CERES :: Browsing by Author "Bourne, Mike"

Browsing by Author "Bourne, Mike"

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Open Access
Adoption and implementation of performance measurement system in the Yemeni public sector: challenges and prospects
(2017-06) Al-Akwa, Khalid A.; Bourne, Mike
This thesis is submitted for the Cranfield DBA program. It examines and explores the utilization of Performance Measurement Systems (PMS) in public organizations with a special focus on the culture of developing countries. The research was inspired by the apparent potential of measurement for reform and the limited research on the implementation of performance measurement systems in the public sector. The paper started by conducting a thorough and critical examination of a vast body of literature using a systematic approach in order to identify the key determinants of successful utilization of PMS in public organizations. The review revealed that utilization of performance measurement in the public sector is a work in progress. It showed that, in spite of the growing interest on the field of performance measurement to improve public services, the empirical work remains small and disintegrated, focused only on single issues, and lacks a holistic perspective. The literature indicates that little is known about the needed conditions for an effective utilization of measurement within the public context in general and more so in non-western countries. The thesis, then, report the result of an empirical research based on in-depth interviews and focus group meetings with senior public managers from multiple public organizations in the Republic of Yemen. The empirical project sought to examine the Yemeni public sector organizations’ familiarity with performance measurement and explore the actual and potential role of measurement to support reform and improve performance in the public sector. Findings indicate that consecutive reforms in the Yemeni public sector did not seem to emphasize the need to establish a performance-based culture. It shows that the Yemeni public sector features a traditional administration that is away from a resultbased management, bound to roles and process, and less flexible to change. This study, accordingly, highlights the significant importance of the context and subsequent processes and arrangements that promote or impede the development and use of performance measurement in public organizations in non-western countries. It shows that a one-size-fits-all policy should be avoided by policy makers who should be mindful of possible dissimilarities between public entities and the significance and relevance of the context. The study indicates that failure and success of utilization of PMS in the public sector is influenced by various elements that need to be considered prior and after the adoption of measurement. A new theoretical model has been developed based on findings in order to extend the existing literature in this area. The model provides an extensive description about the main factors affecting adoption and implementation of PMS and promotes understanding about the needed conditions for successful utilization in the public sector. It addressed the need for translating abstract concepts such as adoption and implementation into clearly defined theoretical constructs in order to avoid confusion and create a common vocabulary for researchers.
Open Access
Benefits realisation: case studies in public major project delivery with recommendations for practice
(Taylor & Francis, 2025-01) Williams, Terry; Vo, Hang; Bourne, Mike; Bourne, Pippa; Kirkham, Richard; Masterton, Gordon; Quattrone, Paolo; Toczycka, Carolina
Public projects are enablers of policy and are often framed within a political context characterized by the unpredictable, emergent, ambiguous and contextual; this creates tensions around conceptualizations of project performance and project success. Public projects are generally authorized based on a favourable benefit-to-cost ratio, so ex-post scrutiny of realized benefits is crucial to effective evaluation. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that sometimes, the focus on project delivery may come at the expense of benefits realization. This paper describes part of a wider programme of research into benefits realization in public projects. We present ‘deep dives’ into 3 UK projects and draw on a formal theoretical base to consider questions such as ‘what is a benefit?’, ‘how good are we at defining benefits/beneficiaries?’, ’how can we manage and capture evolving benefits in complex environments?’; ‘how do we recognize and accept complexity while the environment changes?’ and ‘what effects does this have on our understanding of benefits realization?’. This paper presents an analysis of the case studies and provides a synthesis of the main findings. We make eight recommendations for professional practice in the field of benefits management and set out some conclusions relevant to the wider discourse on the evaluation of investment in public projects.
