Results Management: Effective People Management to Achieve Excellent Results

Chapter 2. Performance Measurement: Anything measured gets done. Anything measured gets improved

At Resu Co., I commenced the training session on establishing individual performance measures by writing on the flipchart the following rallying call by proponents of Total Quality Management. This was familiar to all the divisional directors and departmental managers assembled in the seminar room.

• Anything Measured Gets Done.

• Anything Measured Gets Improved.

I often used to wonder whether anything measured got things done and improved automatically, without external impetus. It probably does for mountaineers and adventurers who have the need for self-fulfillment, but for ordinary mortals like us? The only occasion I was prompted to do something when measured was when the doctor told me that my cholesterol level was too high and I had to watch my diet. I did. I stayed off fatty foods, ate more fruits and vegetables and walked more often. My family supportively abided by the new emphasis in our daily diet. There was concerted commitment from everyone.

I asked the gathering what they thought of the two statements. Were they realistic, idealistic or self-fulfilling?

Henry volunteered the following: "For an organization to get the results it desires, I guess there has to be concerted vested interest in the measures and the results, and what they really mean to everyone in the organization. There ...