Pamela,
this is very true & often the two pronged approach is the most effective.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think a combination of the two would work best for my team. The top down approach works for organizational goals but a bottom up approach can work for specific goals related to individual program specific goals.
Ryan,
yes, this is a great example of how the president's vision can be used for all of you to set effective goals for your respective areas.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Both “top-down” and “bottom-up” are used within the company, depending on the level of the employee. The President has set a strategic plan which is broken down into different levels of management. Then goals are set with-in each team to achieve the goals set in the strategic plan.
Based on where I am at, top down goal-setting process has the most benefit for career schools. The SBU president has a vision for the future and it is executed through the subordinates. This organizational goal setting would work best in this setting.
andrea,
this is so true; we do not have to be passive. We can share our thoughts on the goals & help in the overall process.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
We are part of a large organization of schools and goals are set in a top-down approach. However, I believe the best approach, and what they are always striving to do better, is more of an integration of the two approaches; although goals may be set at the top, they are trying hard to take into account the opinions and responsibilities of those on the bottom, who will actually be responsible for carrying out tasks. Although goals may continue to come from the top, better communication and more feedback from the bottom will result in much more realistic and attainable goal-setting.
Based on the staff I currently work with, I would employ a bottom up goal-setting process. The way the team is currently setup, moral is not the best and the motivation seems to come from within. By allowing them to develop goals toward the overall institution it could help boost moral and give them ownership in the overall vision of the institution.
I have used both & found them to both be very effective.
I have brand new staff and seasoned staff members on my team, so I would use a different approach and incorporate stategies that would acheive the desired results depending on which team member I was working with. I would use a top-down appraoch with my new staff and a bottom-up with my seasoned staff, this way each team member would get the direction that they need.
I would pick both...that way the manager and employee can discuss the necessary and feasible for them and the company.
You would have to be more specific and explain "level of experience" and "motivation." In general I would opt for both ways. As a manager, because of the information I have about the organization,. there are top down goals I would need to enumerate. Depending on the kind of experience and motivation my staff has, I would like to think they could do some bottom up goals that would feed into the top down goals.
Maple,
and this is a great approach to balance the two as you would not want to frustrate the process on either side.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I use both models depending on the goal we are setting. My team consists of faculty who are aware of our organization goals, but as instructors they have different goals they need to meet which are integrated in the Department overall goals.
I find that a combination of the two methods would be tyhe most effective. It allows the employees to feel active in some of the rules that may affect them. This would also allow for the "top" management to hear other methods and ideologies and be able to come up with a method that may not have been tested or even looked at. Either way multiple voice are heard with the greater good in mind.
Jae,
I agree with your conclusions here. We must have those top-down goals to give us direction, but the bottom up are key for buy in.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I believe it is appropriate to use both. Employees need to set their own goals at every level of an organization, but also need top down goals that are aligned with company expectations and long-term goals.
Melissa,
I agree that really goals should come from both directions & there is a time & place for both.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think in many ways, there needs to be a balance of both. Top down goals are necessary to accomplish many initiatives. However, bottom-up can motivate staff into taking a more proactive role in their students education. Management often has a different persepctive of what needs to be accompished to run smooth corporately. But teachers and support staff are in the trenches and can valuable resources when allowed set their own goals for school success.
I would use a combination of the top down and bottom up processes. I believe it is important for our individual staff members to convey their own priorities and personal goals. However, I have a responsibility to ensure that these goals fit into the global mission of the department and the entire school. So, in this sense I would also be incorporating the top-down goal setting process.
