Target group
Target groups serve for describing stakeholders, counterparts, and other people with whom relationships exist. They are created based on the same or similar characteristics, e.g., industry sector, market segment, organization, region, or other units. Even if this is mainly about bundling several people, individuals can also be described as target groups in special cases. Target groups are needed, especially in communications, sales and management. This model offers different basic types of target groups that must be described in practice with the respective specific characteristics, e.g., customers (among other things age, family status, liquidity), employees (among other things hierarchy, specialty, experience).
Four types of target groups exist: Individuals, Groups, Organizations, or Networks.
- Individuals
An Individual is a person with its perception, nature, communication as well as thinking and acting. The personality is characterized by context, actions, abilities, and convictions, and identity and affiliation to a larger whole.
- Groups
A group consists of several people representing one unit based on shared goals, values, rules, language, or the like. They have mutual cohesion and solidarity with each other.
- Organizations
An organization is an abstract entity of individuals and groups with a common structure and defined relationships. There are common group characteristics (e.g., activities, convictions) in an organization. A design based on the division of labor that is defined systematically exists for a certain period and is held together by formal rules.
- Networks
A network is a complex entity of organizations, groups, and individuals with aligned relationships. The network consists of legally independent units that, on the one hand, are in competition with each other and cooperate at the same time. On the other hand, a network is characterized by common goals and structures challenged by polycentric, changing power, and decision authority.
The present model is used for the fundamental classification of target groups. On this basis, the respective aspects can be further specified. In the context of networks, it is a matter of, e.g., joint motivation and goals. In the case of individuals, the focus is on personal aspects, like abilities, convictions.