As required by the Government Performance Results Act of 1993, the use of performance measurements in social service organizations to measure outcome data has increased expectations of efficient outcomes in service delivery. This study addressed the problem of inefficient service delivery in nonprofit human service organizations from the perspective of direct service staff responsible for service provision. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how direct service staff in nonprofit organizations perceive their individual contributions to the overall goal of providing efficient quality service. Principal agent theory framed the inquiry regarding how direct service staff working in nonprofit human service organizations perceive the nature and value of using performance measurements as required by law. Data were collected from 5 direct service workers through semi-structured interviews and analyzed for content themes using Ethnograph software. The results of this study indicated direct service workers perceive organizational efficiency related to how well they do their jobs and not overall at the organizational level. In addition, participants identified job training and more open communication with management to understand how organizational level goals would be valued to do their jobs effectively. This study contributes to social change by informing those who develop nonprofit human services policy and practice of the potential for further staff training curriculum and improvements to the organizational accountability culture.

This study analyses the way information regarding performance measurements is shared among employees working at the shop floor at Dalvich Optic in Sweden. This study is conducted because many companies failed to implement a system that facilitates daily performance measurements as they neglected the assembly operators’ role in decision making process. Companies focus on measuring wrong parameters and visualize information about performance measurements in wrong way. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that new Information Technology (IT) artefacts are designed by experts for use by experts. IT artefacts are designed without taking into account assembly operators’ skills, education and experiences. Thus, limiting assembly operators’ ability to achieve daily production goals. Therefore, this study highlights the role of both assembly operators and visualizing information at the shop floor and their impact on performance measurements and productivity.   After analysis, this study develops a new IT artefact. The implementation of the new IT artefact at the company leads to a new leadership where management meet assembly operators in a daily basis, creating good environment for direct communication. As a result, the company increased its production by 50 percent compared to the previous year and it has doubled the production compared to 2010. The information about production status became visible and accessible to all employees since the information displayed through the new IT artefact was monitored in an easy-to- understand way. The presentation and visualization of information regarding productivity offered assembly operators and managers the possibility to react quickly when any disparity concerning goal achievement arose. As a result, the new IT artefact enhances assembly operators’ participation at the manufacturing process as well. Assembly operators took active role on manufacturing process since information about performance measurement was compiled and maintained by themselves; thus, positively influencing production outcomes. Furthermore, a new IT artefact created an arena where employees contributed to continuous improvements and problem-solving at work.   This study was conducted during a period of six months. Data was gathered through observations, interviews, and meetings with managers and assembly operators at a manufacturing plant. Furthermore, data from books, articles, and journals helped in analysing the way information was visualized and communicated in a manufacturing plant. ADR, Action Design Research method was used to design a new and simple IT artefact that considers employees’ skills, experiences and education.

ABSTRAKT   Titel: Prestationsmätningar med individperspektiv – En fallstudie   Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi   Författare: Lisa Edman och Anna Edström   Handledare: Tomas Källquist och Stig Sörling   Datum: 2014-05   Syfte: Syftet är att belysa och skapa förståelse för hur verksamhetsledningar kan använda sig av prestationsmätningar med individperspektiv och vilket värde de kan tillföra verksamheter.   Metod: Studien har tillämpat en kvalitativ forskningsansats i form av en fallstudie. Primärdata har samlats in genom 15 kvalitativa halvstrukturerande intervjuer, respondenterna bestod av verksamhetens samtliga chefer på olika nivåer. Sekundärdata har främst samlats in utifrån vetenskapliga artiklar. Primärdata har sedan kopplats ihop med den teoretiska referensramen för att analyseras. Genom analysen har resultatet framkommit.   Resultat & slutsats: Hur verksamhetsledningar hanterar prestationsmätningar som mäts på individnivå är en balansgång. Balansgången sker mellan att kontinuerligt föra uppföljningar för att motivera anställda till att utveckla sin prestation och att styra anställda på ett sådant sätt att prestationsmätningarna riskerar att leda till att individerna i verksamheten känner sig övervakade och därigenom bidra till omotiverade anställda.    Förslag till fortsatt forskning: I studien har samtliga respondenter besuttit en chefsposition. I vår mening vore det intressant att studera uppfattningen om prestationsmätningar ur ett individperspektiv hos anställda utan en chefsposition.   Uppsatsens bidrag: Det finns både för-och nackdelar med att använda sig av prestationsmätningar för varje individ. Resultatet av användandet beror på hur verksamhetsledningen förmedlar prestationsmätningarnas utfall till de anställda individerna. / ABSTRACT   Title: Performance measurement with individual perspective – A case study   Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration   Author: Lisa Edman och Anna Edström   Supervisor: Tomas Källquist och Stig Sörling   Date: 2014-05   Aim: The aim of this study is to illustrate and create a greater understanding for how management in organizations can use performance measurements with an individual perspective and what value it brings to the organization.   Method: This Study applied a qualitative research method in the form of a case study. Primary data has been collected through 15 qualitative half structured interviews, the respondents comprised of all the managers in the organization. Secondary data has been collected mainly from scientific journals. The primary data has been subsequently linked with the theoretical framework for the discussion and analysis. Through the analysis the results of the study has emerged.   Result & Conclusions: How management operates with performance measurements at an individual level is a balancing act. The balancing act consists of continuously follow-ups with the ambition to motivate employees to develop their performance and to control employees with the performance measurements which could lead to the experience for the individuals to feel monitored in a way that could lead to employees feeling a lack of motivation.   Suggestions for future research: In this study all the respondents possessed a manager position. I our point of view it would be interesting to further study the conception about performance measurements through an individual perspective by the employees in on organization without a manager position.   Contribution of the thesis: There are both advantages and disadvantages to the use of performance measurements for each individual. The success of the use depends on how management communicates the outcomes of the performance measurements to each individual.

