What does the word goal mean

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the idea of a desired result. For the scoring method in many sports, see Goal (sport). For other uses, see Goal (disambiguation).

A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve.^[1] People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.

A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or aim, the anticipated result which guides reaction, or an end, which is an object, either a physical object or an abstract object, that has intrinsic value.

Goal setting[edit]

Goal-setting theory was formulated based on empirical research and has been called one of the most important theories in organizational psychology.^[2] Edwin A. Locke and Gary P. Latham, the fathers of goal-setting theory, provided a comprehensive review of the core findings of the theory in 2002.^[3] In summary, Locke and Latham found that specific, difficult goals lead to higher performance than either easy goals or instructions to «do your best», as long as feedback about progress is provided, the person is committed to the goal, and the person has the ability and knowledge to perform the task.^[4]

According to Locke and Latham, goals affect performance in the following ways:^[3]

1. goals direct attention and effort toward goal-relevant activities,
2. difficult goals lead to greater effort,
3. goals increase persistence, with difficult goals prolonging effort, and
4. goals indirectly lead to arousal, and to discovery and use of task-relevant knowledge and strategies

A positive relationship between goals and performance depends on several factors. First, the goal must be considered important and the individual must be committed. Participative goal setting can help increase performance, but participation itself does not directly improve performance.^[3] Self-efficacy also enhances goal commitment.^[5] For goals to be effective, people need feedback that details their progress in relation to their goal.^[3] This feedback needs to be positive, immediate, graphic, and specific. Providing feedback leads to set references points and «comparisons to the standard inform their behavioral responses» (Stajkovic A.D. and Sergent, K, Cognitive Automation and Organizational Psychology).

Some coaches recommend establishing specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bounded (SMART) objectives, but not all researchers agree that these SMART criteria are necessary.^[6] The SMART framework does not include goal difficulty as a criterion; in the goal-setting theory of Locke and Latham, it is recommended to choose goals within the 90th percentile of difficulty, based on the average prior performance of those that have performed the task.^[7][3]

Goals can be long-term, intermediate, or short-term. The primary difference is the time required to achieve them.^[8] Short-term goals are expect to be finished in a relatively short period of time, long-term goals in a long period of time, and intermediate in a medium period of time.

Mindset theory of action phases[edit]

Before an individual can set out to achieve a goal, they must first decide on what their desired end-state will be. Peter Gollwitzer’s mindset theory of action phases proposes that there are two phases in which an individual must go through if they wish to achieve a goal.^[9] For the first phase, the individual will mentally select their goal by specifying the criteria and deciding on which goal they will set based on their commitment to seeing it through. The second phase is the planning phase, in which the individual will decide which set of behaviors are at their disposal and will allow them to best reach their desired end-state or goal.^{[10]: 342–348}

Goal characteristics[edit]

Certain characteristics of a goal help define the goal and determine an individual’s motivation to achieve that goal. The characteristics of a goal make it possible to determine what motivates people to achieve a goal, and, along with other personal characteristics, may predict goal achievement.^{[citation needed]}

• Importance is determined by a goal’s attractiveness, intensity, relevance, priority, and sign.^{[10][page needed]} Importance can range from high to low.
• Difficulty is determined by general estimates of probability of achieving the goal.^{[10][page needed]}
• Specificity is determined if the goal is qualitative and ranges from being vague to precisely stated.^{[10][page needed]} Typically, a higher-level goal is vaguer than a lower level subgoal; for example, wanting to have a successful career is vaguer than wanting to obtain a master’s degree.
• Temporal range is determined by the duration of the goal and the range from proximal (immediate) to distal (delayed).^{[10][page needed]}
• Level of consciousness refers to a person’s cognitive awareness of a goal. Awareness is typically greater for proximal goals than for distal goals.^{[10][page needed]}
• Complexity of a goal is determined by how many subgoals are necessary to achieve the goal and how one goal connects to another.^{[10][page needed]} For example, graduating college could be considered a complex goal because it has many subgoals (such as making good grades), and is connected to other goals, such as gaining meaningful employment.

