Chapter 9 - Developing strategic performance management systems Flashcards
(55 cards)
What is performance measurement?
Process of assessing the proficiency with which a reporting entity suceeds, by the economic acquisition of resources and their efficient and effective development, in achieving its objectives
What are the fours ways in which performance measures could act to control the behaviour of people within the organisation according to Neely (four CPs)?
Confirm Priorities
Compel progress
Check position
Communicate position
What should management be aware of when changing the performance measurement system?
Too many changes may lead to ‘indicator overload’
If something is highlighted in the system the importance of it is being highlighted to staff
If something drops from system you are telling staff it is no longer important
What are some financial performance measures?
Sales margin (gross profit margin)
Net profit margin
ROCE
What are the advantages of financial measures of performance?
Culturally expected
Focus on financial objectives
Comparable against companies
Cheap
Established framework for preparation in many cases
Tend to focus onto resource generation and so survival in the long term
What are the disadvantages of financial measures of performance?
Inflation distortion
Leads to suboptimal and short termist behaviour
Lack of comparability
Understood by select few
Subjectivity can exist in calculation
What are the advantages of non-financial measures?
Wider view
Easier to calculate
Easy to understand
Not distorted by inflation
Can emphasise broad spectrum of management
Positive motivational implications
What are the disadvantages of non-financial measures?
Some can be difficult to calculate
Subjectivity exists in design, interpretation and calculation
Can lead to indicator overload
Costly
Culture clash implications
Constant change requires constant monitoring
What is strategy mapping?
Developed by Kaplan and Norton as an extension to the balanced scorecard to make implementations of scorecard more successful
What are the steps involved with strategy mapping?
- Identifying overriding objective of organisation
- Determine main way organisation will create value, given overriding objective
- Identify financial strategies to support this = financial perspective
- Identify skills and competencies needed to support strategies = learning and growth perspective
- Identify how internal processes will support strategies = internal perspective
- Clarify customer-orientated strategies supporting overall strategy = customer perspective
What are the benefits of the balanced scorecard?
Avoids management reliance on short termist or incomplete financial measures
Managers may be able to identify problems earlier
Ensure that divisions develop success measures for their division that are related to the overall corporate goals of the organisation
Assist stakeholders in evaluating the firm if measures are communicated externally
What are the drawbacks of the balanced scorecard?
Does not provide a single overall view of performance
No clear relation between scorecard and shareholder analysis
Measures may give conflicting signals and confuse management
Often involves a substantial shift in corporate culture in order to implement it
What is at the top of the performance pyramid?
Corporate vision
What is at the second level of the performance pyramid?
Business unit - Market and financial measures
What is at the third level of the pyramid?
Business operating systems - Customer satisfaction, flexibility and productivity
What is at the lowest level of the performance pyramid?
Departments and work centres - contains day to day operations
Quality, delivery, cycle time, waste
What does the left hand side of the pyramid focus on?
External focus, predominantly non-financial
What does the right hand side of the pyramid focus on?
Internal efficiency, predominantly financial
Who created the building block model?
Fitzgerald and Moon
What are the three building blocks?
Dimensions
Standards
Rewards
What was the building block model first devised as?
Solution to performance measurement problems in service industries
What is included in the dimensions block?
Goals for the business
Measures include:
Profit
Competitiveness
Resource Utilisation
Quality Issues
Innovation
Flexibility
What is the standards block?
Measures used
To ensure success it’s vital that employees view standards as achievable and fair and take ownership of them
Ownership
Achievability
Equity
What is the rewards block?
To motivate employees to meet standards, targets need to be clear and linked to controllable factors
Clarity
Motivation
Controllability