Bibliographic Entry
Mager, R. (1997). Goal Analysis: How to Clarify Your Goals So You Can Actually Achieve Them (3rd Ed.). CEP Press.
Biographical Sketch of the Author
Robert Mager was a renowned American author and psychologist born in 1923 and died in May 2020. Mager was well known for his concern to understand and improve human performance. To do this, he developed various frameworks that would help prepare learning objectives and address areas aimed for goal orientation. Mager is well known for coming up with a structure that can be used to develop learning objectives and addressing matters like student motivation, student evaluation, and goal orientation. Mager’s contributions resulted in the transformation of the performance improvement industry.
Mager did an undergraduate in Psychology at Ohio University, where he completed in 1948. He then completed his masters in Psychology in 1950 and was given some psychology classes there for four years. IN 1954, he enrolled for a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology. Before his death, Mager did several experiments on human development in areas such as instructional sequencing, learning objectives, goal analysis, and criterion-referenced instructions. He has written thirteen books and sold about four million copies globally. All his books are written in easy-to-read styles and humor, which is unlike most academic works.
Summary of the Contents / Synopsis
For one to achieve any goals, there is a need for them to be translated into specific, observable, and desired performances. The third edition of Merger’s book “Goal Analysis” gives the reader a simple, precise, and step-by-step procedure that one can use to achieve the goals. The book has five parts; the first one is why it does, the second one is When to do it, the third one is How to do it, the fourth part is Variations and consequences and lastly, a summary of sorts.
The first two parts of “Goal Analysis” explain the reasons for goal analysis comprehensively, and when an individual should do it. Mager explains that the reason for goal analysis is to explain aspects that are indefinable. Notably, in most instances, an individual can come up with abstract goals, which is not possible to evaluate whether or not they were archived. He refers to such types of goals as “fuzzies.” Mager argues that individuals can make decisions according to given management or teaching procedures, and one can decide on how to evaluate the choices. Then, the third part of the book outlines the five guidelines which one should adhere to when analyzing goals. The first thing which one should do s writing down the goals, followed by writing down the performances which would prompt the agreement which an individual achieves. The third thing is that an individual should delete all the repetitions that occurred in the second rule. The fourth aspect is one should state logically the explanation of expected results, for instance, the nature, quality, or amount of the end result. Fifthly, one should check for the completeness of the set goals.
The fourth part of Mager’s book explains b the need for documenting some surprises that can happen when one adheres to these steps. Mager explains that one thing individuals should know when using goal analysis guidelines is that things do not always turn out as expected (85). Markedly, there are instances when one gets variations, some of which can have a massive impact on the whole plan.
Lastly, the fifth part of the book is an evaluation chapter which the reader can use to test the knowledge he or she got from the book. The writers have written an evaluation in which an individual who completed reading the book can use to analyses how well they understand the concepts. Then, the writer gave his responses to the evaluation questions to make it easier for the reader to do an evaluation. Alternatively, the reader can refer to the book to confirm their answers.
Critical Evaluation
Notably, setting, clarification, and evaluation of goals is one of the key aspects not only academically, but also in life in general. Therefore, Mager’s book “Goal Analysis” is worth reading not only for students but also for any other person who wishes to be more effective at formulating and achieving goals. The book has clearly outlined the procedure which can help in describing different meanings of goals which an individual wants to be met, whether as understandings, appreciations, or as attitudes.
There are several books that discuss the importance of having goals, but this one by Mager (1997) has explained how to write down the goals. One issue which the author describes is “fuzzy” words, which prevent individuals from understanding what the goals are. Notably, such terms are not only used by individuals but also by organizations when setting their objectives. For instance, an organization can state its goal ass to become a leaner or safer company. The reader terms such goals as fuzzy, because two individuals can agree on the magnitude of achieving such goals. Thus, the author is explaining to readers that one should ensure they set concrete goals that can be measured, and they are specific. Rather than a company explaining that it wants to become a safer company, they can explain that they want to reduce the total injuries staff get within the company premises by 60%. Similarly, instead of having workers who are efficient, the company can argue that it wants to increase its production by fifteen percent. With the detailed explanation of fuzzy words, the author wants readers to avoid them for better goal formulation. The five steps which the author has explained for setting goals are followed by numerous examples from various disciplines. Markedly, the use of examples helps the reader to relate the contexts of the book to real-life examples (Mager 80). In the entire book, the writer makes the reader connect accordingly with the context. Notably, there are several opportunities where the reader can do the activities which the author is doing. For instance, recognizing the differences between abstractions and performances (Mager 37-49), ensuring that goals describe the end and not the means (Mager 48). Also, one can practice the process of goal analysis and compare the results with the author’s responses (Mager 103-109). Notably, the interaction which this author creates with the reader is crucial since the reviewer needs to do the goal analysis eventually. Therefore, one gets a chance to practice this prior.
Although in this book, the author has dwelled majorly on how to analyses goals effectively, he has also explained what an individual should do after goal analysis (Mager 125-127). Markedly, after analyzing goals, an author can determine the performances that currently work effectively, the ones which are not effective due to skill deficiencies, and others, which could have failed as a result of other causes. Although this review process is more common with flow charts, it was exciting to understand that one can also use them in goal setting. Similarly, Mager (128-131) explained effectively how an individual could use goals to set charts.
Another interesting aspect of this book is the “zone of reason,” where the reader is encouraged to have a conversation about the book with a fictional listener. The main idea behind this is that if a reader can explain to someone how goal analysis is done, it shows that they have an effective grasp of the subject.
Mager’s book is short, with the third edition having only 121 pages. Additionally, the book was fun to read, because it comprised of sections where the writer would pose a question that the reader was expected to answer. From the answer which the reader gave, it would determine the page which one needed to proceed to. Additionally, the book allows the reader to have constant interactions with the writer, which makes it more fun and interesting to read. Furthermore, Mager (1997) has used numerous built-in practice diagrams, checklists, and exercises. Lastly, the book is made interesting by the use of conversational and humorously style.