Performance Management – A Cautionary Tale

What’s the point of performance management, if a business is neglecting risk management?

It’s interesting to see news that BP’s Tony Hayward has stepped down as Chief Executive, effective 1 October. This is not just for failing to adequately handle the PR aspects of the spillage in the Gulf of Mexico. But as is becoming increasingly clear, the disaster looks like it was a result of cutting costs to the point of taking unacceptable risks, and management ignoring warnings from staff.[...read more...]

Performance Management - Types of KPIs

Talking to businesses of all sizes, the term “KPIs” means different things to different people.

Yes the letters stand for “Key Performance Indicators”.

But some people just think of them as revenue, profit and other measures of performance. Is that all?

The real power comes when you consider what factors drive business performance, and how [...read more...]

Performance Management - Just fight crime, Theresa May tells police

With huge pressure expected on police budgets, Theresa May the Home Secretary has announced that the last of the previous targets will be dropped to let the police get on with the job.

That’s great, but how can this be reconciled with “If you don’t measure it you can’t manage it”? That’s an important question. Should every business and organization in the land follow suit and drop their KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)? [...read more...]