<p>The increased attention to performance measurements is evident in both private and public sector organizations and among both academics and practitioners. Although there is a strong belief in the possibilities of using measurements for managing organizations, both academics and practitioners have questioned measurements potential. This thesis takes part in debating the potentiality of performance measurements by attending to the development, use and consequences of non-financial indicators that are considered a specific form of performance measurements.</p><p>When investigating the development of indicators, it became evident that several of the new indicators developed proved to be reformulations of non-financial measurements already used within the organizations before the development work. What had changed was primarily the meaning ascribed to the measurements. As a consequence of this ‘re-cycling’ of measurements, it is concluded that the meaning given to specific non-financial indicators change over time. The present investigation also reveals that three shifting rationales are informing the development of indicators. This finding contributes with insights into the construction of indicators and how the link between indicators and action are conceived and established in a development process.</p><p>A main finding of the investigation concerns how indicators are used. In contrast to previous studies, the results show that indicators can have a negative impact on performance unless the indicators are used in a sophisticated way. Based on these results it is argued that it is insufficient to attend solely to <i>if</i> indicators are used, i.e. greater attention needs to be paid to the question of <i>how</i> they are used. The investigation also presents evidence suggesting that the often used adage “what gets measured gets managed” needs to be revised. It is argued that measuring is not a means to activate the organization <i>per se</i>. Rather, measurements support those issues that are already mobilized within the organization.</p><p>In conclusion, this investigation suggests that the potentiality of indicators depends on the meaning ascribed to indicators, how indicators are assumed to link to action, how indicators are used and how indicators are related to other organizational activities.</p>

The increased attention to performance measurements is evident in both private and public sector organizations and among both academics and practitioners. Although there is a strong belief in the possibilities of using measurements for managing organizations, both academics and practitioners have questioned measurements potential. This thesis takes part in debating the potentiality of performance measurements by attending to the development, use and consequences of non-financial indicators that are considered a specific form of performance measurements. When investigating the development of indicators, it became evident that several of the new indicators developed proved to be reformulations of non-financial measurements already used within the organizations before the development work. What had changed was primarily the meaning ascribed to the measurements. As a consequence of this ‘re-cycling’ of measurements, it is concluded that the meaning given to specific non-financial indicators change over time. The present investigation also reveals that three shifting rationales are informing the development of indicators. This finding contributes with insights into the construction of indicators and how the link between indicators and action are conceived and established in a development process. A main finding of the investigation concerns how indicators are used. In contrast to previous studies, the results show that indicators can have a negative impact on performance unless the indicators are used in a sophisticated way. Based on these results it is argued that it is insufficient to attend solely to if indicators are used, i.e. greater attention needs to be paid to the question of how they are used. The investigation also presents evidence suggesting that the often used adage “what gets measured gets managed” needs to be revised. It is argued that measuring is not a means to activate the organization per se. Rather, measurements support those issues that are already mobilized within the organization. In conclusion, this investigation suggests that the potentiality of indicators depends on the meaning ascribed to indicators, how indicators are assumed to link to action, how indicators are used and how indicators are related to other organizational activities.

