“One part at a time, one day at a time, we can accomplish any goal we set for ourselves.” — Karen Casey
What are SMART Goals?
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/ Relevant and Time Constrained. It is a simple and systematic goal setting process which allows goals to be clear and focussed which was originally proposed for managers and business leaders aiming to improve goal-setting processes within organisations (Doran, 1981).
What are the benefits of SMART goals?
SMART goals are popular for a reason, they are easy to understand, and even easier to set. The time constraint acts as motivation to continue, and keeping the goals specific and relevant helps athletes focused on what matters the most, and can reduce wasted effort.
In a study done by Lu et al. (2022) they found that in a 12 week intervention combining SMART goal setting with core strength training on adolescents’ physical fitness and exercise attitudes, significant improvements were found in both physical fitness and positive exercise attitudes among participants. All of this is to say that SMART goals definitely have earned a place in sport and goal setting, however they definitely aren’t without issue…
What are the limitations of SMART goals?
SMART goals are actually not based on any research- and the theories have been created based on SMART goals. This is problematic as because of the lack of empirical backing, they can be seen to lack scientific validation.
Additionally, SMART goals don’t specify the type of goal that should be set, and with over 20 types of goal, each of which affect the individual’s experience, it can be said that setting SMART goals may not be the way to effective results!
In addition to this, research by Drach-Zahavy & Erez’s (2002) has shown that exercise is a complex task, based on three dimensions:
- The number of dimensions that must be attended to simultaneously (component complexity).
- The sequencing of acts and coordination required among acts to accomplish the task (coordinating complexity).
- The need to adjust to change which can lead to outcomes such as uncertainty and anxiety (dynamic complexity).
This paired with the research by Latham and Locke (1991) which states that ‘trying for specific, challenging goals may actually hurt performance in certain circumstances’ such as ‘in the early stages of learning a new, complex task’ may suggest that when learning a new skill, SMART goals may be more harmful than helpful.
Research published by Hawkins et al. (2020) found that ‘Active’ participants walked significantly further in the SMART compared to the open condition and insufficiently active participants walked significantly further in the open compared to the SMART condition. This seconds the idea that when learning a new complex task, SMART goals may not be beneficial, however it shows that once the skill is learned and autonomous, SMART goals may have a place in goal setting in athletes.
What are the alternatives to SMART goals?
Colin O’Brady shares in a motivational TED-Talk an excellent alternative to SMART goals. In his talk he shares how he was involved in a tragic burn accident and had to relearn to walk and do everything. He shares how his mother encouraged him to create one outlandish goal- he chose to compete in a triathlon, he then focused solely on this and worked and trained until he was able to not only compete in but also win his triathlon. He then went on to do the 7 peaks aiming for the fastest time ever to complete all 7. This motivational story shows that goals do not have to be time bound, specific or even realistic, but rather they can be almost unimaginable and still have incredibly powerful effects. This type of goal is described as being an ‘open goal’.
Research into open goals have shown that in comparison to specific goals, open goals led to significantly greater performance (Piltcher et al., 2022) and within Sport Psychology research the focus is being shifted to two types of open goals- ‘Do your best’ goals and ‘‘As well as possible’ goals, these two types of goal both focus on the flexibility of the goal, saying something like ‘see how fast you can run 5K’. This type of goal allows for the participant to measure their success, whilst reducing failure, which may increase self esteem and motivation, and provide a promising alternative to the downfalls of more structured goals such as SMART goals.
In conclusion, goal setting is complex, and there is no one size fits all approach to creating the right goals for you, however its worth looking outside of what is most widely implemented, and considering using open goals for specific tasks- especially when learning a new skill!
References:
Doran. (1981). There’s a SMART Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives. Journal of Management Review, 70, 35–36. https://community.mis.temple.edu/mis0855002fall2015/files/2015/10/S.M.A.R.T-Way-Management-Review.pdf
Drach-Zahavy, A., & Erez, M. (2002). Challenge versus threat effects on the goal–performance gfggd relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 88(2), 667–682. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-5978(02)00004-3
Hawkins, R. M., Crust, L., Swann, C., & Jackman, P. C. (2020). The effects of goal types on gfggd psychological outcomes in active and insufficiently active adults in a walking task: Further gfggd evidence for open goals. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 48, 101661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101661
Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (1991). Self-regulation through goal setting. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 212–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90021-K
Lu, Y., Yu, K., & Gan, X. (2022). Effects of a SMART Goal Setting and 12-Week Core Strength gfggd Training Intervention on Physical Fitness and Exercise Attitudes in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 7715. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137715
Pilcher, S., Schweickle, M. J., Lawrence, A., Goddard, S. G., Williamson, O., Vella, S. A., & Swann, C. (2022). The effects of open, do-your-best, and specific goals on commitment and cognitive performance. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 11(3), 382–395. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000301
TEDx Talks. (2017). Change Your Mindset and Achieve Anything | Colin O’Brady | TEDxPortland. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo_lZiytsMw