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This study aims to conduct a literature review on factors that influence the implementation and design of performance measurement systems in nonprofit organizations.

The research strategy is conceived through a literature review focused on the analysis of authorship, supported by bibliometric techniques such as citation, co-citation and co-authorship social networks.

Models and theories proposed for measuring performance in non-profit organizations are being researched, starting to form an intellectual structure related to performance measurement systems and nonprofits. Three main research topics have been given more attention: strategic performance and public service performance, health-care performance and nonprofit operations strategy and performance measurement.

The study is limited to scientific journal papers and could benefit from the addition of new sources of information such as conference papers, books and standards. The body of knowledge of this topic could also benefit from an in-depth investigation through a comprehensive review of models and theories, as a proposal for a future research agenda.

As practical applications are identified, groups of researchers in different countries and subjects that can generate research agendas, scientific communities used to investigate issues related to performance in nonprofit activities.

Performance measurement in nonprofit organizations is a topic of study that has been receiving considerable attention in recent years, to the point that the literature is revealing specific models for measuring performance in this type of organizations. Particular models and theories are being conceived, specializing existing models and theories related to performance measurement and management.

The aim of this paper is to synthesize and assess the published literature relating to critical success factors for continuous improvement projects (CIPs).

A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to obtain the most relevant papers from four platforms: EBSCOhost, Engineering Village, ProQuest and Web of Science. The literature was assessed and synthesized based on analysis of characteristics relating to publications, authors and the content of publications.

From the SLR, 98 publications were identified and analyzed. One primary finding is that this research area appears to demonstrate characteristics of an emerging field, not yet well established across all relevant aspects. Second, a comprehensive set of 53 factors were extracted from the publications identified. These factors were analyzed according to frequency in the published literature. This set of factors can be used in future empirical research to develop a more complete understanding of the relative contribution of each to influencing CIP success.

The SLR methodology does not guarantee that all of the publications related to a given research area will be identified; however, the researchers took different actions to mitigate this limitation. Further, not all relevant information from the publication set could be included in this work because of space constraints.

To the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents the most comprehensive list of factors, and associated definitions, relevant to CIP success.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the current research on hospital continuous improvement projects (CIPs) from an author characteristics’ perspective. This work addresses the following questions: who are the predominant research authors in hospital CIPs? To what extent are the research communities collaborating in distinct research groups? How internationalized has hospital CIPs research become with respect to author location?

A systematic literature review was conducted, identifying 302 academic publications related to hospital CIPs. Publications were analyzed using: author, quantity, diversity, collaboration, and impact.

Hospital CIPs are increasingly attracting new scholars each year. Based on the authors’ analysis, authors publishing in this area can be described as a relatively new international community given the countries represented.

This paper describes the current hospital CIP research by assessing author characteristics. Future work should examine additional attributes to characterize maturity such as how new knowledge is being created and to what extent new knowledge is being disseminated to practitioners.

Evidence suggests that hospitals are having problems achieving continuous improvement project (CIP) goals or sustaining their results. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify those critical success factors (CSFs) most strongly related to CIP success in hospitals (Lean-Kaizen project, Lean Six Sigma project, Six Sigma projects, and Quality Improvement projects).

A retrospective survey was applied to any CIP leaders/facilitators from hospitals that conducted at least one CIP during the last two years.

Three main findings were obtained from the 116 valid responses. First, the level of importance of 47 out of 53 CSFs to achieve CIPs success in hospitals was assessed as very important or higher (4 or higher on a six-point scale). Second, there are important differences between the CSFs to achieve CIP success in hospitals in this research and previous investigations. Third, the type of CIP affects the level of importance of 16 out of 53 CSFs to achieve CIP success in hospitals.

Practitioners involved with CIPs activities in hospitals could use the knowledge extracted from this investigation to improve the impact of their CIPs. Future research should continue in two lines: test if the 53 CSFs for CIPs measure a unique factor and identify the main relationships or paths between CSFs for CIPs and CIP outcomes.

The purpose of this research is to examine the factors that influence the design of performance measurement systems (PMSs) in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and public administration and explore inter-relationships among these factors.

Findings resulted through the identification of design factors from the paper portfolio of a previous systematic literature review on this topic and the construction of a factor co-occurrence network for the identified factors. 

The methodology helped to determine the relationships among factors and show how these factors influence PMSs in NPOs and public administration. It also helped to demonstrate how PMSs in these organizations are different from PMSs in traditional companies because of the impact of the factors on the complexity and dynamics of NPOs and public administration. The findings and discussion contribute to the performance measurement literature on NPOs and public administration by presenting a set of design factors related to purpose, stakeholders and management.

This paper presents practical implications for managers regarding the PMS design process and shows how some design factors can be particularly related to these organizations

The design factors are particular to the organizational dynamic and should be considered by managers involved with the design (or redesign) process of performance measurement systems.