Open Access
The Coexistence of Competition and Cooperation between Networks: Implications from Two Taiwanese Healthcare Networks
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z) Peng, T A; Bourne, Mike
The issue of coopetition, the coexistence of cooperation and competition, has recently come to the fore in the strategic management field. Previous coopetition research has focused on the intra-organizational level, inter- organizational level and triad level, but less attention has been paid to coopetition at the network level. The purpose of this paper is to address the coexistence of competition and cooperation between networks, and to depict how networks with different structures interact with each other. Drawing from a detailed case study of two healthcare networks in Taiwan, we demonstrate how they first initiated competition, followed by cooperation and then coopetition. From our analysis of this example of network coopetition, we develop three propositions that address the forces driving competition and cooperation and the different structures that allow competition and cooperation to coexist. We found that two organizations will compete and cooperate simultaneously when each organization has complementary but distinctly different sets of resources and when the field of competition is distinctly separate from the field of cooperation. In addition, two networks will find it easier to balance competition and cooperation when each network has compatible but distinctly different structures. We argue that the simultaneous existence of cooperation and competition is not dependent on closeness to the customer, as previously suggested in the literature, but on the balance between the forces for cooperation and for competition. We suggest from this research that networks can maintain the balance between competition and cooperation when they act using different structures. Finally, we discuss the implications of the value of competition and then coopetition at multiple levels of analysis and the implications for future research from a practical perspective.
Open Access
Conceptualisation in Preparation for Risk Discourse: A Qualitative Step toward Risk Governance
(Cranfield University, 2011-09) Lauder, Michael Alan; Bourne, Mike
The purpose of this research was, in order to forestall future failures of foresight, to provoke those responsible for risk governance into new ways of thinking through a greater exposure to and understanding of the body of existing academic knowledge. The research, which focused on the scholarship of application, synthesised the existing knowledge into a ―coherent whole‖ in order to assess its practical utility and to examine what is to be learnt about existing knowledge by trying to use it in practice. The findings are in two parts. The first focuses on how one ―thinks about thinking‖ about an issue. Early work identified three issues that were seen as being central to the understanding of risk governance. The first is the concept of risk itself, the second is to question whether there is a single paradigm used and the third is what is meant by the term ―risk indicator‖. A ―coherent whole‖, structured around seven-dimensions, was created from the range of definitions used within existing literature. No single paradigm was found to be used when discussing risk issues. Three paradigms were identified and labelled ―Line‖, ―Circle‖ and ―Dot‖. It was concluded that Risk Indicators were used to performance manage risk mitigation barriers rather than as a mechanism by which organisations may identify emerging risks. The second focus was the synthesis of academic work relevant to risk governance. It produced a list of statements which encapsulated the concerns of previous writers on this subject. The research then operationalised the issues as questions, which were seen to have practical utility. The elements of the ―coherent whole‖ suggest a way to provide access into the original research. The research suggests that it is unlikely that practitioners would wish to access the original research in its academic format. Further work therefore needs to be done to present the original work in a format that is more digestible to the practitioner community if it is to be used effectively. The results of this research are considered to be preliminary. No claim is being made that these questions are definitive. The research is however addressing an area which is of concern to those in practice and has not been previously examined.
Open Access
Contemporary performance measurement systems: A review of their consequences and a framework for research
(Elsevier, 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z) Franco-Santos, Monica; Lucianetti, Lorenzo; Bourne, Mike
The main purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the literature on the consequences of contemporary performance measurement (CPM) systems and the theories that explain these consequences. The framework is based on an in-depth review of 76 empirical studies published in high-quality academic journals in the areas of accounting, operations, and strategy. The framework classifies the consequences of CPM into three categories: people's behaviour, organizational capabilities, and performance consequences. This paper discusses our current knowledge on the impact of CPM, highlighting inconsistencies and gaps as well as providing direction for future research.
