Measuring Performance

Book excerpt: Every day on the job, you face common challenges. And you need immediate solutions to those challenges. The Pocket Mentor Series can help. Each book in the series is packed with handy tools, self-tests, and real-life examples to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and hone critical skills. Whether you re at your desk, in a meeting, or on the road, these portable, concise guides enable you to tackle the daily demands of your work with speed, savvy, and effectiveness. Organizations want--and need--to track the changes in their overall performance. And the divisions, units, teams, and individuals within these organizations engage in similar success measurement. Performance Measurement explains the importance of regularly monitoring your group's performance and introduces formal measurement practices. You'll learn to Apply a disciplined process to performance measurement Set targets and communicate data effectively Use performance management as a coaching and development tool Meet Your Mentor Robert S. Kaplan is Baker Foundation Professor at the Harvard Business School and Chairman of the Practice Leadership Committee of Palladium, Executing Strategy. He has authored or co-authored 14 books, 18 Harvard Business Review articles, and more than 120 other papers.