Comments on: Performance Landscape article. http://www.performanceandstrategy.com/recent-posts/performance-landscape-article Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:45:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Alan http://www.performanceandstrategy.com/recent-posts/performance-landscape-article/comment-page-1#comment-75 Alan Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:12:26 +0000 http://www.performanceandstrategy.com/?p=471#comment-75 Thanks for your response Gwyn. I fully agree that metrics and the confidence agenda can be good bedfellows and it was never my intention to suggest that metrics should be done away with although, from your response, perhaps I have. There are many customer focused organisations that also use metric measurements and I think both are essential. However, from the work we’ve recently been doing with public services it is apparent that, because of the government focus, we have a generation of managers who have been developed on metrics alone, so there is a whole development process needed to enable them to merge quantitative and qualitative measurements. These managers have also lived through more than two decades of sustained growth so, at the same time, also need to adapt to the agenda of doing more with less. My reason for advocating the ‘mature discussion’ is that, in this new world of performance, education cannot just focus on education, police cannot focus just on police, health service cannot just focus on health service etc. Survival of the public services, as an entity, is going to depend on integrated working to achieve maximum cost effectiveness, together with measures, both quantitative and qualitative, that are complimentary not contradictory. Your response to this article is one step further in this debate, so thanks again. Thanks for your response Gwyn. I fully agree that metrics and the confidence agenda can be good bedfellows and it was never my intention to suggest that metrics should be done away with although, from your response, perhaps I have.

There are many customer focused organisations that also use metric measurements and I think both are essential. However, from the work we’ve recently been doing with public services it is apparent that, because of the government focus, we have a generation of managers who have been developed on metrics alone, so there is a whole development process needed to enable them to merge quantitative and qualitative measurements. These managers have also lived through more than two decades of sustained growth so, at the same time, also need to adapt to the agenda of doing more with less.

My reason for advocating the ‘mature discussion’ is that, in this new world of performance, education cannot just focus on education, police cannot focus just on police, health service cannot just focus on health service etc. Survival of the public services, as an entity, is going to depend on integrated working to achieve maximum cost effectiveness, together with measures, both quantitative and qualitative, that are complimentary not contradictory.

Your response to this article is one step further in this debate, so thanks again.

]]> By: Gwyn Thomas http://www.performanceandstrategy.com/recent-posts/performance-landscape-article/comment-page-1#comment-74 Gwyn Thomas Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:39:45 +0000 http://www.performanceandstrategy.com/?p=471#comment-74 Sorry, no picture!!! In the main i agree with the comments, particularly as to the need for radical change and radical decision making within the context of the new financial challenges that lie ahead for the public sector that are unprecedented on a global scale. However, whilst the point is made as to the impact of performance targets etc and the apparent adverse impact that this has had on innovation, creativity and enhancing public confidence I think that it is important to say that metrics and the confidence agenda do not need to be exclusive and in my view can sit well together as good bedfellows provided there is a clear understanding as to how they interact with and interrelate to each other, after all as far as the police service is concerned I think that we have to absolutely be about 'keeping our communities safe' (tackling local and serious crime - and having some meaningful measures around that) and 'feeling safe' (confidence, visibility, satisfaction, quality of life issues). Sorry, no picture!!! In the main i agree with the comments, particularly as to the need for radical change and radical decision making within the context of the new financial challenges that lie ahead for the public sector that are unprecedented on a global scale. However, whilst the point is made as to the impact of performance targets etc and the apparent adverse impact that this has had on innovation, creativity and enhancing public confidence I think that it is important to say that metrics and the confidence agenda do not need to be exclusive and in my view can sit well together as good bedfellows provided there is a clear understanding as to how they interact with and interrelate to each other, after all as far as the police service is concerned I think that we have to absolutely be about ‘keeping our communities safe’ (tackling local and serious crime – and having some meaningful measures around that) and ‘feeling safe’ (confidence, visibility, satisfaction, quality of life issues).

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