Contrasting uses of balanced scorecards: case studies at two UK companies

Witcher, Barry J.; Chau, Vinh Sum

doi:10.1002/jsc.819

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In this instance, scholarly work (e.g. Atkinson, 2006;Olson and Slater, 2002;Witcher and Chau, 2008) has contributed extensively to understanding of the management tool in both theoretical and practical contexts.…”

Section: Scholarship That Recognizes Different Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Performance in a Volatile Environment: Contrasting Perspectives on Luck and Causality

Parnell

Dent

O’Regan

et al. 2012

British J of Management

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Performance management is an increasingly perilous and challenging activity for many firms, and involves understanding the drivers of performance as well as its measurement. Academics tend to see performance in terms of rationality, whereas business leaders tend to interpret drivers of overall performance in a broader context. When global crises and high uncertainty confound causal links to performance, practitioners often invoke the notion of 'luck' as a prospective explanation. Academics are less inclined to do so because they tend to conceptualize luck differently. This paper considers the academic/ business gap and how Mode 2 research into luck and causality could produce findings that are more meaningful to practising managers in both understanding and affecting performance. It concludes by identifying ways to encourage greater academiapractitioner congruence to meet the challenges of a volatile operating environment.

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Section: Scholarship That Recognizes Different Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Performance in a Volatile Environment: Contrasting Perspectives on Luck and Causality

Parnell

Dent

O’Regan

et al. 2012

British J of Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Also, this paper concerns the strategic decision in mediumlong term. Witcher and Chau (2008) presented two contrasting applications of the balanced scorecard, at EDF Energy and Tesco, where the scorecard is called a steering wheel. A distinction is drawn between a strategic scorecard based on vision and a performance management scorecard based on mission and values.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Continuous Improvement and Monitoring Performance System: Monitor - Analysis - Action – Review (MAAR) Charts

Romaniello¹,

Renna²,

Cinque³

2011

IBIMABR

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The research presented in this paper concerns the development of a methodology for monitoring and continuous performance improvement. The proposed approach is derived from the classical Deming cycle adapted to a real industrial environment. The approach consists of four phases: Monitor, Analysis, Action and Review (MAAR); these phases are summarized in a single information panel that allows to improve the monitoring process. This paper presents a discussion of the real case study application of the methodology in area manufacturing of ANSALDO STS S.p.A. The case study discussed here shows the application of basic principles, management tools and techniques towards performance improvement in a manufacturing plant. The innovative issues of the MAAR approach developed regard: the possibility to apply the methodology to wide fields of enterprises (as maintenance, quality management, design, financial, etc.) and the real-manufacturing orientation. The results show the real benefits obtained by the implementation of the proposed methodology.

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“…Understanding how regulation impacts upon the organization or how regulatory incentives influence internal management is somewhat more intricate than traditionally considered in managerial economics (Holmstrom and Milgrom, 1991), and there are other strategic and performance management issues concerned (Witcher and Chau, 2008); where a managerial change in regulated sectors is dynamic, changes to governmental and regulatory policies may impact upon micro-organizational practices unpredictably (Wilson and Jarzabkowski, 2004). The project was also novel in that it utilised a rare research approach (longitudinal tracer studies) in the regulation sector to explore issues inside the organization, treating it as a "black-box", to complement extant knowledge about the regulatory environment outside it.…”

Section: The Regulation Research Project: Implications Of Iip 51 Ratmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benchmarking service quality in UK electricity distribution networks

Chau

2009

Benchmarking: An International Journal

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Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to review the evolution and development of customer service performance measures in the electricity sector since privatization in 1989, and then examine the impact of a specific recent energy regulatory requirement (known as information and incentives project (IIP)) on the organizational management of an exemplar electricity distribution company. Also discussed is how the sector has tried to learn from benchmarks from a number of such literary disciplines as economics, marketing service quality, and total quality management. Design/methodology/approach-The research first presents a survey of the historical development of performance standards based on archival documentation. It is then augmented by the employment of a longitudinal "tracer study", involving the isolation and firsthand real time qualitative observations of a company's key strategic and operational activities, to understand how they related to the other organizational phenomena at large. This process spanned an investigative period of two years. Findings-The paper finds that much of the early standards used in electricity immediately after the sector's privatization rested much on those in the water and gas safety sectors, which themselves were then admittedly inadequate in UK. The IIP, a complementary set of service quality standards, worked on these early problems, but the implementation of the new scheme proved problematic and warranted major organizational reengineering, as shown in the exemplar company, ElectriCo. IIP has impacted on organizational management mostly in the areas of: higher-level strategic change, causing noticeable internal confusion during strategic transitions, building a performance management system, improvements in performance data, and establishing more effective ways for management. Research limitations/implications-While the case example used in the research is a regional monopoly and is a good representation of the context in which the service standards operate, the findings are limited to the one company. It is a UK specific context without international comparison. Originality/value-The research has combined archival research with an innovative firsthand methodological approach (tracer studies). Its value is in how the story of service standards in electricity (and specifically distribution) has been augmented from the early customer service standards to the most recent IIP considerations. It also looks from within the company, which has been missing in longstanding research in the more traditional disciplines such as economics.

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Contrasting uses of balanced scorecards: case studies at two UK companies

Cited by 8 publications

References 20 publications

Managing Performance in a Volatile Environment: Contrasting Perspectives on Luck and Causality

Managing Performance in a Volatile Environment: Contrasting Perspectives on Luck and Causality

A Continuous Improvement and Monitoring Performance System: Monitor - Analysis - Action – Review (MAAR) Charts

Benchmarking service quality in UK electricity distribution networks

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