Performance measurement for a better future

Journal title MANAGEMENT CONTROL
Author/s Hanne Norreklit, Lino Cinquini
Publishing Year 2024 Issue 2024/1
Language English Pages 24 P. 15-38 File size 275 KB
DOI 10.3280/MACO2024-001002
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Performance measurement has become increasingly crucial, encompassing both organizational and personal spheres. It assesses how effectively tasks are carried out and is pivotal in determining the value derived from these activities. Tradition-al approaches to performance measurement, rooted in representational realism or social constructivism, present limitations in ensuring trustworthiness. This paper proposes pragmatic constructivism (PC) as an alternative paradigm to enhance the reliability of performance measurement. PC posits that organizational practices are constructed by humans through cognitive processes and offers an epistemolog-ical framework for developing effective measurement systems and a foundation for intentional and valuable outcomes. The paper discusses the shortcomings of traditional paradigms, outlines the principles of PC, and demonstrates its applica-tion in evaluating the three existing measurement frameworks of financial accounting, the Balanced Scorecard, and sustainability framework of Global Report-ing Initiative (GRI).

Keywords: Performance measurement, Performance paradigm, Pragmatic constructivism

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Hanne Norreklit, Lino Cinquini, Performance measurement for a better future in "MANAGEMENT CONTROL" 1/2024, pp 15-38, DOI: 10.3280/MACO2024-001002