Open Access
A cross-national comparison of public project benefits management practices – the effectiveness of benefits management frameworks in application
(Taylor and Francis, 2019-09-25) Williams, Terry; Vo, Hang; Bourne, Mike; Bourne, Pippa; Cooke-Davies, Terry; Kirkham, Richard; Masterton, Gordon; Quattrone, Paolo; Valette, Jason
Benefits are the principal reason why an organization may seek to enact change through programmes and projects. The discipline of identification, definition, planning, tracking and realization of benefits is recognized to be instrumental in achieving organizational strategy. In this study, we describe the results of a cross-national comparison of public sector benefits management (BM) practices in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. It explores ‘BM practices in action’, considering to what extent ‘espoused’ or ‘mandated’ frameworks are actually practised and perceived by their users. Employing qualitative analysis, semi-structured interview data were analysed from 46 participants with experience in sponsoring, managing and/or reviewing government projects. The results expose considerable variation in the adoption and standardization of BM frameworks from inter and intragovernmental perspectives. We evidence a strong focus on benefits identification across the data set, specifically at the outset (the business case stage seeking project approval) and observe deterioration in focus as the project or programme progresses through the authorization (or assurance) approval gates towards close-out and operations. The results further emphasize the prominence of political interest, leadership buy-in, a benefits-driven culture and a transparent benefits reporting mechanism in the implementation of ‘effective’ BM frameworks
Open Access
Editorial: Towards a theoretical foundation for performance measurement and management
(Wiley, 2018-07-02) Bititci, Umit S.; Bourne, Mike; Cross, Jennifer A. (Farris); Nudurupati, Sai S.; Sang, Kate
Open Access
An examination of the literature relating to issues affecting how companies manage through measures
(Taylor & Francis, 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z) Franco-Santos, Monica; Bourne, Mike
In the last decade, organizations have devoted enormous time and effort to the development of business performance measurement (BPM) systems. Many articles have been written on how to design and implement these types of systems. However, few studies have addressed the issue of why some organizations are better able to 'manage through measures' than others. In other words, why do some organizations struggle to ensure that action follows measurement, whilst others systematically use their metrics to inform their decision-making processes, and their subsequent actions? This paper aims to contribute to a more complete understanding of the use of BPM systems by reviewing the performance measurement literature developed in the management arena. It differs from previous examinations of performance measurement and management control systems in that it uses a broader scope and follows a new method of literature review applied to management research, namely, systematic review. The paper focuses on the thematic analysis of the review only. The insights extracted from the literature are articulated and presented in a management framework. In addition, the paper identifies different gaps in the literature that require further research.
Open Access
How could knowledge of sensemaking during organizational change contribute to the investigation of how sense is made of organizational perfomance
(Cranfield University, 2011-08) Allen, Richard; Micheli, Pietro; Bourne, Mike
Managers and organizational stakeholders are confronted by a range of stimuli, emotions, events, data, paradoxes and ambiguities in endeavouring to understand and make sense of change and the performance of their organizations. However, there is virtually no literature available on sensemaking within organizational performance. Historically sensemaking literature has focused on unusual events, disasters and high reliability settings but there is now a sizeable body addressing sensemaking in strategic organizational change. This literature has been systematically reviewed because of its proximity to organizational performance and in order to assess how sensemaking in organizational performance could be in investigated. Sensemaking in individuals is triggered by the unusual and confounding and is concerned with how people construct meaning from this. While sensegiving is about the role played by leaders, or stakeholders, in generating, articulating and “selling” a construction or interpretation of events emerging from their own sensemaking process. “Mindfulness” can be thought of as how sensemaking is realised and is about responding rather than reacting while using information, attentiveness and clues to make sense of what is happening. The sensemaking studies reviewed are dominated by work with middle managers who are seen by the authors as key organizational change agents. Organizational actors come to sensemaking through mental maps, or schemata that can be re-configured through the sensemaking process often as a way of addressing paradox or equivocation. The view of sensemaking as inter-subjective, discursive and narrative dominates giving scope to managers to facilitate the process. Sensegiving and sensemaking intertwine dialectically in a process which sees sensemaking informing sensegiving and vice versa. There is insufficient information on mindfulness and change to be able to assess it. In conclusion there are sufficient similarities between the processes of organizational change and organizational performance management to warrant its investigation from an inter-subjective, discursive and narrative sensemaking perspective.
Open Access
How do top management teams in regulated industries evolve their strategies in response to signals from performance measures?
