motives (immoral behavior of other organization participants, incapability to live for a sufficient time with their families). Along with the solutions presented to crewmembers too much workload complaining, severe physical stress and raised rate of syndromes the most effective one preferred is the beginning of training programs intended at supervision the physiological, muscular and psychological stress issues. This choice encourages the assumption of managing pressure that contains other work plans and health or fitness training programs (Jex & Britt, 2008).

The examination of the current simulation supposes using different theories of stress management and motivation, which are of main concern for those coping with theoretical and feasible concerns of worker performance management. The major concern that should regulate the review must be the piece of evidence that stress exists in any kind of work and it impacts the worker performance pessimistically. For this purpose a set of useful methods to decrease stressors’ impact on workers should become an essential aspect of any organization’s HR policy.

Because encouragement is the major desired objective of HR managers, they must aware about the fact that outside motivation of employees in the shape of intangible and tangible incentives, managerial reward, etc. are currently has low value for the workers. The others will be much more fruitful at workplace in case the atmosphere in which they perform is encouraging and constructive for them, e.g. they go through interior motivation. Stress influences the worker behavior, which can’t be alleged individually from performance any more – the overwhelming impact of the internal situation of the worker on his/her efficiency has previously been totally proven.

Any firm should follow the strategy of simultaneous amplification of motivators significant for every particular worker and of decrease of stressors’ result through such plans as family-friendly advantages, work schedules of alternative nature, programs of health, etc. They are all intended to appropriate the requirements of individual groups of employees and allow more liberty and flexibility of will in any organization, which is extremely encouraging for all workers without exception (Jex & Britt, 2008). Proper attention to these characteristics of the company’s performance, the company will attain extraordinary encouragement and satisfaction of job, engagement of strong team and an essential direction for superior functioning, which is the objective of any HRM program in the organizational – the theory of self-determination shows the most effective in the current context.

Jex, S.M., & Britt, T.W. (2008). Organizational Psychology. A scientist-practitioner approach (2 ed.) . New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.

Sisaye, S. (2001). Organizational change and development in management control systems:

Process innovation for internal auditing and management accounting . New York: Emerald Group Publishing.

Smith, J. (2004). Organizational Psychology. New York: Wiley and Sons.

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Managing performance and productivity for organizational competitiveness

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management

ISSN : 1741-0401

Article publication date: 11 July 2016

Singh, S.K. , Burgess, T.F. and Heap, J. (2016), "Managing performance and productivity for organizational competitiveness", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management , Vol. 65 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-05-2016-0090

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Article Type: Guest editorial From: International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Volume 65, Issue 6.

The organizations across the geographical boundaries have been confronting with economically challenging and chaotic business environment. The organizational leaders are burning the midnight oil to enhance the ability of the firm to provide quality products or services to their customers at a competitive price in the marketplace – local, regional and global. The policy makers as well practitioners across the industry sectors fully believe in the management of performance and productivity as two key drivers which if leveraged properly will enhance overall organizational ability to be competitive in the global world economy. However, the management of performance and productivity in an organizational context is not an easy task as they depend upon motivated human resources who are managed through system-driven HR processes wherein the organization believes in "mind-share" than "market-share." Such a kind of HR policies and systems create an organizational climate wherein caring about employees’ concerns, fostering employee engagement, involvement and retention at workplace become a normal but extremely powerful rituals played by persons in the leadership roles. Furthermore, it is also a well-established fact that the management of performance and productivity not only helps increase organizational competitiveness but also add to the economic growth of the country.

It is under this backdrop that this special issue was conceptualized for the academicians, the practicing managers, the consultants and the researchers to contribute empirical as well as conceptual research papers aimed at solving pressing needs of managing performance and productivity at workplace to increase organizational competitiveness. It has eight research papers aimed at exploring and finding out relevant solutions to the issues and the challenges being faced by the practitioners in the organizations. These eight papers throw scientific lights on to designing and implementing sustainable practices necessary for motivating employees and also managing their performance and productivity across the value chain in the organization.

The special issue commences with a research paper on "The Role of Approach and Avoidance Motivation in Employee Voice: The Moderating effect of Ostracism and Contingent Self-Esteem." This paper discusses about the different types of employee motivation to exhibit different kinds of voice behaviors at workplace. It explains about the moderating influence of workplace ostracism and contingent self-esteem on the relationships between motivation and voice behavior of the employees.

