Performance Measurement Systems: Why Trust Matters
15/02/2023

If, in an idle moment, you google performance measurement you will find plenty of useful articles on KPIs and how to set targets, on what to measure and how to measure it. What is less in evidence is the importance of having the right environment in which your performance measurement system can add value.
Organisations spend large amounts of money and a great deal of time setting up and changing existing processes but give less attention to ensuring the operating environment into which they are to be embedded is prepared. True, there are usually briefings to explain what is happening.
There may be working groups to decide how a performance project should proceed, but for the process to yield the best results in terms of signalling direction, monitoring progress and learning from the results of measures, you need commitment from the majority of staff. For this to happen there must be trust between leaders and employees; people need to believe the process is there for the good of the organisation and not just as another means of measuring their personal performance. They need to be aware of the trouble it takes to set up and run is worth the effort, also that the action taken following analysis of the results will be fair and proportionate (no knee jerk reactions if one month’s target is missed).
If trust and commitment are not there it can lead to problems such as “gaming the system”, this is playing with figures, so that they look better in the short term, setting targets that are too easily reachable leading to a lack of risk taking and innovation.
Creating trust is not a quick fix. It is built up over time, over many interactions from major negotiations to very minor conversations. Being transparent isn’t always easy but it is easier if you remember that the overwhelming majority of people want to do the right thing. It is unfortunate that many processes are created to cater for the few who don’t.
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Want to improve your reading skills?
Are you starting to wade through the mountains of reading that you have discovered for your project? You've searched the library databases, journals and printed collection and now have a reading list that stretches to ...
What a Mango Scientist Learned from Anthropy 23
Anthropy 23 and the ‘Emerging Leader’ title As a researcher, a setting like Anthropy was quite foreign to me. The conferences I have attended before were scientific/academic gatherings, where people presented data they had gathered ...
The beginning of my Cranfield journey as a Water student.
Joining Cranfield University is a dream come true! I made this decision based on what I had learnt from some of my colleagues from my home country who had studied here, and alumni of ...
Webinars and workshops running in December
Our Library Services staff run a wide range of webinars and in-person workshops to support your work and boost your success at Cranfield. They cover topics including using our databases effectively, referencing, study skills, the ...
World Soil Day 2023, 5 December – showcasing the Cranfield University Soilscapes Viewer tool
UN World Soil Day on 5 December is a vital reminder of the importance of soil in all our lives. Supporting growth of the food we eat; cleaning the water we drink; supporting the foundations ...
Collect your reservations 24/7 from the SOM Library locker
SOM Library customers, did you know that you can reserve items on Library Search and then pick them up at any time of the day or night from our SOM Library locker using your University ...