Describes a methodology to monitor and maintain team wellness, focused on critical team processes to sustain teams after launching. The approach includes a structured assessment tool to measure team member perceptions of critical team processes, selection and implementation of improvement initiatives guided by graphical portrayal of assessment results, and re‐assessment of team processes to measure impact of initiatives. Illustrates this approach and associated assessment and portrayal tools through an application with two work teams in a telecommunications company. This approach provides a structured method for monitoring team wellness, or health, which can complement business results‐focused measures of a team’s performance.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a framework for the design and management of a Kaizen event program where short‐term improvement projects (Kaizen events) are systematically used to introduce rapid change in targeted work areas, often relying on lean work system principles.

To develop the framework and the assessment approach, a comprehensive literature review and a field study of Kaizen event programs in three organizations were conducted. To illustrate the potential usefulness of the framework and the assessment approach, this paper presents a case study of how the framework was applied to design and improve a Kaizen event program in the Belgian Armed Forces.

Use of the framework as a design and assessment tool appeared to make the Kaizen event program more effective in the case study organization. Specific areas of improvement identified included: clearly defining event goals, scheduling extended follow‐up activities, defining measures to track results, assigning roles for Kaizen event evaluation activities, and sharing lessons learned in areas of the organization outside the work processes targeted by Kaizen events.

With the increased use of lean work system practices in recent years, many organizations are using Kaizen events to rapidly introduce change and to create a culture of continual improvement (or kaizen). However, organizations lack systematic, research‐based guidance on how to best design and implement Kaizen event improvement programs and how to best assess results. The proposed framework attempts to address these gaps.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate an application of a structured approach to assess and improve an organization's performance measurement review process.

This approach was implemented within an ongoing action research project in a large telecommunications organization. Assessment elements were defined based on literature review, and the assessment approach was designed based on performance excellence frameworks such as Baldrige and EFQM. Data collection included interviews, observations, and document review, and an external assessment team was used.

The approach can be used to generate useful and actionable feedback for leadership to increase the effectiveness of the performance measurement review process and can also be used as a reference framework for establishing an effective performance review process initially.

This paper provides a comprehensive yet detailed methodology for assessing the performance review process. This methodology is more targeted in scope than measurement system assessment tools emerging in the literature. Practitioners can gain specific feedback to improve the performance review process. Researchers benefit by having a more standard, structured approach for collecting and codifying detailed observations and artifacts when studying the performance review process.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate an application of a tool for assessing the maturity and effectiveness of enterprise performance measurement systems.

Assessment elements were defined based on the literature, and the scoring approach was designed based on performance excellence frameworks such as Baldrige and EFQM. A research case application in a Belgian public sector organization is used to illustrate how the tool can be used and the types of insights generated.

The case application indicates that the tool can be used to generate useful and actionable feedback for leadership to increase the maturity of enterprise performance measurement systems. The tool can also be used to longitudinally track progress in performance measurement system effectiveness.

The current paper represents the pilot application of the tool. Future work is needed to further test and refine the tool, refine the assessment process, and collect additional assessment data in other organizations.

This tool provides a more holistic yet detailed assessment of performance measurement systems. It assesses measurement system design quality, as well as implementation/use Specific feedback on process gaps can be used to detect and address problem areas, providing value for practitioners. The tool provides researchers with a standard, structured approach for collecting and codifying detailed observations and artifacts when studying measurement systems.

Despite the increased adoption and reported benefits of kaizen event (KE) programs, there is a lack of empirical research documenting their design, implementation and outcomes, as well as what designs may be more vs less effective. This paper aims to present an empirical study describing the characteristics, including outcomes achieved, program attributes, and implementation problems, of 16 established KE programs. Although this study is primarily exploratory and descriptive, the goal is to identify areas for future research, including attributes that appear to support or detract from program success, and the outcomes and implementation problems experienced.

Using semi‐structured interviews, qualitative data were collected to characterize established KE programs in 16 manufacturing, service, and government organizations. The data were examined using content analysis to identify the most frequent codes for each characteristic, which were then compared to KE program characteristics synthesized from a systematic review of published KE sources. Based on this, a set of propositions were identified to guide future research on KE programs.

The majority of the 16 organizations reported successful programs, although there was noted variation in organization success. The organizations also neglected to measure many aspects of program success which they considered to be highly important, in particular, human resource outcomes. In addition, the organizations appeared to struggle with sustainability and believe that sustainability problems could threaten long‐term KE program viability. Other potentially influential factors include the types of processes targeted, event types, catalysts for events, and KE resources. The findings were used to develop propositions for future research in these and other specific areas.

The study provides a better understanding of the characteristics of established KE programs, as well as common areas in need of improvement even in these programs, and can be used by practitioners in establishing or improving their KE programs.

By documenting established KE programs across organizations and comparing actual practices to published sources, this study contributes to the development of KE theory and also provides direction for future empirical research.