Abstract

The article discusses the benefits and merits of a nine-phase strategy for a collaborative form of management by objectives (MBO), which has unique features that minimize deficiencies in traditional versions of MBO. The authors argue that MBO could be strengthened considerably by increasing the opportunities for systematic collaboration among managers. Furthermore, MBO programs based on cooperative teamwork and group problem solving would represent a positive step toward rectifying some of the deficiencies found in one-to-one MBO. According to the authors, successful applications of collaborative MBO requires that managers be motivated to shift the climate of the organization, or at least the climate of those units using collaborative MBO.