The second paper entitled "Satisfaction of Learning, Performance, and Relatedness Needs at Work and Employees’ Organizational Identification" is grounded in the Indian context. The paper discusses about the opportunities of learning and performance vary as per the individual employee’s and as a result there is a challenge for the managers to find out congruence between diverse individual employee needs and opportunities available in the organization to satisfy those needs.

The third paper is entitled "Testing the direct and indirect relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance in the banking sector in the UAE: the mediating impact of Organizational Innovation." The paper has brought out the fact that if an organization enhances the effectiveness of the HRM practices, it will lead to increment in both organizational performance and innovation. In particular, the paper discusses about how the HRM practices namely recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation, and performance appraisal practices positively affects the innovation capability of an organization.

The subsequent paper is entitled "Conflict Resolution Styles and Personality: The Moderating Effect of Generation X and Y in a Non-Western Context." It was empirically found in this study that the Generation X and Y do not have moderating effect on to the relationship between the dominating conflict handling style and the five personality traits. Whereas, they study also noted that Generation X and Y moderated the linkage between the integrating conflict style and extraversion of the employees working in the electronic retail sector in a non-western culture.

The special issue moves to a research paper entitled "Authentic Leadership, Work Engagement and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors in Petroleum Company" in the United Arab Emirates. The paper mentions that the authentic leadership significantly increases the work engagement and organizational citizenship behavior on the employees. Furthermore, it says that the psychological empowerment has positive contribution to the strength of the relationship between authentic leadership with work engagement through the mediating role of the organizational citizenship behavior of the employees.

The succeeding paper is entitled "Competing through Employee Engagement: A Proposed Framework." The proposed framework of employee engagement succinctly describes the linkages between leader, team, perceived organizational support and organizational culture with employee engagement to be mediated by the level of employee motivation. The paper discusses about varied ways to retain human resource at workplace for overall organizational productivity.

The penultimate paper in this special issue is entitled "Determinants of Organizational Performance: A Proposed Framework" and is grounded in research-based literature. This paper is founded on a ground that leadership plays the most important role in the success stories of individual employee’s performance and also organizational performance. The authors of this paper have made a serious attempt to weave together literature to propose a framework wherein how do cognitive, social and emotional competencies influence the overarching leadership competencies and that in turn positively impacting employee and organizational performance.

The last paper of the special issue is entitled "Measuring the Effects of Role Efficacy Enhancement on Knowledge Workers: Evidence from Indian IT industry." This paper empirically supports the existing literature on to the linkages between the role efficacy and the role stress dimensions of the knowledge workers. It also suggests that the jobs and the roles with built-in characteristics of feedback and autonomy should be designed to reduce stress and tension in the employees at workplace.

Overall, this special issue with eight research papers will surely provide varied perspectives and insights into management of productivity and performance for organizational competitiveness. To be more specific, each of the eight research papers provide critical inputs, tactics and strategies necessary for the productivity of the organization as well as its individual employees. We hope that the readers will find this special issue challenging and thought provoking.

Sanjay Kumar Singh - College of Business Administration, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Thomas F. Burgess - Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

John Heap - National Productivity Centre, Leeds, UK

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How to Write a Goal Statement (with Examples)

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

September 1, 2024

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If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.

Knock, knock! Quickly checking in—what was the name of the business book you planned to start this weekend? Or the graduate school application you promised to write this month? Or that personal essay you wanted to publish on Medium?

If you’re struggling to recall, you’re not alone because constant distractions in our personal and professional life, like doomscrolling on social media platforms, can easily derail us from our goals and priorities.

Recent research found that employees who set goals are 14 times more likely to feel inspired at work. That’s not all. Writing goal statements also leads to a 90% boost in performance and persistence​.

This highlights the power of goal-setting, goal-tracking, and self-accountability in reaching your objectives. It also reinforces the age-old wisdom: reading, writing, and consistent reflection on our goals are key to building habits and staying on track. 

So, let’s dive directly into how you can construct effective goal statements and make those goals a reality. 🎯

The relevance of goal statements in personal and professional life

The importance of a career goal statement, the role of goal setting in crafting an effective goal statement, using the smart method to create goal statements, tips for writing a goal statement, implementation, effective business goal statements, effective personal goal statements, periodically tracking and updating your goal statement, learning from successful real-world examples, being flexible and adaptable with your goal statement.

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What Is a Goal Statement?

A goal statement is a concise outline of your goal or goals for the future, including your vision, mission, and values.

You can use a goal or mission statement for various purposes—like career objectives, personal development, and even long-term life planning. 