Personal goals[edit]

Individuals can set personal goals: a student may set a goal of a high mark in an exam; an athlete might run five miles a day; a traveler might try to reach a destination city within three hours; an individual might try to reach financial goals such as saving for retirement or saving for a purchase.

Managing goals can give returns in all areas of personal life. Knowing precisely what one wants to achieve makes clear what to concentrate and improve on, and often can help one subconsciously prioritize on that goal. However, successful goal adjustment (goal disengagement and goal re-engagement capacities) is also a part of leading a healthy life.^[11]

Goal setting and planning («goal work») promotes long-term vision, intermediate mission and short-term motivation. It focuses intention, desire, acquisition of knowledge, and helps to organize resources.

Efficient goal work includes recognizing and resolving all guilt, inner conflict or limiting belief that might cause one to sabotage one’s efforts. By setting clearly-defined goals, one can subsequently measure and take pride in the accomplishment of those goals. One can see progress in what might have seemed a long, perhaps difficult, grind.

Achieving personal goals[edit]

Achieving complex and difficult goals requires focus, long-term diligence, and effort (see Goal pursuit). Success in any field requires forgoing excuses and justifications for poor performance or lack of adequate planning; in short, success requires emotional maturity. The measure of belief that people have in their ability to achieve a personal goal also affects that achievement.

Long-term achievements rely on short-term achievements. Emotional control over the small moments of the single day can make a big difference in the long term.

Personal goal achievement and happiness[edit]

There has been a lot of research conducted looking at the link between achieving desired goals, changes to self-efficacy and integrity and ultimately changes to subjective well-being.^[12] Goal efficacy refers to how likely an individual is to succeed in achieving their goal. Goal integrity refers to how consistent one’s goals are with core aspects of the self. Research has shown that a focus on goal efficacy is associated with happiness, a factor of well-being, and goal integrity is associated with meaning (psychology), another factor of well-being.^[13] Multiple studies have shown the link between achieving long-term goals and changes in subjective well-being; most research shows that achieving goals that hold personal meaning to an individual increases feelings of subjective well-being.^[14][15][16]

Self-concordance model[edit]

The self-concordance model is a model that looks at the sequence of steps that occur from the commencement of a goal to attaining that goal.^[17] It looks at the likelihood and impact of goal achievement based on the type of goal and meaning of the goal to the individual.^{[citation needed]} Different types of goals impact both goal achievement and the sense of subjective well-being brought about by achieving the goal. The model breaks down factors that promote, first, striving to achieve a goal, then achieving a goal, and then the factors that connect goal achievement to changes in subjective well-being.

Self-concordant goals[edit]

Goals that are pursued to fulfill intrinsic values or to support an individual’s self-concept are called self-concordant goals. Self-concordant goals fulfill basic needs and align with what psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott called an individual’s «True Self». Because these goals have personal meaning to an individual and reflect an individual’s self-identity, self-concordant goals are more likely to receive sustained effort over time. In contrast, goals that do not reflect an individual’s internal drive and are pursued due to external factors (e.g. social pressures) emerge from a non-integrated region of a person, and are therefore more likely to be abandoned when obstacles occur.^[18]

Those who attain self-concordant goals reap greater well-being benefits from their attainment. Attainment-to-well-being effects are mediated by need satisfaction, i.e., daily activity-based experiences of autonomy, competence, and relatedness that accumulate during the period of striving. The model is shown to provide a satisfactory fit to 3 longitudinal data sets and to be independent of the effects of self-efficacy, implementation intentions, avoidance framing, and life skills.^[19]

Furthermore, self-determination theory and research surrounding this theory shows that if an individual effectively achieves a goal, but that goal is not self-endorsed or self-concordant, well-being levels do not change despite goal attainment.^[20]

Goal setting management in organizations[edit]

In organizations, goal management consists of the process of recognizing or inferring goals of individual team-members, abandoning goals that are no longer relevant, identifying and resolving conflicts among goals, and prioritizing goals consistently for optimal team-collaboration and effective operations.

