Behavioral Goals in the Workplace

Behavior has been a concern of workplace leaders for years. The trend began in the 1970s and 1980s when companies as a whole began to move back from the traditional views of the business as a type of machine and started accepting broader definitions that saw organizations as a collection of complex individuals that could move in a more organic way. As a result, business strategies began to incorporate behavioral elements. Managers started studying how employees acted at work and in what ways they should be encouraged to act.

Compatibility refers to how well employee attitudes match business circumstances, a vital part of building company culture. Leaders set specific goals to prepare employees for key company changes. For example, moving to an international arena typically requires a paradigm shift among employees in which they must be willing to accept overseas partners, cultural differences and language barriers. Patience and flexibility become much more important parts of behavior. Other changes will also require other alterations in behavior.

Feedback is a key area of behavior in the workplace, but in this case the goals are set primarily for managers, not the employees themselves. Managers provide feedback to train employees and troubleshoot workplace problems or performance issues. Many managers, however, are unaware of how their feedback is received. Behavioral goals seek to train managers to understand employee emotions and construct their feedback so that employees are encouraged do not misunderstand.

Personal behavior refers to the ways employees treat their peers in general. For most workplaces, behavioral goals call for mutual respect, encouragement and fairness in the workplace. This becomes especially important in teamwork, so behavioral organization is applied to teams more than any other business segment. Organization systems can also affect personal behavior. For example, an incentive program based on bonuses and performance may encourage backstabbing and jealously and go against behavioral goals.

Other behavioral goals deal more with employee actions. Wellness programs in businesses seek to change employee habits and actions to improve worker health and emotional balance. Wellness programs train employees to eat more healthily, exercise and treat themselves well so that they are able to perform their tasks at maximum effectiveness.