A professional goal statement not only outlines your career direction but also acts as a personal development blueprint. It breaks down the steps needed to achieve your strategic objectives, ensuring steady progress toward your aspirations. 

More importantly, it gives clarity and purpose to your actions, keeping you aligned with your future ambitions and enabling personal growth along the way. A strong goal statement points you in the right direction, but more than that, it gives you a clear path forward, whether you’re aiming for a promotion, switching careers, or picking up new skills. 

It acts as a roadmap, breaking down the steps you need to take while keeping you accountable along the way. A personal statement can consistently remind you of what you’re working toward and fuel your motivation to stay committed until you achieve your desired result.

The influential self-development expert, Brian Tracy, said in an interview :

I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is to decide exactly what you want–set your goals–and then determine how you will achieve them (what skills you will have to learn, what actions will you have to take). And these are totally under your control. These are not dependent upon anyone else.

Thus, goal statements prove to be invaluable in personal and professional life.

In your career, they help you with:

  • Clarity and focus: Goal statements help you prioritize key milestones for career growth and avoid irrelevant pursuits
  • Measurement and accountability: Goal statements enable you to track progress and maintain accountability
  • Company and team alignment: Goal statements ensure your personal goals align with your team’s and company’s vision

When it comes to your personal life, goal statements can help with:

  • Motivation: Goals can keep you motivated, especially when things get tough. They give you concrete timelines that make you feel more accountable and often more in control
  • Decision-making: Goals guide your decisions, making it easier to choose actions that lead to desired outcomes
  • Personal growth: Setting goals encourages you to keep improving and developing yourself. Most personal goal statements involve physical and mental betterment

Setting up an actionable objective is the first step in achieving success. 

According to research, employees in goal-oriented organizations are about 7 times more likely to feel proud of their workplace and just as likely to recommend it as a great place to work. 

Writing down your goals turns them into something tangible, making them easier to focus on and achieve. Here are some solid reasons as to why a goal statement is essential when it comes to your career:

  • Responsibility: Writing down your goal makes you accountable and gives you an extra push to stay true to it
  • Clarity and direction: A clear goal statement defines your path and the next actionable steps
  • Timeline and progress: Professional goals with timelines help you plan your actions and track progress
  • Motivation: Outlining your goals keeps you motivated by acting as a long-term to-do list

How to Write a Goal Statement 

Simply thinking about your goals isn’t enough to achieve them. To increase your chances of success, it’s important to write down your goal statements and, if you can, share your progress with people you trust.

Before you begin writing your first goal statement, understand that the key is to outline exactly what you want to accomplish, how you plan to do it, and what the timeline for it is.

Begin by clearly defining your goal, including what you want to achieve, the timeframe for completion, and the steps needed to reach it. 

Make sure your goal answers these essential questions:

What do you want to accomplish?

When do you want to accomplish it?

How will you make it happen?

A well-defined goal should provide clear direction, a realistic timeline, and a practical action plan.

Here’s how you can prioritize your goals and determine where to focus your energy when you’re setting a career objective. Start by asking yourself these key questions:

  • Values: What values do you want to uphold in your career? (Ensure your goals align with your core principles and ethics)
  • Your definition of success: How do you define success in the workplace? (Tailor your goals to match your personal vision of achievement)
  • Your financial goals: What are your financial aspirations? (Set goals that support your desired financial future)
  • Ideal work environment: What does an ideal work environment look like to you? (Create goals that foster a setting where you can thrive)
  • Educational advancement: What additional degrees or certifications could help you excel in your field? (Identify educational goals to enhance your expertise)
  • Work-life balance: How do you envision a healthy work-life balance? (Ensure your goals support a fulfilling life both inside and outside of work)
  • Leadership ambitions: Are you interested in pursuing leadership positions? (Guide your career goals toward roles that match your aspirations)
  • Strengths: What strengths do you bring to your work, and how can you leverage them? (Set goals that capitalize on your unique abilities)
  • Entrepreneurial ambitions: Do you aspire to start your own company in the future? (Align your current goals with your long-term entrepreneurial ambitions)
  • Seeking challenges: Are you keen on taking on more challenging roles in your workplace? (Set goals that push you toward growth and new opportunities)

To craft personal goal statements that foster your vision of personal enrichment, here are some guiding questions to consider:

  • What kind of lifestyle do you aspire to have? (Set goals that drive you toward fulfilling your dreams and ambitions)
  • What are your hobbies and interests, and how can you incorporate them into your life? (Align your personal goals with activities you genuinely love)
  • What kind of impact do you want to make on your community? (Direct your goals toward contributing to the greater good of society)
  • What steps can you take to improve your physical and mental health? (Ensure your goals keep you in prime condition)
  • What can you do to nurture and improve your relationships? (Set goals that deepen your family connections and personal relationships rather than detract from them)

Answering these questions will help you determine the ‘What’ aspect of your personal goal statement. Remember to keep your responses focused, clear, and direct. Here, ClickUp can support you with its array of features. Let’s explore them as we go along.