For any successful commercial system, it means deriving profits by making the best quality of goods or the best quality of services available to end-users (customers) at the best possible cost.^{[citation needed]} Goal management includes:

• assessment and dissolution of non-rational blocks to success
• time management
• frequent reconsideration (consistency checks)
• feasibility checks
• adjusting milestones and main-goal targets

Jens Rasmussen and Morten Lind distinguish three fundamental categories of goals related to technological system management. These are:^[21]

1. production goals
2. safety goals
3. economy goals

Organizational goal-management aims for individual employee goals and objectives to align with the vision and strategic goals of the entire organization. Goal-management provides organizations with a mechanism^[which?] to effectively communicate corporate goals and strategic objectives to each person across the entire organization.^{[citation needed]} The key consists of having it all emanate from a pivotal source and providing each person with a clear, consistent organizational-goal message, so that every employee understands how their efforts contribute to an enterprise’s success.^{[citation needed]}

An example of goal types in business management:

• Consumer goals: this refers to supplying a product or service that the market/consumer wants^[22]
• Product goals: this refers to supplying an outstanding value proposition compared to other products — perhaps due to factors such as quality, design, reliability and novelty^[23]
• Operational goals: this refers to running the organization in such a way as to make the best use of management skills, technology and resources
• Secondary goals: this refers to goals which an organization does not regard as priorities^{[citation needed]}

Goal displacement[edit]

Goal displacement occurs when the original goals of an entity or organization are replaced over time by different goals. In some instances, this creates problems, because the new goals may exceed the capacity of the mechanisms put in place to meet the original goals. New goals adopted by an organization may also increasingly become focused on internal concerns, such as establishing and enforcing structures for reducing common employee disputes.^[24] In some cases, the original goals of the organization become displaced in part by repeating behaviors that become traditional within the organization. For example, a company that manufactures widgets may decide to do seek good publicity by putting on a fundraising drive for a popular charity or by having a tent at a local county fair. If the fundraising drive or county fair tent is successful, the company may choose to make this an annual tradition, and may eventually involve more and more employees and resources in the new goal of raising the most charitable funds or of having the best county fair tent. In some cases, goals are displaced because the initial problem is resolved or the initial goal becomes impossible to pursue. A famous example is the March of Dimes, which began as an organization to fund the fight against polio, but once that disease was effectively brought under control by the polio vaccine, transitioned to being an organization for combating birth defects.^[24]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Mager, Robert Frank (1997) [1972]. Goal analysis: how to clarify your goals so you can actually achieve them (3rd ed.). Atlanta, GA: Center for Effective Performance. ISBN 978-1879618046. OCLC 37435274.
• Moskowitz, Gordon B; Heidi Grant Halvorson, eds. (2009). The psychology of goals. New York: Guilford Press. ISBN 9781606230299. OCLC 234434698.

Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Laron Considine

Score: 4.4/5
(34 votes)

A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.

What is the full meaning of goal?

A goal is an objective or target that someone is trying to reach or achieve. Goal is also the end point of a race or something that a player is trying to put an object into as part of a game. Goal has other senses as a noun. A goal is an aim or objective that you work toward with effort and determination.

What does the word goal mean to you?

One definition of Goal: An observable and measurable end result having one or more objectives to be achieved within a more or less fixed timeframe. A goal is something to accomplish, achieve, attain, meet, pursue, reach, realise, set and exceed.

What are goals for life?

Life goals are all the things you want to accomplish in your life. Often your life goals are very meaningful to you and can make a lasting impact on your life. They can be large and challenging goals, or they can be smaller and more personal. It all depends on what you want to achieve.

What does goal getting mean?

adjective. Soccer. That scores a goal or goals.

16 related questions found

цель, ворота, гол, задача, финиш, мета, место назначения

существительное ↓

Словосочетания

the goal of a classless society — цель бесклассового общества  
the long-range goal of the project — долгосрочная цель данного проекта  
immediate goal — ближайшая цель  
long-range / long-term goal — долгосрочный проект  
ultimate goal — конечная цель  
to achieve / attain / reach / realize a goal — достичь цели  
to kick a goal, make a goal, score a goal — забить гол  
to nullify a goal — аннулировать, не засчитать гол  
goal unjustified — неоправданная цель  
goal line — линия ворот  
a peach of a goal — чертовски красивый гол  
goal programming — целевое программирование, целевое планирование  

