When to Set Rigid Goals, and When to Be Flexible

Most people strongly prefer flexibility when it comes to choosing their goals, allowing themselves some future wiggle room. But that same logic doesn’t apply when it comes to pursuing those same goals. In fact, once people have set a goal, they are much more likely to complete it when the steps to achievement are set out in a rigid, restrictive way. People are required to make tens of thousands of decisions a day, and one thing people will likely appreciate is the need to make fewer decisions, which a rigid approach to goal pursuit offers. When the goal being pursued is relatively simple, research suggests that a flexible approach typically works best, but when the change required is hard, or if motivation levels on a team seem low, a rigid sequence and structure could be more effective.