What’s the Difference Between Projection and Position Goals?
Goals are familiar in business planning, but they are not all built from the same starting point. Some goals begin with a target we want to reach. Others begin with the position we are already in, the forces already moving around us, and the constraints that decide what can happen next.
That is the difference between projection goals and position goals. Projection goals ask, “What do we want, and what actions will get us there?” Position goals ask, “Where are we now, what potential already exists in this situation, and what can we remove or use to create movement?”
What Is the Difference Between Projection and Position Goals?
Anytime we plan our vision and strategy, we are faced with setting goals to mark progress in achieving our objectives. There are two different types of goals we can use: projection goals and position goals.
A projection goal starts with a desired future result. The organization defines the target, then identifies the resources, tactics, and action steps needed to reach it. A position goal starts with the current situation. The organization studies the flow, friction, constraints, and available potential already present, then uses that position as the starting point for improvement.
Both approaches can be useful. The risk is assuming every objective should be treated as a projection goal. Research on ambitious targets, including Harvard Business Review’s discussion of the stretch goal paradox, shows that difficult goals work best under the right conditions. When the situation is unstable, constrained, or poorly understood, a position goal may reveal a better path.
Projection Goals
Projection goals are based on the idea that we first set a goal and then determine the actions necessary to achieve that goal. Think of this as what we can do to change a situation from the outside. It is an external thought process based on the idea that change comes by adding something to a problem.
Military situations provide an excellent context for analyzing projective thinking. Let’s say we are at war and we need to take a nearby hill held by the enemy. Using projection, we would define the actions necessary for success: resources needed, tactics for the attack, and the order of battle to commit our forces. That is standard projection thinking: what can we do to change the situation?
In business we often do the same thing. We set a goal of increasing sales, then identify all the ways we could increase sales, such as adding salespeople, running more ads, or launching new products. It sounds just like the military analogy, doesn’t it? Change by adding to a situation.
Did you notice what happened? The way we defined the goal predetermined what actions we would take. The goal was stated as “take the hill” or “increase sales.” Start with a goal that is not defined well and you have lost before you even started. All of your action planning and future actions will be biased by the description of the goal.
Projective thinking is a western idea that stems from Plato’s model-oriented thinking. We create a model of the would-be action and then make it happen. An opposite approach comes from eastern or Chinese philosophy, which we could call non-projective or position thinking.
Position Goals
We can also think of goals as a position that we start from and not necessarily as an endpoint to our journey. Instead of looking at how to change a situation from the outside, we can look at how to get inside a situation and find the natural flow.
In other words, we need to determine the natural forces of flow or the starting point of the situation, then use this flow to achieve the results we desire. Is that a radical idea? The Theory of Constraints has a related idea. We first identify the constraint to the flow and then subordinate all else to the constraint. The Theory of Constraints Institute’s five focusing steps describe that constraint-first logic directly.
You cannot go faster than the constraint. That means there is a natural flow to your process or situation. Once it is identified, we use that constraint to focus the organization instead of spreading effort across every possible action.
Sun Tzu was a military scientist and commander who lived about 500 B.C. and provides some useful examples of position thinking in The Art of War. The basic idea is to overcome the problem through wisdom and not force. In lean thinking, we call this solving the problem with pull and not push actions.
It starts by properly describing the problem so we can transform objectives into results. In our first example, is the problem to take the hill? Perhaps we could say it another way and state the problem as freeing the hill of the enemy, or use an opposite definition: take the hill by not taking the hill.
What ideas now come to mind? We could starve them out, smoke them out, scare them into leaving, use constant loud noise to prevent them from sleeping, or identify some other way to remove what keeps them in place.
Notice that by defining the goal differently, using an abstract description, we have freed up our mind to seek alternatives that would not have been considered using the projection goal definition. We are now able to think outside the box. The alternatives focus on taking something away, such as food, air, courage, or rest. We can take the hill using wisdom instead of force, suffer fewer casualties, and save ourselves for the next battle.
How can we restate our sales goal of increasing sales? How about defining it as making it easier for customers to buy, or using the opposite definition: increase sales by not focusing on increasing sales. A sale is about asking for the order. When the goal is to increase sales, we start to think about ways of asking for more orders. That sounds like working harder to salespeople instead of working smarter.
Instead of spending more money on more salespeople and advertising, or creating more products, we could find new uses for existing products, take steps out of the sales process, or increase order frequency by eliminating delays. Sales wisdom is about pulling the customer along by removing obstacles in their path.
Potential vs. Planning
The main difference between projection goals and position goals is one of identifying the situation’s potential or starting point for position goals, instead of the action plan needed to realize a projection goal. Every situation has potential energy built up in the system. The question is how we can release this energy as the starting point for process improvement, instead of merely defining action steps to overcome employees’ resistance to improvement.
In Aikido or Judo, two martial arts, one tries to use an opponent’s energy against them instead of constantly trying to overcome that energy with greater force. The opponent’s potential energy is turned back on them, allowing one to overcome the enemy and conserve one’s own energy. Planning your own attack is based on being prepared to counter the opponent with their own energy.
Today, everything is changing quickly. We seem to have less time available, yet we need to get more done. Cycle times are shrinking, competition is increasing, and it is getting harder to plan for the future with confidence. The alternative may not be to abandon thinking, discipline, or objectives. The alternative may be to understand the potential flows around us, then get inside that flow and use it to pull us in the direction we want to go.
Projection goals are useful when the target is clear and the route can be planned. Position goals are useful when the system already contains friction, flow, resistance, and unused potential. Just as with paradigms, the choice is entirely ours. What is in the way of your process that you can remove to make your next improvement?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Projection Goal?
A projection goal is a target set in advance, followed by the actions, resources, and plans needed to reach it. It begins with the desired future state and works backward into an action plan.
What Is a Position Goal?
A position goal begins with the current situation. It looks at existing flow, constraints, resistance, and potential, then uses that position to decide what should be removed, redirected, or improved.
How Are Projection Goals and Position Goals Different?
Projection goals focus on moving toward a defined target. Position goals focus on understanding the starting point and using the situation’s natural forces to create progress.
When Should a Business Use Projection Goals?
A business should use projection goals when the objective is clear, the route can be planned, and the organization needs coordinated action toward a measurable result. Sales targets, launch deadlines, and budget goals often fit this approach.
Why Do Position Goals Help Process Improvement?
Position goals help process improvement because they begin with the system as it exists. By identifying constraints, delays, and obstacles, a business can release potential instead of simply adding more effort.
