Bus 518 - the Diversity of Allstate

The Diversity of AllState

Student Name

Professor Name

Leadership and Organizational Behavior

BUS 520 (Section Number)

Date

Using the Model for Goal Setting, Evaluate Allstate’s Goal Setting Process to Determine Whether or Not Allstate has an Effective Goal Setting Program

In order to determine if Allstate is effective in the goal setting process, the goal setting model must first be examined. The goal-setting model consists of the following three major components:

• Challenge: A goal should not be too easy to achieve, yet at the same time not be too difficult to the point an employee feels there is no way to achieve it. The goal should also be well understood by both the manager and employee and clear versus abstract. The outcome of the goal should be specific and measurable. Self-efficacy comes into play as well because an employee with low self-efficacy prefers goals that are not as challenging versus someone with high self-efficacy. Allstate has a very challenging work environment where both employees and managers are held to high standards. According to the senior vice president of human resources, James DeVries, "The internal diversity focus is about unlocking the potential for excellence in all workers by providing them the tools, resources and opportunities to succeed" (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011), which means that although Allstate challenges its employees, it also ensures that they are set up for success and are ready to meet the challenge by providing opportunities for training and development.

• Moderators: Moderators "buffer the relationship between goals and performance" (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011) and include the following:

o Ability: Ability can be compared to self-efficacy. Some individuals feel more able to accomplish a complex task than others who feel they are not competent enough. Employees who believe they have more ability will sign up for more challenging work versus employees who do not...