ClickUp Docs

ClickUp Docs

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all these questions, ClickUp Docs can help you organize your thoughts and draft clear goal statements.

Start by opening a new ClickUp Doc and jot down your goals. With ClickUp Docs, you can create detailed, customizable documents to outline your career path, set timelines, and align tasks with your objectives. 

ClickUp Docs

Once your draft is ready, you can share the document with trusted friends and mentors for feedback, so they can comment directly within the doc. This feature keeps everything organized and ensures your goals are clearly defined and actionable.

Next, let’s address the ‘How’ and ‘When’ by applying the SMART method. This step requires in-depth research into what’s needed to achieve your SMART goals by creating achievable and measurable objectives .

Using the SMART framework helps clarify your goals, track progress, ensure feasibility, and monitor achievement within a set timeframe.

Here’s how SMART goals are set:

  • Specific: Define your goal clearly and precisely
  • Measurable: Ensure your goal has quantifiable criteria for tracking progress
  • Achievable: Set a realistic goal that is attainable given your resources and constraints
  • Relevant: Align your goal with your broader objectives and values
  • Time-bound: Assign a deadline to create urgency and focus

💡 Example: If you’re aiming for a promotion that requires certifications, research the necessary courses, understand the time commitment, and plan your timeline accordingly. This approach ensures your goals are realistic and grounded in actionable steps.

It can be challenging to juggle all the elements of goal-setting while also creating realistic, relevant goals. That’s where ClickUp’s SMART Goals template comes in. 

ClickUp SMART Goals template

ClickUp's SMART Goals Template is designed to help you create and track goals for yourself or your team.

ClickUp’s SMART Goals template simplifies the process by helping you break down large objectives into manageable steps, track your progress, and stay motivated.

Here’s what ClickUp’s SMART Goals template offers:

  • Enables progress tracking and success measurement
  • Keeps you focused and motivated on long-term goals
  • Identifies and addresses potential roadblocks efficiently

In addition to the strategies mentioned, here are some extra tips to help you craft a strong personal or career goal statement:

Tips & tricks

Review it regularly: Regularly review and adjust your goals as needed to reflect progress and changes

Set a timeline: Create a timeline with milestones for both short-term and long-term goals to stay motivated and on track

Request feedback: Share your goals with trusted individuals for honest feedback on your timeline and goal achievement, increasing your accountability

⚡ Template Archive: Need more SMART goal templates that can help you define and achieve your goals efficiently? Check out our library of free SMART goal templates that are easy to use, adaptable, and seamless to track and update.

Writing your goal statements is just the beginning; implementing them is where the real work begins. Break down your career goals into smaller, actionable steps. 

💡 Example: If you aim to land a leadership role, start by taking on smaller team projects to build your management skills. Prioritize these steps and establish a timeline.

Track your progress regularly and adjust as needed. Share your goals with a mentor or colleague for accountability and feedback. Celebrate small victories, like completing a course or receiving positive feedback, to stay motivated.

A flexible system is essential for successful goal implementation, and ClickUp Goals can help you effortlessly track, edit, and adjust your goals.

ClickUp Goals

ClickUp Goals

ClickUp Goals is a powerful tool for creating, tracking, adjusting, and setting project goals or personal goals with ease. It offers flexible goal-setting with customizable targets, deadlines, and tracking methods tailored to fit your needs, making it easier to stay on track and achieve success.

You can break down larger goals into manageable milestones, ensuring steady progress. Visual tools like charts and progress bars help you monitor your progress, keeping you and your team motivated. 

ClickUp Goals

Collaboration is also enhanced by sharing goals with your team, aligning efforts, and exchanging valuable feedback. 

Additionally, ClickUp Goals ensures that individual goals align with broader company objectives by grouping them into folders. It also automatically updates progress based on task completion, keeping everything up to date.

Examples of Personal and Business Goal Statements

Now that we understand the theory behind writing effective career goal statements, let’s explore some practical short and long-goal examples to inspire your personal and business goals.

