Skip to main content
Log in

Methodological Challenges Posed by Measures of Performance

  • Views and Debates
  • Published:
Journal of Management and Governance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Performance measures are everywhere, but they are filled with errors, and these errors are likely to cause faulty inferences. We should distrust performance measures, but we cannot ignore them because they are powerful motivators that can produce dramatic improvements in human and organizational performance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Jon John E. Roemer John (Eds) (1993) Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-Being Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank Friedlander Hal Pickle (1968) ArticleTitle“Components of Effectiveness in Small Organizations” Administrative Science Quarterly 13 289–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Raymond Hubbard J. Scott Armstrong (1992) ArticleTitle“Are Null Results Becoming and Endangered Species in Marketing?” Marketing Letters 3 IssueID2 127–136

    Google Scholar 

  • John M. Mezias H. Starbuck William (2003) ArticleTitle“Studying the Accuracy of Managers Perceptions: A Research Odyssey” British Journal of Management 14 3–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy L. Payne S. Pugh Derek (1976) “Organizational Structure and Climate” M.D. Dunnette (Eds) Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology Rand McNally Chicago 1125–1173

    Google Scholar 

  • James T. Peach L. Webb James (1983) ArticleTitle“Randomly Specified Macroeconomic Models: Some Implications for Model Selection” Journal of Economic Issues 17 697–720

    Google Scholar 

  • B. Rosenberg M. Houglet (1974) ArticleTitle“Error Rates in CRSP and Compustat Data bases and their Implications” Journal of Finance 29 1303–1310

    Google Scholar 

  • Peter J. Rousseeuw M. Leroy Annick (Eds) (1987) Robust Regression and Outlier Detection New York Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  • San Miguel G. Joseph (1977) ArticleTitle“The Reliability of R&D Data in Compustat and 10-K Reports” Accounting Review 52 638–641

    Google Scholar 

  • Dennis C. Smith J. Bratton William (2001) “Performance Management in New York City: Compstat and the Revolution in Police Management” Dall W. Forsythe (Eds) Quicker, Better, Cheaper? Managing Performance in American Government Rockefeller Institute Press Albany, NY 453–482

    Google Scholar 

  • E. Jane Webster H. Starbuck William (1988) “Theory building in industrial and organizational psychology” L. Cooper Cary T. Robertson Ivan (Eds) International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology 1988 Wiley London 93–138

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to William H. Starbuck.

Additional information

This commentary builds on a presentation at the 2004 meeting of the Academy of Management. The presentation was part of a symposium organized by Alfred Kieser and titled “Do studies of performance create actionable knowledge?”

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Starbuck, W.H. Methodological Challenges Posed by Measures of Performance. J Manage Governance 8, 337–343 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-004-4125-z

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-004-4125-z

Keywords

Navigation