This study examines the implementation of Balanced Scorecard (BSC) in health care organisations. BSC, a management control model based on measurements in different perspectives, has become one of the most popular performance measurement models during the last two decades and widely adopted in practice. However, studies have noticed that models are rarely used in the same way in different settings. From the perspective of Scandinavian institutionalism, a model that is moved from one place to another has been "translated." Translation is a process in which an abstract idea is transferred into an object, developed into practical use, and stabilised into an institution. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of how a management control model influences and is influenced by the medical professional context. The ambition is to investigate how BSC has been translated in the Swedish and the Canadian health care contexts. Furthermore the purpose is to develop our understanding of measurements in professional organisations and to develop our understanding of the translation process. The study shows that the main purpose of implementing BSC in the health care organisations is to support improvements in the quality of care. Whereas a free translation process in the Swedish case allowed actors to interpret and reinterpret the model and to create specific performance measurements for reporting professional performance, a controlled translation process in the Canadian case resulted in medical professionals being unable to reinterpret the model. Instead, BSC came to represent the private company's way of acting, declaring disciplinary accountability and shifting interest from public administration and towards the business firm. Based on the findings, this study stresses that a model can materialize both in the forms of practical use and talk, and that different translations can result in disputes and negotiations among actors with different interests. This study also analyses and develops the concept of transparency, and suggests that actors will use different performance measurements depending on what type of transparency (openness, visibility or hyaline) is requested. Finally, it is suggested that disciplinary accountability may result in actors focusing on finding the perfect measurements, whereas socializing form of accountability may create a greater focus on reciprocal accountability for improvements.

Enligt Socialstyrelsens föreskrifter om ledningssystem för kvalitet och patientsäkerhet i hälso- och sjukvården, SOSFS 2005:12, krävs det av vårdgivaren att denne arbetar efter mål. Att formulera mål inom hälso- och sjukvården kräver eftertanke. Målen måste vara mätbara och inkludera flera olika delar av verksamheten. Varje förbättringsprojekt är unikt och bör relateras till de resurser som avsatts. Ett stort problem vid kontinuerlig uppföljning är att välja ut parametrar som ger tillräcklig information och är lätta att skapa. Här krävs mer utvecklade datasystem och även integrering mellan befintliga datasystem  I uppsatsen diskuteras med vilka parametrar man kan utvärdera ett förbättringsprojekt inom laboratoriemedicin. Det finns för närvarande inte några standardiserade kvalitetsparametrar inom klinisk kemi. De parametrar som i denna undersökning visade sig vara mest lämpliga att använda kontinuerligt i det korta perspektivet var svarstider, personalresurser och reagenskostnader. I det längre perspektivet kan ovanstående data kombineras till indikatorer som visar kostnad per analyspoäng och analyspoäng per årsarbetare. De indikatorer som kan få användning först när datasystem utvecklas är data från avvikelsesystem och analyskommentarer som visar t.ex. att svar inte har kunnat lämnas ut. / According to the National Board of Health and Welfare, SOSFS 2005:12, it is required that the caregiver adheres to his work through following stated objectives. Formulating goals in health care requires careful consideration. Goals must be measurable and include many different aspects of the project. Each improvement project is unique and should be directly related to the resources allocated to the project. A major problem for continuous monitoring is to select parameters that provide sufficient information and are easy to produce. This requires more advanced computer systems and integration with existing computer systems. The paper discusses the parameters an improvement project in laboratory medicine can evaluate its results after. There are currently no standardized quality parameters in clinical chemistry. The parameters used in this study that proved to be the most suitable to be used continuously in the short term was the response times, staffing and reagent costs. In the long term, the above data are combined with indicators that show cost per analysis score and analysis points per full-time employees. The indicator that may be used when the computer system is developed is deviation systems and analytical comments that show for example that a response has not been disclosed.

Sjukskrivningarna ökar allt mer i Sverige, framförallt sjukskrivningar som beror på det psykiska välmåendet och stress har ökat. Prestationsmätningar har blivit allt vanligare på arbetsplatser. Det kan bland annat vara för att kontrollera vad som producerats, för att kunna utveckla arbetsplatsen eller för att kunna budgetera. Att prestationer blir mätta kan uppfattas som ett stressmoment som leder till att individer mår sämre och att det psykiska välmåendet påverkas negativt. Vi har i denna studie valt att undersöka om prestationsmätningar påverkar välmåendet. För att göra detta har vi grupperat olika orsaker till att mäta prestationer och olika syften för att mäta prestationer. För att undersöka detta har vi valt att studera två olika arbetsplatser, Försäkringskassan och Länsförsäkringar, för att kunna se om, och i så fall hur välmåendet påverkas av prestationsmätningar. Studien har gjorts genom att en enkät med olika sätt att mäta välmående och frågor om hur individen upplever vad prestationerna baseras på och i vilket syfte de mäts, har skickats ut på de båda arbetsplatserna. Totalt skickades enkäten till 151 respondenter. Av dessa svarade 104. Vi har kunnat konstatera att det finns ett positivt samband mellan prestationsmätningar i syfte att utveckla och välmående. Det vill säga att ju mer man upplever att man mäts för att kontrolleras, desto bättre mår man. Däremot har vi inte hittat något samband mellan övriga grupperingar, försäljningsfrekvens, resultat och kvalité och kontrollera/planera och välmåendet. / Sick leave is increasing in Sweden, especially sick leave due to mental well-being and stress has increased. Performance measurements have become more common in the workplace. Among other things it may be done to control what is produced, in order to develop workplace or to budgeting. That the performance will be measured can be perceived as a stress factor that leads to individuals feel worse and mental well-being will be affected negative. In this study we have chose to research whether performance measurements affect wellbeing. To do this, we have chosen to group the various reasons for measuring performance and different purposes to measure performance. To do this research, we have chosen to study two different workplaces, Försäkringskassan and Länsförsäkringar, in order to see whether, and in that case, how well-being is affected by performance measurements. The study was performed by a questionnaire with different ways of measuring well-being and questions about how the individual experience that the performances are based on and the purpose for which they are measured has been sent out at the two workplaces. In total the survey was sent to 151 respondents, of these 104 answered. We have observed that there is a positive correlation between performance measurements in order to develop and well-being. However, we have not found any correlation between the other groups, sales frequency, performance and quality and control / planning and wellbeing.

