Browsing by Author "Kennerley, Mike"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Diversity management: Practices, strategy and measurement
    (Cranfield School of Management, 2002) Singh, Val; Vinnicombe, Susan; Schiuma, Gianni; Kennerley, Mike; Neely, Andrew
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    Drivers and purposes of performance measurement : an exploratory study in English local public sector services
    (Cranfield University, 2007-06) Micheli, Pietro; Kennerley, Mike
    This dissertation focuses on the interactions between local public sector organisations and institutions in the development of performance measurement (PM) targets and indicators. The research is grounded in the performance measurement and management literature and adopts a joint new institutional and resource dependence perspective. Empirically, the research, which is qualitative and theory-building, consists of case studies undertaken in local public sector organisations in England. The iterative comparison of theory and data has enabled the investigation of a number of relevant themes. In the last decade, the British Government has placed great emphasis on the consistency of objectives, targets and indicators from national to local levels with the aim of enhancing performance, transparency and accountability, and of driving behavior. However, this research shows that the influence of several organizations and the co- existence of various PM initiatives generate confusion and overlaps locally. Moreover, in the cases considered the unmanageable number of indicators and the lack of clarity regarding the drivers and purposes of PM have led to confused massages and counter- productive approaches to the measurement and management of performance. From a theoretical view-point, the favourable comments expressed by interviewees regarding the current PM regime contrast with critics of New Public Management. Furthermore, legitimacy-seeking and efficiency-enhancing rationals have emerged as intertwined and loosely coupled. This is in opposition to what is maintained by early new institutional theorists. In line with resource dependence theory, PM systems were found to be significant components of power systems in organisations. Through the examination of the roles of PM and the investigation of relevant concepts such as 'golden thread' and performance culture, this research aims to make an impact on policy-making and to improve the ways in which targets and indicators are set and used, hence having a positive effect on the services delivered.
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    Impact of performance management reviews: evidence from an energy supplier.
    (Emerald, 2007-06) Martinez, Veronica; Kennerley, Mike
    Organisational researchers and managers alike have long held the view that performance reviews, based on performance measurement systems, have a positive impact on business performance. Nevertheless, there is relatively little research to support this hypothesis. This study sets out to tackle this gap by testing the effect of performance reviews on business performance in a UK energy supplier using agency theories. Our evidence shows thirty-three positive effects of performance reviews; twelve of them are identified as the most cited by our interviewees. Seven factors that moderate the firm’s results are identified; the ‘local leadership’ on performance reviews, which is a contribution to knowledge from this research, stood out as one of the most powerful factors that moderate performance reviews. Two negative effects of performance reviews are highlighted by this research. Finally, this research discusses the implications to the body of knowledge and practice.
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    Impact of Performance Measurement and Management Systems.
    (Cranfield School of Management, 2008) Martinez, Veronica; Kennerley, Mike; Harpley, Richard; Wakelen, Richard; Hart, Kathy; Webb, James
    This report describes the results of a detailed research on the impact of performance measurement and management systems (PMMS). It presents the results of the first UK Survey on this specific theme. Then, it explains the effects of the implementation of a scorecard-based performance management system (PMS) within EDF Energy’s Networks Branch, the UK-based division of a multinational company. Cranfield School of Management’s Centre for Business Performance has conducted this research, with funding from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council. It has two phases: 1) a survey study in the UK manufacturing and service sectors and 2) an in-depth case based on multiple structured interviews. The report addresses an analysis of the positive, negative, internal and external effects in the UK manufacturing and service sectors. It is extended to the analysis of EDF Energy’s experience of implementing a PMS, in the context of Cranfield researchers’ previous research findings in this field. In doing so, it describes the factors that contributed most to the PMS’s successful implementation and those aspects which, at least initially, tended to hold it back from achieving its full potential, and so draws conclusions and lessons from these research results. The report also identifies moderating factors that influence these critical effects and highlights the vital importance of performance reviews at both executive and operational levels. It provides guidance too on where EDF Energy will need to make future adjustments to the ongoing development of its PMS. The results of this research will make interesting reading for all executives involved in the PMS development process; and the report also contains valuable lessons for executives in other companies who wish to embark on a similar implementation process. We hope, therefore, that EDF Energy will be willing to share their learning experience with other executives in other industries. This report has, therefore, been structured in such a way that this can easily be enabled.
