Allstate

Using the model for goal setting, evaluate Allstate's goal setting process to determine whether or not Allstate has an effective goal-setting program Goal setting is an important and essential tool in helping organizations to remain productive and profitable. Goal setting allows an organization to evaluate employee performance and to define what areas of the organization are in need of improvement. The basic components of the goal setting model are Challenge, Moderators, Mediators, Rewards, Satisfaction, and Consequences. The following is a brief description of the basic components of the goal setting model. Challenge is defined through the difficulty level of the goals. The moderators of Ability, Goal Commitment, Feedback, Task Complexity, are used to moderate the relationship strength between performance and goals. Mediators such as Direction of Attention, Persistence, and Effort, all serve to support the achievement of the defined goals. The factor of rewards is an important component in goal setting. Rewards are key in motivating employees to achieve the organizations goals and to maintain a high performance level. The factor of satisfaction can be influenced by many things, including the accomplishment of a goal and positive interaction between fellow co-workers. Lastly, the factor of consequences. The consequences of reaching goals are employees committing to and accepting future challenging goals. In using the aforemetioned factors of the goal setting model to evaluate Allstate's own effectiveness in goal setting, one finds that Allstate is a company with clearly defined goals for achieving success. Allstate's effectiveness in goal setting is demonstrated in the company's plan for achieving employee diversification. Allstate's has taken four key steps, that closely follow the basic goal setting model, in order to accomplish their goal of diversity. Step one was the implementation of a succession program. Allstate's succession program allows them to identify and develop a diverse slate of candidates for key positions within the company. Step two in Allstate's plan is development. In Allstate's development process, the current job skills of an employee are assessed and then a plan is developed to give the employee the necessary skills for advancement. The third step in Allstate's diversity plan is measurement. According to James DeVries, senior vice president of Allstate's human resources, “What you measure is what people focus on.” Twice a year, Allstate implements a survey called the Diversity Index to all of its 36,000 employees. The feedback from this survey is used to improve the work process and create action programs to solve problems. Allstate's fourth and final step is Accountability and Reward. Allstate has a number of programs in place to help employees balance their work and their personal life. In implementing these four steps, Allstate has shown an ability to challenge its employees, establish there ideas in a clear manner, and commit to there objectives, this makes the company effective in the use of the goal setting model. Discuss the competitive advantage Allstate has from the development of the Diversity Index Allstate's commitment to recruiting, developing, and retaining employees of diverse genders, lifestyles, ages, and cultural backgrounds, has given the company a key advantage in the business world. Allstate's Diversity Index serves to further support their commitment to employee diversity. “Carlton Yearwood, director of diversity management, says that programs in the 60s and 70s were geared toward assimilating cultural differences into Allstate's culture. Today, the focus is on accepting these differences. The question thus becomes: "How do you take this workforce of differences and bring them together in a more powerful way so that it can impact business results'" asks Yearwood.” (4) By integrating diversity into its business strategy, Allstate is able to gain an advantage in both the workplace and the marketplace. "Diversity has become an initiative that has clear business outcomes," Yearwood says. "If you start by having customers say they want to interact with knowledge workers who are like themselves, that gives the customers absolute best services and products. Through the diversity initiative, we demonstrate our commitment to a diverse marketplace."(5) Committing to diversity means that Allstate is able to effectively leverage the differences of their approximately 40,000 employees. Because Allstate is able to recruit and hold on to a diverse talent pool of employees, they are also able to provide and tailor their services to a diverse and large pool of clients. Recommend the types of high-performance reward system Allstate should use to motivate its employees to reach its diversity goals. The success of a company is in the hands of its employees. When employees are motivated, it will make a difference to bottom line of the company. Employee reward programs are a good way to create a motivated workforce. Employee rewards help to increase focus, a key to reinforcing desired behaviors and developing new habits; in addition, rewards in the workplace build a connection between meeting personal and professional goals. It is, therefore, important for a company to give strong consideration to developing an effective employee rewards system. The following is list of ideas that could be used by Allstate to possibly increase employee motivation. The first idea is to directly involve managers and supervisors in the reward incentive. In other words, managers and supervisors, can give employees a reward with a personal touch, such as, a hand written note or a card. It is important for the employee to know that particular awards come directly from a manager or supervisor. Idea number two, in the rewards program, is to reward an employee for his or her efforts, and to just for the achievement of a goal. Sometimes group or organizational goals may fall short, despite the hard work and efforts of employees. In some of these cases, employee efforts should still be recognized. The third idea is the reward employees with extra day or days off. The fourth and final idea is to reward the employee with a special company parking space. This idea may seem simple, but offering an employee with a parking space that is close to the company entrance and is personalized with his or her name, could prove to be a highly motivating reward. If you were an Allstate employee, discuss whether or not you would be motivated by the Diversity Index and QLMS. Provide a detailed explanation In performing an examination of Allstate's Diversity Index and the Quarterly Leadership Measurement System or QLMS, I find that for me, these programs would be highly motivating. I believe that under these programs my ideas would be highly valued. My ideas would be valued, not simply to inject a feeling of well being in me, but rather, my ideas are inextricably linked to the company's commitment to diversity. Also, I would find it highly motivating that the success of these programs are tied to my personal success and advancement within the company. Ultimately, these programs seem to be designed to give employees the understanding that the sharing of their ideas and their success is important to Allstate.