Title: Target Dictatorship

I have seen many different ways in which organizations go about Target setting. One company I visited had a target of implementing the Balanced Scorecard within two weeks of the announcement. They got just two weeks of notice - and the CEO expected this to happen? I advised them to go back to the CEO and tell him that this is not doable, but they refused. "A target which is dictated has to be delivered".

I am just thinking about the end result of fulfilling this target. This company had no clear strategy, no processes up front, no resources to do the job and no commitment from the management. Clearly, it will fail and they all know that. But why did they not dare to say this to the CEO?

It is better to be defiant and to speak up to the CEO if the targets set are unreasonable, than to fulfill them just for the sake of meeting deadlines without achieving any real benefits for the organization. So dare to speak up and tell him about the time and effort involved in the proper implementation of something as important as the Balanced Scorecard.

Author : Tor Inge Vasshus

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