Target Pressure Paradox: Balancing Humanistic Ethics for Organizational Efficiency Through Employee Well-Being

Abstract

Target pressure has become an increasingly important issue because excessive performance demands may reduce employee well-being despite improving organizational efficiency. This study aims to explore the paradoxical relationship between target pressure, humanistic ethics, organizational efficiency, employee well-being, and sustainable educational productivity. A qualitative case study was conducted involving 20 purposively selected informants through semi-structured interviews, observations, document analysis, and field notes, with data analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña interactive model. The findings indicate that excessive target pressure weakened employee well-being, humanistic ethics balanced organizational efficiency, and balanced leadership strengthened sustainable educational productivity. The study proposes an integrated humanistic management perspective connecting organizational performance with employee welfare. Educational leaders should adopt balanced performance management systems that simultaneously prioritize accountability, ethical leadership, and employee well-being.