Tag Archives: performance management

Finding the Source

Posted on April 18, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

As I go about my formal and informal research into the effects of target-driven performance management, I regularly have conversations with people at all levels of organisations. One thing I’ve found is that the people at the very top of … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged assumptions, binary comparisons, blame, command and control, decision making, management, measures, organisational culture, performance management, police, systems thinking, targets | 6 Comments

Panic!

Posted on April 13, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

There’s… “Panic on the streets of London! Panic on the streets of Birmingham!” So says the song of the same title by UK band The Smiths, anyway. The true story that follows (yes, I’ve caved in to popular demand and … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged assumptions, binary comparisons, data, decision making, knee jerk reactions, management, measures, performance management, performance measurement, systems thinking | 6 Comments

One Thing Leads To Another

Posted on March 27, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Being as I know you love my artwork, I thought I’d treat you to this pictorial representation of a particularly nasty little cycle that is behind a lot of serious organisational failures. Look at the sort of stuff that starts … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged blame, command and control, cover your back, criticism, management, nhs, performance management, short blog post, systems thinking, targets | 11 Comments

Do Something Different

Posted on March 15, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

I recently came across this blog post by Bernard Rix, the Acting Chief Executive of the Confederation of Police and Crime Commissioners (CoPaCC). Bernard has been thematically analysing the draft Police and Crime Plans that Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged measures, pcc, performance management, police and crime commissioner, police and crime plan, systems thinking, targets | 8 Comments

This Time Last Year

Posted on March 9, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Question: What have these four things got in common? 1. Choosing a random number generated by a lottery machine. 2. Reading tea leaves. 3. Blindfolding yourself and sticking a pin in a board. 4. Tossing a coin. Answer: They’re all better methods of … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged binary comparisons, control charts, management, performance management, systems thinking, variation | 7 Comments

Must Try Harder

Posted on March 5, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Remember the heady days of last year’s ‘Bad Performance Measurement On Tour’ blog posts, where objects of ridicule such as targets for dog poo collection were cruelly exposed and roundly mocked for your delectation? Well, that series sparked a call-to-arms for … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged comparisons, education, gaming, league tables, management, performance management, schools, systems thinking, targets, teaching | 6 Comments

Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Posted on March 1, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

“The system must be held to account!” How often do you hear that in the wake of the latest scandal? Not that often. Usually, it’s “People must be held to account! / Who is responsible? / This must never happen … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged assumptions, blame, command and control, deming, education, error management, management, nhs, organisational culture, performance management, police, risk management, systems thinking | 12 Comments

Free Beer!

Posted on February 23, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Right, hopefully the title will have drawn you in (I’ve fallen for it myself three times whilst writing this blog post). If you stay to the end you’ll see the reason for it anyway. Unfortunately this time I’m not going … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged assumptions, deming, management, performance management, systems thinking | 14 Comments

The Bells! The Bells!

Posted on February 10, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

“About half of everything is below average”. When you think about that, it’s pretty obvious isn’t it? Well keep that thought in mind as we explore a widely misapplied and misunderstood tool of performance management – The Bell Curve. Without … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged bell curve, charts, command and control, data, management, performance management, systems thinking, variety | 12 Comments

Spot The Difference

Posted on January 31, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Sometimes when I say this… …people hear this: Not being able to differentiate between targets, measures and priorities is a deadly obstacle to effective performance. Let me explain why… Targets First of all, if you’ve ever met me, heard me … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged assumptions, binary comparisons, control charts, data, deming, management, measures, performance management, police, priorities, purpose, systems, systems thinking, targets | 25 Comments