(Cranfield University, 2012-05) Pratt, Gillian; Bourne, Mike
A conceptual framework was derived by exploring how strategy change and top management team literatures inform the performance measurement field. It began to explain the role top management teams play using signals from their performance measures to evolve strategy. Adopting a Realist perspective, case study research was undertaken to seek out the approaches taken by managers in four organisations operating in UK regulated industry. Using the strategy chart tool developed by Mills et al (1998) in a retrospective manner and mapping changes in performance measures over the same time period, the research identified events in which changes in strategy and performance measures were linked. These event data sets were triangulated by interviewing managers about the roles they played and specifically the actions and factors to which they paid attention during the events. The findings were used to test and develop the conceptual framework. This resulted in an empirical framework that verifies existing theory that performance evaluation is a process of learning and inducing change. It confirms that this can be achieved whilst balancing alignment of the measures to implement strategy and adapting them to formulate strategy (Bourne et al 2000, Gimbert et al 2010, Kolehmainen 2010, Martinez et al 2010, Micheli and Manzoni 2010, Micheli et al 2011). Furthermore it develops theoretical understanding through the conduct of case studies into the role and key features of a performance measurement system which both supports the implementation and the formulation of strategy (Gimbert et al 2010, Micheli and Manzoni 2010) and finally the case studies provide rich description of what strategists actually do in crafting strategy as called for by those writing in the strategy-as-practice field (Whittington et al 2006). The framework may also benefit practitioners since it describes the factors to which top management teams may pay attention in using performance measures to develop business strategy in regulated industries.
Open Access
How rival partners compete based on cooperation?
(Elsevier, 2017-11-06) Peng, Tzu-Ju Ann; Yen, Meng-Hsien; Bourne, Mike
Prior studies of coopetition have explained the what, how and why of firms cooperating with competitors. Among these, examining the how question as to the stream of coopetition dynamics is the most challenging theme. Previous research has focused much more on the cooperation side. Less attention has been paid to the competition side to reveal what happens to competition after the competitors have collaborated. This study sheds light on the issue of cooperation-based competition by answering the question: while cooperating with competitors, how do rival partners compete based on cooperation? Linking the competitive dynamics perspective to coopetition, we conducted a single-case study to analyse the competition between two leading competitors in the Taiwanese bicycle industry. We collected the reported issues pertaining to the competition in the European market and supported by in-depth interviews. The analysis leads us to develop three propositions and a conceptual framework for illustrating the cooperation-based competition and addressing how cooperation may influence competition in a coopetition relationship. This study provides new insights into a theoretical issue of cooperation-based competition. The case also provides management implications while taking a coopetition strategy.
Open Access
Impact of knowledge management on law firm performance
(Cranfield University, 2005-11) Forstenlechner, Ingo; Lettice, Fiona; Bourne, Mike
It is a management truism that you cannot manage what you cannot measure. To manage knowledge effectively organisations need to understand how to measure their knowledge management performance against organisational goals. The case study organisation has developed a balanced scorecard, which is used to monitor key drivers for performance within the remit of the knowledge management function, thereby aiming to improve the delivery of value adding services. The set of cause and effect relationships at the heart of the scorecard - referred to as the success map - is at the core of this research, which aims to investigate if the link between managing knowledge and financial performance really exists and - if it does - how it can be influenced. By means of analytical methods including regression, correlation and semi-structured interviews the existence of this link is supported by evidence and the success map updated to reflect the relationships among key performance drivers that were positively identified as relevant. The outcome is a model for managing knowledge that can be applied to professional service firms or comparable organisations that are highly dependant on knowledge. In relation to this model, cultural variations were investigated and found to significantly influence the relevant performance drivers in several regions and countries across the case study organisation. Ignoring these cultural variations was found to carry the risk to base action on deceitful insights. In addition to this, the analysis of the survey also gave a clear indication of how to foster knowledge sharing among lawyers of different nationality and levels of seniority. This thesis provides the empirical evidence for a link between knowledge management and organisational performance.