Cloud computing has revolutionized the computing landscape by providing on-demand, pay-as-you-go access to elastically scalable resources. Many applications are now being migrated from on-premises data centers to public clouds; yet, the transition to the cloud is not always straightforward and smooth. An application that performed well in an on-premise data center may not perform identically in public computing clouds, because many variables like virtualization can impact the application's performance. By collecting significant performance data through experimental study, the cloud's complexity particularly as it relates to performance can be revealed. However, conducting large-scale system experiments is particularly challenging because of the practical difficulties that arise during experimental deployment, configuration, execution and data processing. In spite of these associated complexities, we argue that a promising approach for addressing these challenges is to leverage automation to facilitate the exhaustive measurement of large-scale experiments. Automation provides numerous benefits: removes the error prone and cumbersome involvement of human testers, reduces the burden of configuring and running large-scale experiments for distributed applications, and accelerates the process of reliable applications testing. In our approach, we have automated three key activities associated with the experiment measurement process: create, manage and analyze. In create, we prepare the platform and deploy and configure applications. In manage, we initialize the application components (in a reproducible and verifiable order), execute workloads, collect resource monitoring and other performance data, and parse and upload the results to the data warehouse. In analyze, we process the collected data using various statistical and visualization techniques to understand and explain performance phenomena. In our approach, a user provides the experiment configuration file, so at the end, the user merely receives the results while the framework does everything else. We enable the automation through code generation. From an architectural viewpoint, our code generator adopts the compiler approach of multiple, serial transformative stages; the hallmarks of this approach are that stages typically operate on an XML document that is the intermediate representation, and XSLT performs the code generation. Our automated approach to large-scale experiments has enabled cloud experiments to scale well beyond the limits of manual experimentation, and it has enabled us to identify non-trivial performance phenomena that would not have been possible otherwise.

Context: Cloud computing is a concept in which a user get services like SaaS, PaaS and IaaS by deploying their data and application on remotely servers. Users have to pay only for the time the resources are acquired. They do not need to install and upgrade software and hardware. Due to these benefits organization are willing to move their data into the cloud and minimize their overhead. Organizations need to confirm that cloud can replace the traditional platform, software and hardware in an efficient way and provide robust performance. Web servers play a vital role providing services and deploying application. One might be interested to have information about a web server performance in the cloud. With this aim, we have compared cloud server performance with a local web server. Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate cloud performance. For this purpose, we first find out the parameters and factors that affect a web server performance. Finding the parameters helped us in measuring the actual performance of a cloud server on some specific task. These parameters will help users, developers and IT specialists to measure cloud performance based on their requirements and needs. Methods: In order to fulfill the objective of this study, we performed a Systematic literature review and an experiment. The Systematic literature review is performed by studying articles from electronic sources including ACM Digital Library, IEEE, EiVillage (Compendx,Inspec). The Snowball method is used to minimize the chance of missing articles and to increase the validity of our findings. In experiment, two performance parameters (Throughput and Execution Time) are used to measure the performance of the Apache Web Server in Local and Cloud environment. Results: In Systematic literature review, we found many factors that affect the performance of a web server in Cloud computing. Most common of them are throughput, response time, execution time, CPU and other resource utilization. The experimental results revealed that web server performed well in local environment as compared to cloud environment. But there are other factors like cost overhead, software/ hardware configuration, software/hardware up -gradation and time consumption due to which cloud computing cannot be neglected. Conclusions: The parameters that affect the cloud performance are throughput, response time, execution time, CPU utilization and memory utilization. Increase and decrease in values of these parameters can affect cloud performance to a great extent. Overall performance of a cloud is not that effective but there are other reasons for using cloud computing