Strategic Performance Management: A Managerial and Behavioural Approach

Citation

(2007), "Strategic Performance Management: A Managerial and Behavioural Approach", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 56 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2007.07956cae.001

Strategic Performance Management: A Managerial and Behavioural Approach

André de WaalPalgrave2007

I was slightly intimidated by this book at first: it is heavy and dense when it lands on the desk. As with many books that do appear intimidating, I first scanned it a couple of times to find its “flavour” – how it is structured, presented, summarised, etc. I then started to rest more easily.

And then, of course, I started to read. The book starts with a cautionary tale – of two farmers – using it to point out that when evaluating their own performance, these farmers, like many others, were either measuring the wrong thing or measuring the right thing in the wrong way … or just possibly, both.

The book then goes on to tell us the kinds of things we might need to know in order to select the right measures and the right ways to apply them. The sub-title of the book points out that this is not necessarily a “technical issue”; performance measurement and management involves people … . on both sides of the measurement divide.

This is a comprehensive look at performance management but is well broken up into manageable “chunks”, each being illustrated by short, useful case examples. Steadily, our awareness of the complexity of performance management is raised but we also get explanations of how this complexity can be managed.

In the end the author helps us work towards implementation and, having considered the complexity, we now have a chance to implement a regime that is simple but effective and, if we commit to the author’s DOs and avoid his DON’Ts, we might even implement it effectively.

As a “bonus”, the author then explains how all this might work in some special situations – such as not-for-profit organizations and developing countries.

Throughout, the author maintains his strong and direct link between performance management and strategic development and also manages to link the academic theory to practical examples continually bringing the reader back to real-world performance management issues.