The “control tower” approach to optimising complex service delivery performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, to bring into sharper focus the role of organisational performance management both for “exploring the future to deliver better outcomes” and “learning from the past to improve the future”; and second, to introduce the control tower approach to optimising complex service delivery performance, explaining how this approach is derived from a unique combination of lean thinking and connected performance. Design/methodology/approach – This is a practitioner paper based on extensive practical experience. Findings – While the tools and techniques of “exploring the future to deliver better outcomes” may be less common than those for “learning from the past to improve the future”, they offer significant benefits, particularly in complex service delivery situations. Research limitations/implications – It has not, so far, been possible to find organisations willing and able to participate in a quasi-controlled experiment to explore how organisations which implement the control tower approach actually perform in relation to others that do not. However, the authors hope this paper will help move thinking forward in the field of complex service delivery, and perhaps inform future academic research. Practical implications – The control tower approach offers significant opportunities to improve service delivery performance, not just within healthcare but across all sectors where service delivery is complex and important. Social implications – The improvement of complex service delivery performance offers huge social benefits for all stakeholders, including customers, providers (and their staff) and society as a whole, notably through improved outcomes and efficiency. Originality/value – Although the value of “learning from the past to improve the future” in organisational performance management terms is widely understood, the value of “exploring the future to deliver better outcomes” is much less well known. Hence, this paper highlights a perspective of real practical significance.