What characteristic indicates a goal must produce tangible outcomes?

The characteristic that indicates a goal must produce tangible outcomes is results-based. This concept emphasizes that a goal should not just be an abstract aspiration, but rather should lead to concrete and measurable results. When goals are results-based, they are designed to culminate in outputs that can be observed, measured, or evaluated, allowing for clear assessments of success or failure. This approach is essential in organizational settings, as it aligns individual and team efforts with the overall objectives of the organization, ensuring that efforts contribute to tangible advancements.

While the other options like goal-oriented, quantifiable, and achievable are relevant to goal setting, they do not explicitly highlight the necessity for producing tangible results. Being goal-oriented focuses on having a purpose or direction, quantifiable pertains to the ability to measure outcomes but does not inherently assert their tangibility, and achievable speaks to the realism of the goal rather than its resulting impact. In contrast, a results-based goal concretely links actions to specific outcomes, making it the most appropriate choice for this inquiry.