Quest for Balance: The Human Element in Performance Management Systems [Hardcover]

André A. de Waal (Author), Andre A. de Waal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0471205710 | ISBN-13: 978-0471205715 | Edition: 1st

Explains the competencies a manager must possess in order to use a balanced scorecard.
* Features case studies of corporations who have successfully used the human element when implementing the balanced scorecard as a PMS.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Performance management" enables companies to deliver a predictable contribution to sustained value creation. Performance management systems-such as critical success factors, key performance indicators, and the balanced scorecard-offer clear parameters for managers to better direct their organization; companies, however, seem to have great difficulty applying performance management systems (PMS) successfully. Quest for Balance: The Human Element in Performance Management Systems explores for the first time the impact that individuals have on PMS and company value. Drawing upon years of experience in management consulting, author Andr? de Waal (Power of Performance Management) shows how managers can master the human element and successfully implement performance management systems.

The importance of PMS for efficient management information supply continues to grow as the sheer volume of available information increases and the corporate environment becomes more turbulent. Andr? de Waal recognizes the human element as critical to successful performance management, specifically in the involvement of users during reports of the balanced scorecard (BSC), the degree to which users are accountable for results of the BSC, and the way in which the results are communicated within the organization. He further focuses on the state of the organization at the moment the BSC is introduced and the use of the BSC for steering and control purposes. With de Waal's expert analysis and recommendations, Quest for Balance:
* Shows managers how to successfully use the performance management systems they already have in place
* Explains the competencies that a manager must possess in order to effectively use a balanced scorecard
* Provides case studies of international organizations that have successfully negotiated the human element when implementing the balanced scorecard
* Shows how a corporation can further improve its performance management process

Acquiring the right tools is only half of the battle; the right individuals must know the right way to use them. Quest for Balance proves the premier guide for successfully deploying performance management systems.

From the Back Cover

Praise for QUEST FOR BALANCE

"Andr? de Waal has produced a rigorous study of the behavioral and organizational factors that influence implementation success for new performance management systems. It is an important addition to the literature for its focus on recognizing and overcoming the barriers to introducing new management systems."
-Robert S. Kaplan
Harvard Business School

"When management is about getting things done through people, performance management is about monitoring the results of these actions. Andr? de Waal clearly demonstrates that, with respect to the design and use of performance management systems, human behavior and organization culture are as important as the framework itself."
-Arend R. de Jong
Executive Vice President and Corporate Controller
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

"This book provides excellent insight into the behavioral aspects involved in applying performance management. Through in-depth research Andr? de Waal has uncovered those human elements that, when focused on by organizations, will help them improve the use of their performance management system."
-David C. M. Hamill
President and CEO of Philips Lighting Holding BV
Member of the Group Management Committee of Royal Philips Electronics

"Andr? de Waal's book-Quest for Balance-makes fascinating reading. He tackles one of the crucial issues facing many organizations today-how to make measurement work-and offers some valuable insights."
-Professor Andy Neely
Director of the Center for Business Performance at Cranfield School of Management

"Dramatic improvements can be made through linking activity-based costing to performance management. But reaping this harvest requires the human element to change. De Waal's Quest for Balance provides real company insights on what it takes to be successful. It should be a key part of your implementation efforts."
-Steve Player
Managing Director
The Player Group

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 238 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471205710
• ISBN-13: 978-0471205715
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,084,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

André de Waal Ph.D., MSc, MBA (1960) is Associate Professor Strategic Management at the Maastricht School of Management. His teaching assignment is the course Strategic Performance Management and High Performance Organisations. André is also Academic Director of the HPO Center, an organization which conducts research into high performance organizations. In addition, he is guest lecturer at the Free University Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam, and visiting fellow at Cranfield University, United Kingdom. André holds a MSc in Chemistry from Leiden University (the Netherlands), a MBA from Northeastern University Boston (USA) and a Ph.D. in Economics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands). He has been a partner with Arthur Andersen and Holland Consulting Group for 17 years.

