معیارها و سنجش عملکرد در مدیریت عملیات: برخورد با معیارهای پیچ و خم

Metrics provide essential links between strategy, execution, and ultimate value creation. Changing competitive dynamics are placing heavy demands on conventional metrics systems, and creating stresses throughout firms and their supply chains. Research has not kept pace with these new demands in an environment where it is no longer sufficient to simply let metrics evolve over time—we must learn how to proactively design and manage them. The intent of this paper is to convey the importance and need for metrics-related research. An outline of the important characteristics of the metrics research topic is provided. Specifically, we address the functions of metrics; their focus and tense; their operational and strategic contexts; as well as discuss the distinction between metrics, metrics sets and metrics systems. Some initial theoretical grounding for the research topic is provided through agency theory. We conclude with a discussion of the intent and process of the special issue, and introduction of the associated articles.

The intent of our discussion has been to first convince the reader of the importance of metrics as a topic and the need for an increased understanding of metrics and their role in the firm, and to provide some organization to our current understanding of the topic. We have suggested an outline of what we see as important characteristics by which the research space can be organized, and provided some initial theoretical grounding for this research in agency theory, dependency theory, strategic fit theory, information processing theory, and linkage research. Taken in the greater context of the special issue, it should suggest many profitable avenues of inquiry to follow. It is our hope that it will serve to inspire other researchers to contribute to our understanding of this very important topic.