Summary

The introduction of a Balanced Scorecard program is a major enterprise performance management initiative or change program, involving considerable time and money for the full design and rollout. Hence, it is important to develop a clear idea of the business benefits.

This calls for building a compelling business case. When business faces a question of survival, as one example in the article shows, this is probably made easier. Such cases are an exception and most scorecard initiatives are proposed in organizations that face a ‘business as usual’ situation. In such scenarios, the proponents need to develop a clear plan for championing the Balanced Scorecard program.

Summary

This interview features Bjarte Bogsnes, Project Manager Beyond Budgeting for Stavanger, Norway-based Statoil, an integrated oil and gas company with about 25,000 employees and activities in 32 countries. In this interview, drawing from his experience of facilitating the Balanced Scorecard program in Statoil, Bjarte Bogsnes presents a practitioner’s viewpoint regarding various aspects of the Balanced Scorecard concept.

Welcome to the first EPM Review Newleter

Execution and the Balanced Scorecard - Execution is a discipline integral to strategy

Creating an adaptive enterprise - A series of interviews recognized experts respond to questions about some of the persistent issues facing leaders, as they seek to create an adaptive enterprise and achieve new levels of performance.

Other Articles

• Strategy Communication
• Executing Strategy with the Balanced Scorecard
• How can the HR and other staff functions benefit from the Balanced Scorecard?

Summary

In this article – the second of a four part series – author, management consultant and Balanced Scorecard expert Paul Niven discusses the need for a Customer Perspective in a Balanced Scorecard. “The remaining two parts focus on the Internal Process, and Learning and Growth perspectives.”

The author begins by discussing the explosion in the options available for a consumer’s choice. A century and more ago, producers of goods and services enjoyed great power over customers who had extremely limited choices in the market. Today, the scenario has reversed, with customers exerting far greater power in the purchase transaction. Technologies like the Internet increase customer knowledge and insight and deliver greater bargaining power to customers. This makes it absolutely vital for companies to have a well-defined Customer Perspective.

Summary

The Commercial Vehicles Business Unit of India-based Tata Motors manufactures the full range of commercial vehicles and is one of the world’s top 10 truck manufacturers.

Years of poor financial performance had thrown off-track the Unit’s objective of being among the world’s five most profitable commercial vehicle makers. The CVBU developed a strategy for effecting turnaround, creating sustainable growth and profitability. Earlier studies, using the Malcolm Baldrige model, had highlighted the unit’s weakness in strategy deployment. In response, senior managers chose the Balanced Scorecard as the preferred driver of change and strategy implementation tool.

Summary

This interview features Barbara Possin, Vice-President for System Quality and Strategic Alignment of the Minnesota, USA-based St Mary’s/Duluth Clinic Health System (SMDC). The SMDC incorporates 20 clinics, four hospitals and an array of specialty care services  and was inducted into the prestigious Balanced Scorecard Collaborative Hall of Fame in 2002.

In this interview, drawing from her experience of having facilitated the Balanced Scorecard program in SMDC, Barbara Possin presents a practitioner’s viewpoint regarding various aspects of the Balanced Scorecard concept.

Summary

In this article – the first of a four part series – author, management consultant and Balanced Scorecard expert Paul Niven discusses the need for a Financial Perspective in a Balanced Scorecard. The other three parts focus on the Customer, Internal Process and Learning and Growth perspectives.

Typically, the mission and vision statements of organisations do not refer to their financial aspirations. However, companies need to have a Financial Perspective so that they can answer shareholders who require a return on their investment.

Companies must ensure that a focus on customers also leads to improved financial results. Financial performance also enables investment in people, processes and technology so that customers can be served successfully.

So, how do companies know if they are performing well financially? The Financial perspective of the Balanced Scorecard gauges financial success from the perspective of a company’s shareholders and gives the company the tools to track success over time.

Summary

The Subordinate Courts of Singapore handles over 400,000 cases annually, amounting to 95% of the country’s judicial caseload. In 1997, the then Senior District Judge (equivalent to a CEO) was introduced to the Balanced Scorecard concept at a Harvard Business School program. The concept seemed tailor-made for developing a predictive and proactive measurement and management system.

In 1998, the Court launched a pilot project to assess the Balanced Scorecard. A Steering Committee reviewed and monitored the scorecard every month. Six months later, the Balanced Scorecard was helping the Court to see what they were doing and how they were doing it. As a two-way system, it was changing the paradigm of communication, performance, monitoring, measurement, and improvement. The leadership was convinced and decided to cascade the scorecard organization-wide.