[fogx]

SMART goals and KPIs are meant to improve work focus, not work ethos. Those two are not in opposition to each other. IME engineers who don't want to do measurably good work are inexperienced, disgruntled or unmotivated.

Forcing goals onto a disgruntled/unmotivated engineer will end badly. Giving no goals to motivated engineers will also end badly. Giving bad, unrelated or unachievable goals to motivated engineers will end in disgruntled or unmotivated engineers.

You have to get both right.