André's Ph.D. thesis was on the topic of the role of behavioral aspects in the successful implementation and use of performance management systems. As an independent consultant, he focuses on performance management and high performance organizations. He has been teaching and conducting projects in this field in countries like China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, Surinam, U.K., Poland, Saudi-Arabia, Yemen, South-Africa, Namibia, Rwanda and Tanzania. André has been selected by managementboek.nl as one of the Dutch Masters in Management, ten people who have influenced management thinking in The Netherlands the most in the past decade. Especially his research into high performance organisations and high performance individuals attracts a lot of (international) attention.

André has published over two hundred fifty articles and twenty-four books. Among his books are: Power of Performance Management, How Leading Companies Create Sustained Value (John Wiley & Sons, 2001), Presteren is Mensenwerk (Kluwer, 2001), Minder is Meer, competitief voordeel door beyond budgeting (Holland Business Press, 2002), Quest for Balance, the human element in performance management systems (John Wiley & Sons, 2002), Management Rages, 35 managementconcepten ontrafeld (Kluwer, 2002), Ontwikkelingen en Trends in de Financiële Functie (Kluwer, 2003), Prestatiegericht Gedrag (Kluwer, 2003), Beyond budgeting, het praktische alternatief voor budgetteren (Kluwer, 2004), De resultaatgerichte overheid, op weg naar de prestatiegedreven overheidsorganisatie (SDU, 2004), De financiële manager van de 21ste eeuw (Kluwer, 2006) and Strategic Performance Management, A Managerial and Behavioural Approach (Palgrave MacMillan, 2007), Maak van je bedrijf een toporganisatie! (Van Duuren Management, 2009), 10 Rituelen van Slecht Management (Van Duuren Management, 2010) and Budgetteringsproces: wel of niet veranderen (Kluwer, 2010).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scorecard also balanced for people, September 2, 2002

By 

"lodewijkroelen" (Amsterdam Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quest for Balance: The Human Element in Performance Management Systems (Hardcover)

Many organizations struggle with the implementation of the balanced scorecard. It is rumoured that about 70% of these projects fail. There are many reasons given for this, like wrong timing, no commitment of the organization, inadequate IT etc. These failures are a shame because, as the book Quest for Balance shows, the use of a good PMS helps organizations obtain better results! So we should concentrate more on the reasons for PMS-failure and the things we can do to make these successful. This book concentrates on the human factors which influence this success. These factors are still too often ignored, probably because humans are so hard to deal with. Based on case study research the author has discovered which factors are the most important, like visible commitment of top management and a firm belief in performance management. Also management styles are discusses. With this book the failure rate of BSC-implementations surely must go down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scorecard balanced for people, September 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Quest for Balance: The Human Element in Performance Management Systems (Hardcover)

Many organizations struggle with the implementation of the balanced scorecard. It is rumoured that about 70% of these projects fail. There are many reasons given for this, like wrong timing, no commitment of the organization, inadequate IT etc. These failures are a shame because, as the book Quest for Balance shows, the use of a good PMS helps organizations obtain better results! So we should concentrate more on the reasons for PMS-failure and the things we can do to make these successful. This book concentrates on the human factors which influence this success. These factors are still too often ignored, probably because humans are so hard to deal with. Based on case study research the author has discovered which factors are the most important, like visible commitment of top management and a firm belief in performance management. Also management styles are discusses. With this book the failure rate of BSC-implementations surely must go down.

5.0 out of 5 stars Scorecard balanced for people, September 2, 2002

By 

"lodewijkroelen" (Amsterdam Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quest for Balance: The Human Element in Performance Management Systems (Hardcover)

Many organizations struggle with the implementation of the balanced scorecard. It is rumoured that about 70% of these projects fail. There are many reasons given for this, like wrong timing, no commitment of the organization, inadequate IT etc. These failures are a shame because, as the book Quest for Balance shows, the use of a good PMS helps organizations obtain better results! So we should concentrate more on the reasons for PMS-failure and the things we can do to make these successful. This book concentrates on the human factors which influence this success. These factors are still too often ignored, probably because humans are so hard to deal with. Based on case study research the author has discovered which factors are the most important, like visible commitment of top management and a firm belief in performance management. Also management styles are discusses. With this book the failure rate of BSC-implementations surely must go down.