Measuring and Improving Organizational Productivity

ROBERT D. PRITCHARD is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program at Texas A&M University. His primary interest lies in measuring and improving organizational productivity. He has worked with many organizations in the United States and Europe. He is a member of a national task force on productivity and the Governor's Committee on Incentive and Productivity in Texas. Pritchard has published numerous articles on the topic of productivity.

• IntroductionBackground and Description of the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES)The Importance of Productivity Measurement and ImprovementUnderstanding Organizational ProductivityDesirable Characteristics of a Productivity Measurement SystemThe ProMES Approach: An OverviewComparison of ProMES to the Desirable CharacteristicsPast Experiences with ProMESWhy ProMES WorksDeveloping ProMES in an OrganizationConditions Needed for ImplementationDeveloping the System: Preliminary StepsSteps in Developing Products and IndicatorsSteps in Developing the ContingenciesDeveloping the Feedback Report and Feedback MeetingsAggregation Across UnitsIssues in Implementing the SystemQuestions and Answers about ProMESGeneral QuestionsQuestions About MeasurementQuestions About Feedback Reports and MeetingsUsing ProMES with other Productivity Improvement TechniquesOther Interventions with ProMESDesigning Goal-Setting SystemsDesigning Incentive SystemsEvaluating the Effects of a Productivity Improvement ProgramHow to Evaluate the Effects of a Productivity Improvement SystemConclusionsReferencesAppendixesBibliographyIndex