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On 28 Jan 99 at 8:12, Jack Ring wrote:


> This may strike you as a trivial distinction but my point was that
> management literature over the past years has largely inverted the
> meanings and made Objective the quantitative event about which
> celebrations can be held. Meanwhile the rest of the world continues
> to enjoy meeting their goals.

Perhaps they have taken their meaning of the word objective from the
education and training field where an OBJECTIVE means a measurable
outcome (and measurable in a quanitiative, "objective" (as opposed to
subjective way).

Robert Bacal, author of PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT,(McGraw-Hill). Details at
http://members.xoom.com/perform and http://members.xoom.com/cooperate.
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Andrew,

>Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 16:42:53 +1300
>From: Andrew Smith <andrewtsmith@XTRA.CO.NZ>
[...]
>I don't know if I mist it, but is there a URL for this? [...]

Try http://home.att.net/~nickols/distance.htm>
>
>2 [...] I'd be interested in your definitions of 'Goal' and 'Objective'.
>
Goal is an Event (or Goooooal, as they say in World Cup) that, when
achieved, causes points to be awarded. Not to be confused with Milestone
which is simple acknowledgement of achieving a measurable state but in
which no points are awarded.

Objective, is a Direction (as in "to become ---) that alludes to achieving
a state but a more qualitative description than quantitative. The current
buzz phrase "world class" is an objective and is not likely to ever become
a goal because it is not likely to be defined quantitatively.

This may strike you as a trivial distinction but my point was that
management literature over the past years has largely inverted the meanings
and made Objective the quantitative event about which celebrations can be
held. Meanwhile the rest of the world continues to enjoy meeting their
goals.

Jack Ring
32712 N. 70th St., Snottsdale, AZ 85262-7143
sendmail: jring@amug.org
602-488-4615, Cell) 602.369.4615, Fax)602-488-4616
Better make your New Year's Eve reservations early.