Measurement Madness: Recognizing and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Performance Measurement

Measurement Madness: Recognizing and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Performance Measurement

by Dina Gray, Pietro Micheli, Andrey Pavlov
Released February 2015
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119970705

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Book description

A clearer, more accurate performance management strategy

Over the past two decades, performance measurement has profoundly changed societies, organizations and the way we live and work. We can now access incredible quantities of data, display, review and report complex information in real time, and monitor employees and processes in detail. But have all these investments in collecting, analysing and reporting data helped companies, governments and people perform better?

Measurement Madness is an engaging read, full of anecdotes so peculiar you'll hardly believe them. Each one highlights a performance measurement initiative that went wrong, explains why and - most importantly - shows you how to avoid making the same mistake yourself.

The dangers of poorly designed performance measurement are numerous, and even the best how-to guides don't explain how to avoid them. Measurement Madness fills in the gap, showing how to ensure you're measuring the right things, rewarding the behaviours that deserve rewarding, and interpreting results in a way that will improve things rather than complicate them. This book will help you to recognize, correct and even avoid common performance measurement problems, including:

  • Measuring for the sake of measuring

  • Assuming that measurement is an instant fix for performance issues

  • Comparing sets of data that have nothing in common and hoping to learn something

  • Using targets and rewards to promote certain behaviours, and achieving exactly the opposite ones.

    • Reading Measurement Madness will enable you to design a simple, effective performance measurement system, which will have the intended result of creating value in your organization.

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright
    3. From the Authors
    4. Part I: Introduction
    5. Chapter 1: The Road to Insanity
    6. Chapter 2: Performance and Measurement
      1. What is performance measurement?
      2. What is performance?
      3. What is measurement?
      4. Getting the number or changing the behaviour?
    7. Part II: Performance Measurement
    8. Chapter 3: Measurement for Measurement's Sake
      1. Making things measurable
      2. Measures and more measures
      3. Excessive reliance on measures
      4. Learning points
      5. And finally…
    9. Chapter 4: All I Need is the Right Measure!
      1. How difficult can this be?
      2. How strong are your indicators?
      3. Learning points
      4. And finally…
    10. Chapter 5: Comparing Performance
      1. Apples and pears
      2. Timeliness
      3. Special variation
      4. Choice and relevance
      5. Using data unintended for comparative purposes
      6. Yes, but…
      7. Moving up the rankings
      8. Unintended consequences
      9. Learning points
      10. And finally…
    11. Part III: Performance Management
    12. Chapter 6: Target Turmoil
      1. What are performance targets?
      2. When targets go bad
      3. Are targets so bad?
      4. The main pitfalls
      5. When targets do good
      6. Clarity and commitment
      7. Unexpected benefits
      8. Learning points
      9. And finally…
    13. Chapter 7: Gaming and Cheating
      1. Gaming: what is it?
      2. Gaming and cheating
      3. What drives gaming and cheating?
      4. Types of gaming
      5. Learning points
      6. And finally…
    14. Chapter 8: Hoping for A Whilst Rewarding B1
      1. Common management reward follies
      2. Learning points
      3. And finally…
    15. Chapter 9: Failing Rewards and Rewarding Failure
      1. Top rewards for top performers
      2. Rewarding failure
      3. Failing rewards
      4. Measurement, rewards and motivation
      5. When financial rewards backfire
      6. What motivates us?
      7. Learning points
      8. And finally…
    16. Part IV: Conclusions
    17. Chapter 10: Will Measurement Madness Ever be Cured?
      1. And finally…
    18. References
    19. Index
    20. End User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: Measurement Madness: Recognizing and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Performance Measurement
    • Author(s): Dina Gray, Pietro Micheli, Andrey Pavlov
    • Release date: February 2015
    • Publisher(s): Wiley
    • ISBN: 9781119970705