Frameworks for Clarifying Purpose and Setting Goals
By Erik Bohjort, licensed psychologist and creator of the CLEAR Change Framework, Stockholm, Sweden · 37 pages, PDF
In brief
The first step of CLEAR, Clarify, defines the outcomes a change leader aims to achieve. This reference whitepaper by Erik Bohjort, licensed psychologist and creator of the CLEAR Change Framework compiles the most used frameworks for articulating why an organisation exists, what it wants to achieve and how it will measure success: long-term alignment tools such as mission and vision statements and Simon Sinek's Golden Circle, and execution frameworks such as OKRs, SMART goals, KPIs and Hoshin Kanri.
Each framework is presented with practical application first (about 80 percent) and theory second, with examples, core principles, ideal use cases, strengths and limitations. The theoretical spine is Locke and Latham's goal-setting theory: specific, challenging goals drive higher performance than vague or easy ones, through clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback and task complexity.
Key points
- Covers mission and vision, the Golden Circle, OKRs, SMART goals, KPIs and Hoshin Kanri.
- Grounded in Locke and Latham's five principles of effective goals: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, task complexity.
Questions this paper answers
- Which goal-setting framework does CLEAR recommend?
- CLEAR's Clarify step produces objectives and measurable key results, so OKRs are the natural fit, but the paper presents several frameworks with their ideal use cases so teams can choose what matches their horizon and culture.
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