Business goal statements can be complex, as they require detailed planning to outline your career objectives and the steps to achieve them. Professional goal statements may range from ongoing tasks to a specific one-time project.

A well-defined business or professional goal statement serves as both—a motivation booster and a roadmap for your career. It also enhances your resume by highlighting your career direction, aspirations, and self-awareness to potential employers.

Examples of effective business goal statements

An effective professional goal statement is clear, specific, and measurable. It provides clarity on what you want to achieve, how you’ll achieve it, and by when you expect to attain it. 

Here’s an example: Increase market share in North America by 20% by the end of Q4 2025 through increased ad campaign spending and sales team training

This professional goal statement is precise and quantifiable and includes all key elements: the desired outcome, location, strategy, and timeline.

Other examples include:

  • Improve customer retention by 15% by Q2 2024 by enhancing product quality through a comprehensive competitive benchmarking exercise

This goal is focused and measurable, with a clear method for achieving the target.

  • Secure a promotion to Senior Vice President by the end of 2026 by exceeding targets and demonstrating strong managerial skills

This goal follows the SMART framework, outlining a clear path for career advancement.

For organizational goals, it’s crucial to have tools like ClickUp Goals or OKR Templates to track and monitor progress across the company, department, and team levels.

By crafting clear and actionable goal statements, you set yourself and your business up for success, ensuring every objective is aligned with a strategic plan and has a defined timeline for achievement. 

ClickUp Company OKRs and Goals template

ClickUp's Company OKRs and Goals Template is designed to help you focus on the most important goals for your company.

ClickUp’s Company OKRs and Goals template is a powerful tool for aligning your team with your company’s vision and values. 

It simplifies the process of setting and tracking objectives, standardizes performance measurement, and ensures that individual goals support your organization’s overall objectives. 

By maintaining alignment and cohesion, this template not only streamlines goal management but also boosts team morale and productivity.

Here’s what the ClickUp’s Company OKRs and Goals template offers:

  • Create and track objectives to maintain focus and direction
  • Identify and prioritize goals for maximum impact and efficient resource allocation
  • Ensure all team members are aligned around shared objectives, boosting collaboration and coherence
  • Monitor progress and measure performance concisely
  • Improve team motivation and morale by clearly defining and tracking success
  • Facilitate better communication and understanding across teams

⚡ Template Archive: Looking for more goal-setting templates to ensure you’re on the right track? Check out these free goal-setting and tracking templates that will level up your goal-setting strategy .

While we’ve focused on career goals, achieving them is near impossible without taking care of your personal well-being. 

Personal goals reflect who you are, what you want, and where you’re headed. Not only do they guide your journey, but they also make a strong impression on potential employers or educational institutions.

Balance your goals by focusing on areas such as relationships, physical health, spirituality, and personal growth to prevent burnout and boost overall satisfaction. 

Use goal-tracking apps to organize and prioritize your goals effectively. Set reminders, break down larger goals into smaller tasks, and regularly review your progress to stay on track and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Examples of effective personal goal statements

When crafting personal goal statements, it’s essential to be specific about what you want to achieve, how you’ll achieve it, and the timeframe for completion. 

Here are some examples that follow the What, How, and When structure:

Reconnect with old friends: before the end of the month, schedule a coffee date with a friend you haven’t seen enough of lately

Learn Spanish: Dedicate 30 minutes daily to language lessons for 6 months to be at least semi-fluent by next summer

Complete a 10K run: Follow a 12-week structured training plan to boost fitness and mental resilience

These examples illustrate how clear, actionable personal statements of goals can lead to tangible outcomes, whether they involve personal enrichment, health, or career development.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French writer and pilot said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Best Practices for Implementing Goal Statements

Now that you’ve written down your goals, it’s time to turn them into reality. 

Here’s how to make it happen:

Track and update your goals regularly to keep them aligned with your growth. Goals should be as dynamic and evolving as you are. Don’t let them collect dust—instead, review and adjust them consistently. 

Consider using goal-setting software to set reminders, track progress, and make adjustments so that your goals remain relevant and attainable as you evolve. When you achieve a goal or hit a milestone, take a moment to celebrate your success. Recognizing your progress keeps you motivated and reinforces positive behavior.

And if you miss a deadline or fall short, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, analyze what went wrong, learn from it, and adjust your approach to avoid repeating the same mistakes. 

By staying engaged with your goals and adapting as needed, you can ensure continuous progress and maintain the momentum needed to achieve them.