Open Access
The impact of performance targets on behaviour: A close look at sales force contexts
(2008-01-01T00:00:00Z) Franco-Santos, Monica; Bourne, Mike
Open Access
The Impact of the Investors in People Standard on People Management Practices and Firm Performance
(2008-09-01T00:00:00Z) Bourne, Mike; Franco-Santos, Monica; Pavlov, Andrey; Lucianetti, Lorenzo; Martinez, Veronica; Mura, Matteo
This document reports on an extensive study into the impact of the Investors in People Standard on business performance. We started by reviewing what is already known about the Standard’s impact on business performance, before building a framework of the expected benefits of IIP from the Strategic Human Resource Management literature. This framework was tested using case studies, a survey and financial analysis to create a body of knowledge that improves our understanding of how the Investors in People Standard improves business performanc
Open Access
Improving feedforward controls to improve NPD portfolio performance – an empirical study
(Case Western Reserve University: Weatherhead School of Management, 2022-05-30) Baker, Mark H.; Bourne, Mike
Managers making crucial project selections in large, fast-changing project portfolios face the challenge of balancing the tension between control (performance) and creativity (experimentation/innovation). To better manage this challenge and to improve performance, some practitioners and scholars have considered the application of more sophisticated feedforward controls in new product development portfolio project selections. However, empirical studies of changes in the sophistication of such controls and of their influence on performance are lacking. We use an engaged scholarship approach and an action research methodology in a large international organization with multiple business units to study the post-intervention changes in applied controls and changes in portfolio performance. Our findings identify the underlying generative mechanisms influencing the changes in the applied sophistication of feedforward controls, how these changes enable portfolio managers to better balance the tension between control and creativity in project selection, and the performance outcomes.
Open Access
Investors in People, Managerial Capabilities and Performance
(2010-03-01T00:00:00Z) Bourne, Mike; Franco-Santos, Monica
Investors in People (IiP) UK commissioned the Centre for Business Performance at Cranfield School of Management to investigate the impact of Investors in People on managerial capabilities, managerial performance and business results. In this study, we took three different approaches. Firstly, we conducted in depth case studies in seven different organisations. Through a series of interviews with HR professionals and line managers, we investigated the impact Investors in People had on management capabilities and managerial performance, probing their understanding of how good management delivered business performance. Secondly, we conducted a survey across some 400 small, medium sized and larger companies based in the UK. Senior, middle and junior managers provided data on their understanding of the role of Investors in People, the company’s managerial capabilities, the performance of managers, and the company’s financial and non- financial performance results. Thirdly, we accessed published data from returns to Company’s House (as provided through the FAME database) to test the linkage between perceptions of managerial performance and firm profitability. The companies we visited for our case studies highlighted the differences in managerial capabilities and performance between Investors in People recognised companies, and non- recognised companies. They also illustrated the differences in organisational commitment to people and their development and provided practical examples of tools being successfully used to build management capabil
Open Access
Investors in People, Managerial Capabilities and Performance
(2010-01-31T00:00:00Z) Bourne, Mike; Franco-Santos, Monica
Executive Summary: Investors in People (IiP) UK commissioned the Centre for Business Performance at Cranfield School of Management to investigate the impact of Investors in People on managerial capabilities, managerial performance and business results. In this study, we took three different approaches. Firstly, we conducted in depth case studies in seven different organisations. Through a series of interviews with HR professionals and line managers, we investigated the impact Investors in People had on management capabilities and managerial performance, probing their understanding of how good management delivered business performance. Secondly, we conducted a survey across some 400 small, medium sized and larger companies based in the UK. Senior, middle and junior managers provided data on their understanding of the role of Investors in People, the company’s managerial capabilities, the performance of managers, and the company’s financial and nonfinancial performance results. Thirdly, we accessed published data from returns to Company’s House (as provided through the FAME database) to test the linkage between perceptions of managerial performance and firm profitability. The companies we visited for our case studies highlighted the differences in managerial capabilities and performance between Investors in People recognised companies, and nonrecognised companies. They also illustrated the differences in organisational commitment to people and their development and provided practical examples of tools being successfully used to build management capabilities. In our study, we found empirical evidence showing that Investors in People: Enhances managerial capabilities - that is to say the knowledge, experience and skills of managers. Supports the development of an organisational learning culture. Improves the effectiveness of management development practices. Facilitates the creation of a high-performing environment. Increases the performance of managers. Furthermore, working with Investors in People triggers a chain of events (see figure 1). Investors in People recognised companies have better managerial capabilities that engender higher managerial performance, which leads to better perceived non-financial and financial performance, resulting in higher profitability - as shown in their published accounts – than nonrecognised companies. Managers play a key role in delivering business performance. This research shows how Investors in People underpins effective management through its impact on the development of management capabilities and management performance. Also, we conclude that the more companies embrace Investors in People, the better their performance will be.
