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Contextual References
All performance is relative and performance measures without contextual references are largely meaningless. Such measures provide a performance count without a value indicator. Without this indicator, managers cannot know what, if any, action is required.
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About the Author
Nathan Ives is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.
No one knows what will happen in the future. There are, however, observable behaviors and interim results that serve as precursor markers signaling probable organizational outcomes. Performance indicators monitoring these precursors therefore provide early insight to likely outcomes; enabling leaders to proactively take those actions necessary to capitalize on opportunities and avoid undesired events. Thus, precursor indicators, particularly those focused on critical performance attributes, are of great value to the organization.
Performance measures record specified outcomes achieved either at a specified time or within a defined interval and so, by their very nature, are time dependent. Consequently, a performance measure alters the behaviors of those being monitored not only in relationship to what is being monitored but also to when the outcome is being monitored.
Data, data everywhere…
A picture comprised of only one color is not a picture at all; rather, it is simply a field of color. Likewise, a single performance indicator cannot paint a picture of performance.
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