• Why is a conceptual framework of objectives important in decision making?
  • What are the most important characteristics of good objectives?
  • How should objectives be chosen and established?
  • How can objectives be used profitably by management?

We are all faintly amused by the aptness of the old quotation, “Having lost sight of our objective, we redoubled our efforts.” Everyone admits to having been caught in this situation atone time or another. But is it possible that most large organizations are in this predicament a good part of the time?
A version of this article appeared in the May 1964 issue of Harvard Business Review.