Customer Reviews

Aligning Performance: Improving People, Systems and Organization

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As an organization and leadership development consultant, I was interested in learning different methods for increasing performance, especially at the leadership level, in the nonprofit organizations with which I work. This book provided more than I bargained for - and that was good.

The author carefully and comprehensively guides the reader through four levels of business, what he refers to as the Business Sphere; the business unit, the core process, the individual and the work group and analyzes each of these from the viewpoint of the inputs, conditions, process elements, consequences, outputs, and feedback (the "proforma") involved in conducting business' work. Performance alignment is explained as being the "interdependencies" of these four levels of business.

Just when I thought I had it, the last chapters of the book emphasized the importance of including (or "layering") work support, behavior, standards and human consonance into the mix. Any good performance consultant knows that attitudes, support systems, values and explicit standards are necessary for business success. But what the author does is provide a detailed account of how to measure and include these into your performance analysis of the Business Sphere and the six elements (inputs, consequences, processes, conditions, etc) of each component of that Sphere. Sound detailed and complex? It is.
However, the author is systematic in his discussion of the process of analyzing the deficiencies in any given organization and encourages consultants to be just as methodical in their approach. For instance, he supports his argument that the order of analysis is important and necessary with a poignant example. He mentions "A CEO decided to reorganize the work groups without first investigating whether there was any problem with the processes or the individuals who produced the primary [business] outputs. He assumed the problem [with his business outputs] was with the work groups (the organization structure)." Langdon argues that the CEO, and performance consultants, should first measure primary outputs, then processes and individuals, and, finally, the work groups. This order will allow the consultant to more accurately locate the root cause of an organization's challenges.

Mr. Langdon's book is academic and not for the faint of heart. However, he does an exceptional job of providing supportive tables and templates, for us visual learners, which brought to practical life the points he emphasizes. Additionally, his many business examples and continued referral to football, as a business example that everyone can understand, all allow the reader to see how to apply the principles Langdon just outlined.

The book, however, draws on his experiences in the environmental technology field and refers to nonprofit organizations only twice. So the reader must focus on what is transferable or achievable for working groups or organizations in that sector.

This book requires an attentive mind, a notepad and a pencil. Mine is littered with paper book-marks and pencil notes in the margins. After a rough start, I starting seeing how each component of the Business Sphere and the "proforma" could be useful in facilitating discussions with nonprofit organization's leaders, staff and volunteers on defining, measuring and improving their performance. Important to understand, too, is that the author is encouraging consultants to help the organizations with which they work to develop a "Language of Work" model; a language that is common to everyone in the business so that there remains little room for miscommunication, misunderstanding or other root causes of misalignment. His attempt to explain this Language model is the heart of this book.

Table of Contents:

Chap. 1 Introduction to Performance Alignment in Business

Chap. 2 The Business Sphere: Where to Apply Performance

Chap. 3 The Work Behavior of the Business Unit: The What of Business

Chap. 4 The Work Behavior of Core Processes: The How of Business

Chap. 5 The Work Behavior of Individuals: Work by Whom?

Chap. 6 The Work Behavior of Work Groups: The Organization of Work

Chap. 7 Work Standards: The Excellence of Work

Chap. 8 Work Support: The Health of Business

Chap. 9 Human Consonance: Reducing the Interference of the Human Element

Chap. 10 Achieving Performance Alignment in Business

Performance alignment (PA) assures that all the work in a business is in harmony so that the organization can achieve its mission. This book describes how PA can be achieved inside a business. It describes the role of the performance consultant as a facilitator to help employees at all levels achieve alignment. The focus of PA is on the internal operations of the business, and serves the alignment of the organization's strategy with its markets. The methodology offered in this book for achieving PA is conceptually comprehensive; it addresses three basic questions: Where is the performance that needs alignment located in the business? How can you describe the performance so that nothing is overlooked? How can we make the performance understandable and align all performance together so that each part supports the others? This book is highly systematic and thoughtful in its approach. Recommended. 284 pp.

Reviewed by Gerry Stern, editor, Stern's Management Review and Stern's SourceFinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information and Resources hrconsultant.com.