Comparison of objectives and policies

There is a difference between the objectives and the policies of an organization. In this part, an attempt has been made to compare the objectives and the policies of the organization. For example, there is a difference between the meaning of objectives and policies. While the objectives can be described as the goals that have to be achieved by the organization, on the other hand, policies can be described as the tools that are used for achieving the objectives of the organization. In the same way, another difference that is present between objectives and policies is related with their need for the organization. While objectives can be described as the foundations of the organization and therefore, any organization without an objective is directionless as it will not be aware of the goals that have to be achieved by it and the direction in which it needs to go. On the other hand, policies provide the means that can be used by the organization to achieve these goals. In this way, while policies are essential for achieving the goals of the organization but they are not indispensable.

In the same way, the objectives of the organization help in deciding the purpose of the organization. In this way, the objectives help in deciding the path that has to be followed by the organization. But the policies do not enjoy such significance. The reason is that the policies only provide the guidelines that have to be used by the organizations for achieving their objectives. In the same way, while the objectives of the organization are decided by the top-level management, the policies have to be decided at all the levels of management in the organization.