Примеры с переводом

Возможные однокоренные слова

goalless  — нерезультативный, без голов

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): goal
мн. ч.(plural): goals

• 1
  goal
  
  

  1) цель, зада́ча

  2) цель, ме́сто назначе́ния

  Англо-русский словарь Мюллера > goal

• 2
  goal
  
  

  Англо-русский словарь строительных терминов > goal

• 3
  goal
  
  

  Персональный Сократ > goal

• 4
  goal
  
  

  Politics english-russian dictionary > goal

• 5
  goal
  
  

  1. n цель, задача

  2. n цель, место назначения

  3. n спорт. ворота

  to keep the goal, to play goal — стоять в воротах, быть вратарём

  4. n спорт. финиш

  5. n спорт. гол

  penalty goal — гол, забитый в результате штрафного удара

  empty goal — гол, забитый в пустые ворота

  6. n спорт. попадание мяча в корзину

  7. n спорт. мета

  Синонимический ряд:

  aim (noun) aim; ambition; aspiration; design; duty; end; finish; function; idea; intent; intention; mark; meaning; object; objective; plan; point; purpose; quaesitum; target; use; view

  English-Russian base dictionary > goal

• 6
  goal
  
  

  Англо-русский словарь по робототехнике > goal

• 7
  goal
  
  

  [ɡəul]

  chief goal главная цель goal спорт. ворота goal спорт. гол goal заданный уровень goal задача goal место назначения goal мета (в древнем Риме) goal требуемый показатель goal финиш goal цель, место назначения goal цель, задача goal цель reliability goal заданная безотказность reliability goal заданный показатель надежности reliability goal требуемый уровень надежности top-level goal вчт. цель верхнего уровня unattainable goal недостижимая цель

  English-Russian short dictionary > goal

• 8
  goal
  
  

  1. цель
  2. требуемый уровень
  3. гол
  4. ворота (хоккей на льду)

  ворота
  Хоккейный термин, обозначающий стальную, трубчатую конструкцию высотой 6 футов (1,83 м) и шириной 4 фута (1,22 м), состоящую из перекладины и двух штанг, к которым крепится сетка.

  ворота
  Разговорный хоккейный термин, который используется для обозначения зоны, огороженной штангами и сеткой, которую защищает вратарь и в которую необходимо забросить шайбу, чтобы заработать очко.
  [Департамент лингвистических услуг Оргкомитета «Сочи 2014». Глоссарий терминов]

  EN

  cage
  Ice hockey term used to refer to a 6 feet (1,83 m) wide by 4 feet (1,22 m) high tubular steel frame consisting of a cross bar and two goalposts to which a net is attached.

  goal
  Informal hockey term used to refer to the area made of the goalposts and the net guarded by the goalkeeper, and into which a puck must enter to score a point.
  [Департамент лингвистических услуг Оргкомитета «Сочи 2014». Глоссарий терминов]

  Тематики

  • хоккей на льду

  EN

  • cage
  • goal

  гол
  шайба
  В хоккее с шайбой гол засчитывается в том случае, если шайба полностью пересекла линию ворот между штангами.
  [Департамент лингвистических услуг Оргкомитета «Сочи 2014». Глоссарий терминов]

  EN

  goal
  In ice hockey a goal is scored when a puck entirely crosses the goal line between the goalposts.
  [Департамент лингвистических услуг Оргкомитета «Сочи 2014». Глоссарий терминов]

  Тематики

  • хоккей на льду

  Синонимы

  • шайба

  EN

  • goal

  цель
  Конечные результаты работы процесса, деятельности или организации, определяющие их соответствие назначению. Цели обычно выражают в измеримых показателях. Термин «цель» также неформально используется для обозначения требования.
  [Словарь терминов ITIL версия 1.0, 29 июля 2011 г.]