Real-world success stories offer valuable lessons and inspiration. For example, Elon Musk’s approach to goal-setting is a powerful model. 

His goal with SpaceX is to colonize Mars, and with Tesla, it’s to drive the world toward sustainable energy. What sets Musk apart is his ability to break these enormous goals into manageable steps, steadily working toward each milestone.

This shows the importance of setting bold goals while maintaining a practical, step-by-step approach. But you don’t have to look only at famous figures. You can also learn from those around you, like mentors or family members. 

Observe their strategies, seek guidance, and apply those habits to your journey. Their experiences can provide valuable insights to help you reach your goals more effectively.

If your original plan no longer feels right, don’t hesitate to adjust your goals, resources, or timeline. Flexibility is key to staying on track. Regularly reassess your goals to ensure they still align with your current situation and aspirations. 

Embrace changes as opportunities for growth. Sometimes, a shift in direction can lead to better outcomes than you initially imagined. Stay open to new possibilities and be ready to pivot when necessary. 

This adaptability will help you navigate challenges and seize opportunities as they arise.

Create Goals and Achieve Them with ClickUp

Personal and career goals are crucial for success—they outline your path, keep you motivated, and showcase your potential to employers. 

But with a busy life, managing these goals can be challenging. That’s where ClickUp steps in.

With multiple goal creation, sharing, review, and execution features and a variety of goal-oriented templates, it does all the heavy lifting for you, so you have more time to achieve your goals and dream big. 

Sign up for free today and start turning your aspirations into reality, one goal at a time!

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The Impact of Technology on Organizational Performance Essay

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Technology & Environment

Technology & travel, technology & farming, technology & communication, technology & organizational productivity, technology & culture, technology & media, the negative effects technology has on people.

Perhaps it is difficult to talk about technological advances without relating them to the environment. Over the years, research has demonstrated that technological decisions have both favorable and unfavorable outcomes on the environment (Rose, 2009) and that the effects of technology on the environment are both obvious and subtle (Jaffe et al., 2003).

Recent advances in technology have seen scientists develop complicated systems that are able to analyze environmental changes and provide early warning signs of impending disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Technology has also seen the advancement of machinery and chemicals with the capacity to clean the environment and hasten the degradation of biodegradable materials.

Undeniably, however, technological activities have heightened the depletion of non-renewable materials such as petroleum and core, contributed to wanton destruction of natural resources such as forest cover, and facilitated human suffering through diseases caused by air, water, and land pollution (Jaffe et al., 2003).

Electronic waste dumped in landfills in the United States, for instance, has been blamed for increased cases of nerve disorders and joint pain in adults because this waste releases dangerous metals such as lead, mercury, and lithium into the environment. Lead released into the environment from old computer monitors and other electronic hardware has also been associated with increased incidences of brain damage, cancerous tumors, and anemia in young children and adults. An equally worrying trend is the rate at which the ozone layer is being depleted as a direct consequence of technological activities that are increasingly polluting the environment. Today, courtesy of the air pollution caused by engines running on fossil fuel, rainfall patterns have become erratic and new terminologies such as “global warming” and “acid rain” keep hitting headline news (Jaffe et al., 2003; Rose, 2009).

Ancient people used natural energy provided by humans, animals, or the wind to move from one place to another. Stories abound of how some ancient sea voyages took hundreds of days to move a distance of 1000 kilometers (Harris, 2009). Today, however, the travel and transportation sector has undergone a dramatic shift owing to advances in technology.

It is important to note that there would be no fossil fuels if there was no technology in the first place. People rely on fossil fuels to power their cars, motorbikes, ships, trains, and planes for purposes of faster and efficient transportation, but also to explore and expand their possibilities in the world (Harris, 2009). Consequently, it would be in order to argue that technology has improved transportation as both society and business organizations continue to benefit from new transportation methods brought about by technological activity.

Owing to technological advances, people with visual, sensory, and cognitive impairments can now engage in traveling without relying on assistance from their relatives and friends. Various technological innovations, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and touch sensors, have enhanced the mobility and navigation of individuals with special needs (Harris, 2009). This is welcome news considering the fact that people with special needs form a considerable proportion of the population in the United States and abroad.

Lastly, it can be argued that faster modes of transportation brought about by advances in technology have stimulated economic growth as well as regional and global integration (Harris, 2009). Goods for trade can now be transported much faster-using air, land, or sea, resulting in faster economic development. People can now use airplanes to travel to distant foreign lands, resulting in cultural integration and improvement in the quality of life.

