Issues…Do
current organizational performance measurement systems give an adequate
picture of how our Organization-As-CAS (OACAS) is performing? What
new measurements, and what new thinking about measurement, can we
get from a complexity perspective?
Complexity-Inspired
Measurement Dashboards… General agreement that a "collage" of
measurements are needed. Suggestions thus far: Dartmouth value compass;
# of generative relationships; level of experimentation and fringe
activities; degree of diversity; fractalness of system; level of anxiety;
# of identifiable barriers to self-organization; # of identifiable
"chunks" that could be used as future building blocks... We need more
ideas here.
Steve Larned's
3/9/98 post suggests that the framework of agents, tagging, etc. in
John Holland's Hidden Order might be helpful for seeing how to act
on new measures and what new measures are needed.
Kevin Dooley
suggested that measurement is largely a psychological issue. Get people
to accept a new philosophy/framework and measurements will follow.
(Plsek's comments: Is this a chicken and egg issue? Could it be a
circular system of measurement and philosophy and, therefore, you
can start with either one as long as you keep moving to the other
one?)
Thoughts About
Demonstration Projects… Need to do more thinking.
Ultimate
Goal of This Line of Thinking… To develop significant, complexity-inspired
additions to the current work in healthcare QI involving organizational
measurement dashboards.
Note…
Need more ideas and some demonstrations of new measurements in practice.
But first we need to address the philosophy/framework question that
has been raised. Spending a lot of time on new organizational performance
measures for OACAS could be a waste of time if we are not careful.