  цель
  (в экономической кибернетике, системном анализе) — желаемое состояние выходов системы (конечное состояние) в результате управляемого процесса ее развития. Она устанавливается блоком определения Ц., входящим в управляющую подсистему. Состояния системы (как и ее траектории) оцениваются с точки зрения их соответствия или несоответствия цели. Математическим выражением (моделью) такой оценки является целевая функция или критерий качества системы (в случае оптимизации системы — критерий оптимальности). Конкретная Ц. задачи управления, плана развития экономической системы и т.п. становится объектом рассмотрения тогда, когда есть проблема, т.е. — расхождение желаемого и действительного. Однако действительное определение Ц. — что важно — зависит не только от желания (субъективная сторона), но и от реальных возможностей. Диалектика объективного и субъективного лежит в основе целеполагающей деятельности человека и общества. При управлении развитием сложных целенаправленных систем, как правило, устанавливается иерархия целей (см. Программно-целевой метод планирования и управления), причем достижение более конкретных из них (подцелей) служит средством реализации более общих. Критерии подцелей показывают ту степень, с которой соответствующие действия способствуют достижению общих Ц.
  [ http://slovar-lopatnikov.ru/]

  EN

  objective
  The outcomes required from a process, activity or organization in order to ensure that its purpose will be fulfilled. Objectives are usually expressed as measurable targets. The term is also informally used to mean a requirement.
  [Словарь терминов ITIL версия 1.0, 29 июля 2011 г.]

  Тематики

  • информационные технологии в целом
  • экономика

  EN

  • goal
  • objective

  Англо-русский словарь нормативно-технической терминологии > goal

• 9
  goal
  
  

  [gəʋl]

  1. 1) цель, задача

  2) цель, место назначения

  my goal is in sight — я уже вижу место своего назначения; ≅ (вдали) показался город, куда я ехал

  Naples is my goal in this tour — в этой поездке моя конечная цель — Неаполь

  1) ворота

  to keep /to stay in/ the goal, to play goal — стоять в воротах, быть вратарём

  2) финиш

  1) гол

  to kick /to make, to score/ a goal — забить гол

  to win [to lose] by three goals — победить со счётом 3:0 [проиграть со счётом 0:3]

  goal counts [does not count] — мяч считается [не считается] забитым

  it’s a goal!, goal! — гол!

  2) попадание мяча в корзину ()

  to knock smb. for a goal — одержать полную победу над кем-л.; нанести сокрушительный удар кому-л.

  НБАРС > goal

• 10
  goal
  
  

  [gəul]

  сущ.

  1) задача, цель; место назначения

  long-range / long-term goal — долгосрочный проект

  to achieve / attain / reach / realize a goal — достичь цели

  Syn:

  to kick a goal, make a goal, score a goal — забить гол

  own goal — брит. гол, забитый в свои ворота, автогол

  Англо-русский современный словарь > goal

• 11
  goal
  
  

  English-russian dctionary of diplomacy > goal

• 12
  goal
  
  

  1. цель

  2. заданный показатель; заданный уровень

  performance goals — заданные параметры эксплуатационных качеств ; технологические показатели

  English-Russian big polytechnic dictionary > goal

• 13
  goal
  
  

  сущ.

  1)

  ,

  упр.

  задача, цель; целевой показатель [уровень]

  to achieve [attain, reach, realize] a goal — достичь цели

  long-range [long-term] goal — долгосрочная [стратегическая] цель

  Our management goal is to improve the quality of technical publications at all levels. — Цель нашего руководства состоит в улучшении качества технических публикаций на всех уровнях.

  Syn:

  2)

  to kick [make, score] goal — забить гол

  * * *
  
  цель: финансовая цель человека или учреждения (напр., человек хочет накопить достаточно денег для оплаты образования детей, а инвестор ждет повышения цены акций до 50 долл., чтобы продать их и реализовать прибыль).

  Англо-русский экономический словарь > goal

• 14
  goal
  
  

  Англо-русский словарь нефтегазовой промышленности > goal

• 15
  goal
  
  

  цель
  имя существительное:

  Англо-русский синонимический словарь > goal

• 16
  goal
  
  

  Англо-русский юридический словарь > goal

• 17
  goal
  
  

  English-russian dctionary of contemporary Economics > goal

• 18
  goal
  
  

  English-Russian dictionary of Information technology > goal

• 19
  goal
  
  

  English-Russian big medical dictionary > goal

• 20
  goal
  
  

  цель; задача; место назначения

  atomic goal — атомарная цель; элементарная цель

  English-Russian dictionary on nuclear energy > goal

Last Updated:
14 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences