Personal vs. Organizational Goals

If the organizational goal does not match with employees’ personal goals, which one should prevail? This dilemma reminds me of psychologist Erik Erikson and his psychosocial development theory. Erikson believed that every stages in human growth focused on overcoming a conflict. Success or failure in dealing with each stage impacts overall functioning. For example, during adolescence, the primary conflict is to establish personal identity. Failure to do so results in role confusion while successful completion of each stage lead to healthy personality. For this paper’s topic, this falls under the adulthood stage, occurring from ages 18 to 40 where someone battles between intimacy vs. isolation. Relationships become long term commitments which afford safety, care and trust. Though this theory obviously focuses on finding lifetime partners, I would like to think that this theory plays well in the conflict of personal vs. organizational goals. There are people who transfer from one workplace to another, leaving their resumes littered with lists of companies they have worked with, while others remain loyal to the company where they have started working professionally until their time of retirement. Some companies may have provided culture and relationships that promote strong employees’ commitment that are hard to break and leave behind despite conflicts of personal and organizational goals.

Looking at our dilemma again, there are two sides and standpoints to consider. Management will definitely require that their goals win over employees’ personal goals during times of conflict. On the other hand, employees want that the management will listen to their personal arguments and allow that their own goals prevail over that of the organizations. We see this conflict and have probably read about failed collective bargaining agreements resulting in employee unions’ protests. These are disruptive and unproductive for both parties concerned yet these occur in real life due to unyielding parties.

One of the biggest concern of top business leaders when it comes to managing human resources is the difficulty of convincing the workforce that when they align with the company’s goals, their personal goals will be met too (Collins, Porras 2004). Applying Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the context of businesses, we note that basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. must be satisfied first before employees can progress to the higher levels which involve self-esteem and self-actualization. It is my opinion that when personal and organizational goals clash, effective management should support personal growth. This can be done through the establishment of performance culture where management works involvedly in both personal and organizational level - engaging with employees while setting the direction of the organization. When management ignores employees’ personal interests and conerns, the employees become uninterested and unmotivated in achieving the goals of the organization. Effective leaders ask how to help the people they are leading, and when employees know that their needs are important and being addressed by the organization, they become motivated and productive at work. Effective leaders also present all the necessary information to employees—how employees’ performance impact organizations’ goals and success financially. When employees are educated, they feel more involved and empowered towards the organizations.

References

Collins, J., & Porras, J. I. (2004). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. New York: Harper Business.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Learning Theories. (2014). Retrieved June 25, 2016, from http://www.learning- theories.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs.html

McLeod, S. (2013). Erik Erikson. Retrieved June 25, 2016, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html