Open Access
Managing through measures: a study of impact on performance
(MCB University Press, 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z) Bourne, Mike; Kennerley, Mike; Franco-Santos, Monica
Performance measurement has developed rapidly over the last two decades. The dissatisfaction with financial measures, which came to the fore in the 1980s, has given way to a plethora of balanced performance measurement frameworks. Over the period, the focus has moved from designing balanced performance measurement systems, through implementation to the use of measures to manage performance. There is now a debate in the literature over whether performance has a positive impact on business performance, but despite the research, until recently, few studies have examined the use of performance measures and how performance measurement impacts performance. This paper reports on a study of the use of performance measures in multiple business units of the same organisation. The findings suggest that current research into the impact of performance measurement on performance may be too simplistic in its approach as much of the research relies on studying the physical and formal systems used, ignoring the types of factors found to be important in this study. These factors include Simons’ (1991) concept of interactive control and the paper suggests that this concept deserves further stud
Open Access
Measuring organisational routines: a systematic review
(2006-08) Pavlov, Andrey; Bourne, Mike
This dissertation employs the systematic review method to review the literature informing the question of using performance measurement to drive strategy execution. The narrative review outlines the location of this issue within the relevant domains of literature and is used to formulate the questions for the systematic review. The latter are formulated to reflect two major approaches to using measurement for strategic management purposes - measuring to challenge strategic assumptions and inform subsequent intervention and measuring to drive localised strategic learning. Learning is conceptualised as continuous change in organisational routines, where the latter provide a “window” to the firm’s strategy by the virtue of being the constituent parts of dynamic capabilities. The systematic review follows the structure suggested by Cranfield School of Management and outlines the sequence of actions taken during the review process. It provides a record of the decisions taken and outside input received during the process. The evidence found through the systematic review leads to several conclusions. First, the inadequate level of research into the measures of routines precludes measurement from being used for evaluating routines to inform subsequent intervention. Measures of routines need to be systematised, better understood and better operationalised before this application of measurement becomes possible as an independent strategic management approach. A first step in this direction is offered by proposing a classification of measures of organisational routines. Understanding changes in routines as learning that can be influenced by performance measurement offers a greater potential. It is suggested that while learning is stimulated by performance feedback and takes place through routines, it can be influenced strategically through the use the feedforward function of measurement. The results of the findings from the systematic review are integrated into a coherent framework, on the basis of which several avenues for further research are suggested.
Open Access
Modelling the impact of performance management practices on firm performance: Interaction with human resource management practices
(Taylor & Francis, 2017-04-23) Pavlov, Andrey; Mura, Matteo; Franco-Santos, Monica; Bourne, Mike
The paper draws on resource orchestration theory to investigate whether and how performance management (PM) practices interact with human resource management (HRM) practices in organisations as well as how this interaction affects firm performance. The proposed theoretical model was tested through a survey of 192 UK firms using Partial Least Squares approach for structural equations modelling. The findings show that the effect of PM practices on firm performance is better explained when the interaction between these practices and other organisational practices is considered. In particular, we examine the extent to which the interaction between PM practices and commitment-based HRM practices affects performance. We find that when HRM practices and PM practices are misaligned, their effect on performance can be negative. This is the first paper in the PM literature that establishes the relationship between PM and HRM practices in organisations and demonstrates the effect of this relationship on firm performance

Browsing by Author "Bourne, Mike"

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