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Hairy Goals and Organizational Fit: A Case of Implementing ICT-Supported Task Planning in a Large Hospital Region

ABSTRACT Most studies on goal-setting practices and organizational change examine their effects on employee motivation and performance. Goal-setting practices are treated as an independent variable, stimulating some social or individual response. Relatively few studies of organizational change have considered requirements of goal-setting practices linked to the characteristic features of the organization. In this study, we examined the significance of a fit between characteristic features of the organization and goal-setting practices. Empirical studies suggest that characteristics of the organization should be considered to fully understand the effects of goal-setting practices. A large hospital region in Norway indicated that the goal-setting practice resembles what is commonly known as ‘hairy goals’. These goals were well adapted to the characteristics of the case organization. In particular, they reduced the risk of a collision of rationalities among hospital employees. The low level of resistance and conflict in the case studied here stands out from the experience of other major organizational changes in the Norwegian hospital sector. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach utilizing governing documents from the health sector, interviews of key personnel, and an employee survey.