Measurement Madness : Recognizing and Avoiding the Pitfalls of Performance Measurement

A clearer, more accurate performance management strategyMeasurement Madnesspresents a level-headed approach to performance management, helping leaders avoid the often-bizarre unintended consequences of KPIs. Using real life examples of measurement gone wrong, this book details how each particular behaviour could have been foretold, and demonstrates what a manager needs to consider when creating measures and performance measurement systems. Each chapter explains the behaviour in terms of management and organisational theories, concluding with guiding principles to help readers avoid the many pitfalls of well-intended performance management. With cases drawn from the archives of the world-leading Centre of Business Performance at Cranfield University, this useful guide confronts the issues in detail and provides clear, practical solutions that make performance management work.Examples of poor management via measurement are increasingly showing up in the press, from the UK's MP expenses scandal to the demise of the banking sector. Although targets and rewards have long resulted in bizarre behaviours, these recent examples have moved measurement, reward, and behaviour to the forefront of business management once again. This book provides managers with clear guidance toward a new strategy.Take a close look at how performance and measurement are being misusedMeasure what's useful, not just what's easy to measureLearn how over-emphasising targets can hinder progress and performanceSet the right targets and reward the right behaviourWith a unique mix of examples from the UK, the US, and around the world, this book provides theoretical and practical help in addressing the issues and concerns surrounding performance management. For the manager longing for useful metrics and more accurate reports, Measurement Madnesscontains key information and strategy. DINA GRAY, PhD is a Strategic Business Consultant lecturing on Cranfield University's Executive Education programmes, and she is also Chair of the Regional Advisory Boards for the Innovation Group plc. advising on strategic performance implementation.PIETRO MICHELI, PhD is Associate Professor of Organizational Performance at Warwick Business School. As a management consultant, he has worked with over 30 organizations, private and public. As a researcher, he has published widely on the subjects of performance measurement and innovation.ANDREY PAVLOV, PhD is a Lecturer in Business Performance Management at Cranfield School of Management and Director of the Executive MSc in Managing Organisational Performance at Cranfield. He is a regular speaker at conferences around the world, and his work has been published in numerous industry and academic journals.