Goal Alignment | The Northern Star in Your Organization

A ¼ cup of well-being, a ½ cup of praise
a sprinkle of culture, and a well-deserved raise.
Add these ingredients to your routine
and make the employee experience pristine!
12 sweet treats for organizational cheer,
we've built a master recipe for all to hear.

Employee experience goals are your northern star,
this gift keeps on giving to those both near and far.
The guiding light of employee experience,
Advice and goals for your convenience!

Organizational objectives appear intangible when employees don't understand how their contributions align with the goal. Alignment with employees' career goals and tangible execution steps are necessary to generate results from goal setting. Read on to light the way to fulfilling work and efficient goal-setting practices! 

The Northern Star of Goal Setting  

Organizational objectives can become the Northern Star for your team when strategically created with care. They provide direction, purpose, and a sense of camaraderie when working towards a common objective. And when you take it to the next step and align your organization's goals with employees' career development goals, you go beyond standard goal setting and transcend into the realm of truly meaningful work.   

Goal Alignment occurs when an organization's performance goals are similar to an employee's professional goals. When they align, employees intrinsically strive to achieve the organization's goals because they find personal fulfillment in completing the tasks required. And inversely, employees feel empowered when they can see how their individual contributions contribute to the greater goal. 

Benefits of Goal Alignment 

Gallup, a motivational consulting and research firm, investigated the link between goal alignment and productivity, stating that “employee productivity increases by 56% when managers are involved in helping employees align their goals with those of the organization.” People are more productive when work means something to them as developing professionals.   

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs shows how essential meaningful work is to people and entire organizations. Our most important behavioral need is self-actualization—the ability to grow and progress. Organizational goals meet our self-actualization needs when they allow employees to develop as people and professionals. 

Goal alignment also impacts organizational commitment. PwC’s 2022 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears survey states that “69% of employees said they would change employers for better job fulfillment.” Providing work that is meaningful to all parties involved personally engages people, which improves employee retention.    

Aligning Goals 101 

Teams must discuss and identify similarities between people’s professional and organization goals. Initial discussions can include why people feel their work is essential to the organization and which values both parties share. This process facilitates mutually supported opportunities for alignment.  

Follow the Northern Star 

Andrew Grove, the mind behind the commonly used goal-setting strategy Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), is known for this sentiment: "Strategic change doesn't just start at the top. It starts with your calendar." Using goal-setting strategies and tools breaks high-level goals into actionable items for everyone involved. The OKR framework and tools like Viva Goals track goal progress and establish a timeline for completion. If you'd like to learn more about OKRs and how they can help your team find fulfillment, check out this webinar from our sister company, PixelMill.