Performance Management

Thoughtfully linking performance to results.

Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness
While private sector organizations have developed strategic plans to help guide them in their operational and decision making processes for decades a growing phenomenon is the use of strategic planning linked to performance management in both the private and public sector. Over this time organizations in both public and private sectors have had mixed results in operationalizing strategic plans as a result of their visionary characteristics: while inspirational, they often seemed detached from reality.

Accountability Transparency Performance
•Higher Expectations
•Employee Empowerment
•Sense of Ownership
•Better Financial Management
•Articulation and Communications of Goals and Results		 •More Informed Decision Making  
•Greater Trust with Customers and Stakeholders
•Greater Support for Initiatives
•Linking of Resources and Results		 •Greater Effectiveness
•Greater Efficiencies
•Better Business Process
•Greater Innovation
•Culture of Continuous Improvement
•Informing Decision Making with Performance Data

More recently, strategic planning has evolved through the integration with performance measurement activities to a more comprehensive Performance Management approach that couples performance expectations (goals and outcomes) with resource allocations and utilizations. As performance and resources are more closely linked, excesses, functions and activities that are not aligned with strategic goals are de-emphasized or eliminated. Organizations that take advantages of these systems see significant improvement in both efficiencies and effectiveness.
Lebanon Valley College is on the forefront of this comprehensive strategic performance management approach.
Linking Performance Expectations with Resource Allocations
The process of linking performance and resource utilization inherently incorporates accountability and responsibility which has created significant issues in organizations. As resources are procured and consumed, managers responsible for all levels of performance must be included in the decision making process; systems must be implemented to provide workflow and assignment of these responsibilities and authorities. No longer can resources, both goods and services, be procured or assigned without the approval of those responsible.

Alignment between Activity, Program, Department and Organizational Goals
As goals and measures are aligned to organizational priorities, activities that were once essential are often determined to be obsolete; activities that were once cost effective are now wasteful and unnecessary. Performance management systems help inform organizational managers to foster better decision making. Providing analysis written and presented in layman’s terms as well as technical terms engages and empowers electorates and other stakeholders.

As organizations continue to refine the resources they require to achieve desired levels of performance, excesses are eliminated from the system and services and activities become more efficient.