Farming is undeniably one of the core areas that have benefited the most from advances in technology. Technology has not only mechanized agriculture through the introduction of complicated equipment such as plows, advanced water sprinklers, and harvesters, but also brought faster maturing and disease-resistant seeds through biotechnology (UseofTechnology, 2012a).

In recent years, courtesy of technology, farming is no longer a labor-intensive endeavor as contemporary agricultural technology allows a small number of farmers to cultivate the land and grow immense quantities of food in a short time-frame and with less input, resulting in higher farm yields and return on investment (UseofTechnology, 2012a). The abundance of food as a result of agricultural technology ensures that many countries are self-sufficient in terms of feeding the population.

Many farmers rely on fertilizers to grow healthy crops. Today, more than ever before, farmers have access to artificial fertilizers that not only add value to the soil composition and nutrients but also boost the growth of food crops to ensure maximum yields. Farmers in ostensibly desert countries such as Egypt and Israel are now in a position to grow healthy oranges and other food crops using technologically automated pumps and sprinklers which draw water from rivers to distant farmlands (UseofTechnology, 2012a).

Drawing from the above exploration of facts, it is evident that technology will definitely contribute towards global food sustainability if concerted efforts are made to harness numerous possibilities provided by agricultural engineering and biotechnology. For instance, recent trends indicate that all countries have the capacity to feed their populations if legislation is made to allow farmers to grow genetically modified crops.

There exists compelling evidence that technology already has a substantial impact not only on communication as a distinct field, but also on the processes, structures, and mediums that are used by people to communicate. It is common knowledge that people, communities, and organizations rely on communicative processes to transfer and receive information. In this respect, it can be argued that technological advances have improved the communicative processes by coming up with innovative products and services that only serve to enrich the communication experience. Recent technology marvels such as the World Wide Web, the Internet, social media platforms, and email capabilities have enhanced the way people exchange information and ideas for mutual growth and posterity (Bezweek & Egbu, 2010).

Advances in technology have brought into the fore effective and efficient mechanisms to disseminate information to the population. Doctors are now using video links to communicate important health information and prescriptions to their patients. In equal measure, politicians are using the television and radio to effectively and efficiently communicate their political ideologies to the electorate. Instructors all over the world are now using the Internet to disseminate teaching materials and assessments to students, who also use the same medium to communicate with their instructors for any clarifications that may be needed. Such communication mediums come with a distinct advantage of reaching a wider audience. Consequently, it can also be argued that technology has assisted our communicative processes to reach a wider audience (Bezweek & Egbu, 2010).

Critics however point to the fact that technology is increasingly alienating people and facilitating a breakdown of the social fabric as it discourages people from interacting physically while communicating (Bezweek & Egbu, 2010). A story is told of a husband and wife who live in the same house but do not see eye to eye and hence prefer to use the mobile phone’s short messaging service to communicate with each other. Such a trend can only lead to the decadence of the social and moral fabric, not to mention that it spells doom to the existence of interpersonal relationships.

Stiff competition for customers and markets is increasingly forcing organizations to improve their production efficiencies. Available literature demonstrates that technology, which is developing at a blinding speed, has taken over as the principal instrument which organizations are using to achieve and sustain productive efficiencies for competitive advantage (Gagnon & Dragon, 2008).

Fast and efficient communication methods used by organizations, including email, fax, and telex, are byproducts of technology. These channels have enabled organizations to save on many resources such as time and money, hence increasing organizational productivity (Gagnon & Dragon, 2008).

Owing to fast Internet connections brought about by recent advances in technology, many organizations are now allowing employees to work from home in an arrangement known as telecommuting. Such an arrangement allows organizations to save on money that could have been paid out to employees in transport allowances.

Moving on, it is evident that software developers are increasingly developing programs that allow organizations to function efficiently and effectively, hence increasing their productive base (Gagnon & Dragon, 2008). Accounting software such as QuickBooks and Sage, for instance, have become critical operating tools for auditors and managers as they attempt to seal loopholes that could see organizations lose money. Such tools can only increase organizational productivity. The Internet has also contributed to organizational productivity due to its rich information base and the capacity it provides to HR managers in recruiting personnel from a wider talent base. Lastly, it is often said that the Internet is increasingly becoming the engine for innovation and creativity within the organizational context.