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    Managing through measures: a study of impact on performance
    (MCB University Press, 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z) Bourne, Mike; Kennerley, Mike; Franco-Santos, Monica
    Performance measurement has developed rapidly over the last two decades. The dissatisfaction with financial measures, which came to the fore in the 1980s, has given way to a plethora of balanced performance measurement frameworks. Over the period, the focus has moved from designing balanced performance measurement systems, through implementation to the use of measures to manage performance. There is now a debate in the literature over whether performance has a positive impact on business performance, but despite the research, until recently, few studies have examined the use of performance measures and how performance measurement impacts performance. This paper reports on a study of the use of performance measures in multiple business units of the same organisation. The findings suggest that current research into the impact of performance measurement on performance may be too simplistic in its approach as much of the research relies on studying the physical and formal systems used, ignoring the types of factors found to be important in this study. These factors include Simons’ (1991) concept of interactive control and the paper suggests that this concept deserves further stud
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    Measuring corporate management and leadership capability
    (Cranfield School of Management, 2002) Neely, Andrew; Gray, Dina; Kennerley, Mike; Marr, Bernard
    The Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership commissioned the Centre for Business Performance at Cranfield School of Management to produce for them a report investigating the case for corporate reporting and disclosure in the field of organisational management and leadership. Clearly there are pros and cons for such reporting, especially if it is made compulsory through the forthcoming Company Law review, but on balance the authors are of the opinion that: 1. Greater corporate reporting and disclosure in the field of organisational management and leadership is not only desirable, but also inevitable. 2. Legislation may result in organisations reporting more in the field of organisational management and leadership sooner than they would otherwise, but in the longer term market forces will force them to report this information. 3. The steps that organisations are taking to adopt measurement frameworks that balance financial and non-financial issues mean that they are already building the infrastructure necessary to enable this reporting. 4. It is impractical to expect that a generic set of reporting standards applicable to all organisations can be developed for this area. It is widely believed that performance measures are context and strategy specific. Hence requiring organisations to report against a standard set of measures will simply result in additional bureaucratic burdens being placed on them. 5. An alternative, and much more pragmatic approach, however, is to accept that the role of measurement is to provide insight. What investors, and other external stakeholders, want is insight into the management and leadership talent pool that exists within organisations. As a result it should be possible to encourage and/or require organisations to release information in their annual reports which provides fact based insights into their management and leadership talent pool. 6. To provide a structure for such disclosure the authors recommend that a portfolio of critical questions about the management and leadership talent pool be developed and that organisations be encouraged and/or required to provide answers to these questions through fact based evidence of their own choosing. 7. Many organisations would benefit from the rigour provided by this approach. Far too often the performance measures that organisations have in place in the arena of organisational management and leadership are poorly developed and deployed.
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    An organisation theory perspective of performance measurement systems in public sector organisations
    (2004-08-27) Micheli, Pietro; Kennerley, Mike
    This dissertation presents a systematic review of the literature (SLR) about the use of two organization theories (OT) - new institutional and resource dependence - in the study of performance measurement (PM) in public sector organizations. The SLR confirmed the findings of a scoping study, namely that two categories of papers exist in this field - theoretical and applied. The majority of papers are applied: they address primarily the practical aspects of PM, but often lack a strong theoretical grounding. Theoretical contributions, on the other hand, rarely deal with practical aspects and the authors seem unconcerned about the relevance of their studies to practitioners. Nevertheless, it is believed that, by creating new knowledge that is firmly grounded in theory and at the same time relevant to practice, it is possible to bridge the gap between the two bodies of literature and further the knowledge of this field. Furthermore, this dissertation shows that the subject of PM could strongly benefit from the use of the two suggested theories, which, despite their dissimilarities, could be conjointly used. The systematic character of the review means that transparency and traceability to the researcher’s decisions and criteria is maintained. The SLR proved to be very relevant in relation to the researcher’s wider subject of interest - the examination of the interactions between institutions and public sector organizations belonging to the same organisational field in the development of PM systems. In this sense, very significant themes emerged from the material included in the SLR. These include the types of strategic responses to institutional pressures and the importance of various concepts drawn from the two bodies of literature, e.g. efficiency, effectiveness, legitimacy, isomorphism, loose coupling, institutionalization and power. Finally, interesting reflections were identified regarding research methods, methodologies and levels of analysis.
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    Reflections on the role, use and benefits of corporate performance measurement in the UK
    (Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z) Bourne, Mike; Franco-Santos, Monica; Kennerley, Mike; Martinez, Veronica
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    Towards a definition of a business performance measurement system
    (Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2007-08-01T00:00:00Z) Franco-Santos, Monica; Kennerley, Mike; Micheli, Pietro; Martinez, Veronica; Mason, Steve; Marr, Bernard; Gray, Dina; Neely, Andrew
    Scholars in the field of performance measurement tend to use the term business performance measurement (BPM) systems without explaining exactly what they mean by it. This lack of clarity creates confusion and comparability issues, and makes it difficult for researchers to build on one an each other's work. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key characteristics of a BPM system, by reviewing the different definitions of a BPM system that exist in the literature. This work aims to open a debate on what are the necessary and sufficient conditions of a BPM system. It is also hoped that a greater level of clarity in the performance measurement research arena will be encouraged. Design/methodology/approach--The performance measurement literature is reviewed using a systematic approach. Findings--Based on this research, a set of conditions of a BPM system has been proposed from which researchers can choose those which are necessary and sufficient conditions for their studies. Research limitations/implications--The analysis in this paper provides a structure and set of characteristics that researchers could use as a reference framework to define a BPM system for their work, and as a way to define the specific focus of their investigations. More clarity and precision around the use of the BPM systems phrase will improve the generalisability and comparability of research in this area. Originality/value--By reviewing the different definitions of a BPM system that exist in the literature this paper will hopefully stimulate a debate on the necessary and sufficient conditions of a BPM system and encourage a greater level of clarity in the performance measurement research arena.