Recent advances in technology are increasingly challenging the way people perceive some cultural activities and beliefs. To start, it is clear that people are now depending on technology for a host of activities, including socializing, communicating, learning, traveling, and doing business. In this respect, traditional ways of doing things are quickly being overtaken by events that are reminiscent of the digital era. Interpersonal relationships are no longer acknowledged as the preferred way to socialize and create friendship; rather, total strangers are meeting on Facebook or Twitter and creating friendship and mutual trust in cyberspace. Such activities are increasingly questioning our traditional values and beliefs.

One article written by Singh (2012) demonstrates that technology “has a great impact on all the fundamental aspects of all our cultures including laws and how they are enforced, language, art, health care, mobility, education and religion” (para. 4). Several decades ago, culture dictated upon people to seek medical attention in health facilities once they fell sick. Today, however, this cultural belief has been diminished by technology as more and more people seek medical services through telemedicine.

Technology has assisted people to overcome their racial and cultural barriers upon interacting in social media and realizing that it is only the color of their skin that is different but not their cognitive or sensory capabilities (Singh, 2012). The Internet, in particular, has transformed the world into a global village, thus helping people to learn more about other cultures and traditions. These virtual interactions, according to Singh (2012), have been instrumental in assisting individuals to more effortlessly overcome existing cultural and racial barriers.

Recent advances in technology have impacted the media both positively and negatively. On the positive side, it is conceivable to argue the Internet has impacted the media industry in major ways. Amateur online journalists are now downloading publishing software from the Internet and posting content on open publishing sites such as Indymedia (Center for Communication & Civic Engagement, n.d.).

Various media forums have become more interactive due to advances in technology. For example, online newspaper readers can now provide a real-time critique to articles written in mainstream media, while also posting supplementary content to provide context and counterarguments. More importantly, a large number of people are now able to follow news items on the Internet, reflecting a mounting trust in alternative media (Center for Communication & Civic Engagement, n.d). Such exposure and interaction are beneficial for the social, economic, and political development of communities.

On the negative side, technology has been used in advertising campaigns to deceive consumers about the qualities or characteristics of products and services. Multinationals use camera trick technology to deceive innocent consumers that they will look exactly the same as the image on the billboard once they apply the advertised beauty products. Equally worrying is the fact that some gadgets such as mobile phones can be used by young children to access media that is counterproductive to their moral growth and development. Research has also demonstrated that children and a considerable number of adults spend more time relaxing in front of television sets than doing any other productive activity besides sleeping.

It is common knowledge that “with every advancement that is made in the technological world, creative destruction results” (use of technology, 2012b). For example, the Internet has received credit for opening the information superhighway to users; however, the same Internet is been blamed for increased moral decadence by providing a framework through which minors get the opportunity to access phonographic content. In this regard, it can be argued that Technology has contributed immensely to the breakdown of the social fabric.

Some forms of technological innovations serve to drag economic growth and development due to their addictive nature. Some people are known to spend a considerable amount of their productive hours in front of the television set instead of engaging in activities that would uplift their social and economic status. Employees are also known to spend a considerable amount of time on social networking sites instead of engaging in activities that would benefit the organizations they work for. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to hear of terminologies such as acid rain and global warming due to increased pollution (use of technology, 2012b).

Our insatiable appetite for new technologies and the advancement of current technologies has been blamed for not only entrenching the depletion of natural resources but also contributing to increased pollution. Our natural resources are unable to sustain the demand without exploiting and possibly depleting the resources available. Such a trend does not add value to the benefits that we may receive from these technologies as it implies that future generations will not have any resources to depend on. Increased pollution brought about by technology has affected every sphere of our own existence (use of technology, 2012b).

Bezweek, S., & Egbu, C. (2010). Impact of information technology in facilitating communication and collaboration in Libyan public sector organizations . Web.

Center for Communication & Civic Engagement. (n.d.). The Internet’s impact on news media . Web.

Gagnon, Y.C., & Dragon, J. (2008). The impact of technology on organizational performance. Optimum: The Journal of Public Sector Management, 28 (1), 19-31. Web.

Harris, J. (2009). Transportation: The impact of science and technology . London: Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP.

Jaffe, A.B., Newell, R.G., & Stavins, R.N. (2003). Technological change and the environment . Web.

Rose. M.A. (2009). Impacts of technology on the environment: Resources for decision making . Web.

Singh, J. (2012). How technology affects our society . Web.

UseofTechnology. (2012a). Use of technology in agriculture. Web.

UseofTechnology. (2012b). Technology and society – Impact of technology on society . Web.

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