Measuring and Improving Organizational Productivity: A Practical Guide

by Robert Pritchard

Overview

Productivity has become a national priority. Its effects are being felt on all levels—national, industrial, and individual. An organization must be able to measure productivity before effectively improving it. This volume is the first practical guide for developing productivity measurement systems. It describes the use of the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES) designed by its author and his colleagues. An important tool for organizations, this step by step guide discusses how to measure productivity and then how to use this measurement.

Robert Pritchard's guide first presents a detailed description of the development and uses of ProMES. The background and description of ProMES is followed by details on how to develop ProMES in any organization. Questions and answers about using the system are discussed together with further issues on how to implement the system. The use of the system with other productivity improvement techniques is also covered. The volume concludes with a discussion on evaluating the effects of a productivity improvement system. It is a valuable practical source for industrial and organizational psychologists, management consultants, classes, and workshops.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275936686
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/26/1990
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Background and Description of the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES)
The Importance of Productivity Measurement and Improvement
Understanding Organizational Productivity
Desirable Characteristics of a Productivity Measurement System
The ProMES Approach: An Overview
Comparison of ProMES to the Desirable Characteristics
Past Experiences with ProMES
Why ProMES Works
Developing ProMES in an Organization
Conditions Needed for Implementation
Developing the System: Preliminary Steps
Steps in Developing Products and Indicators
Steps in Developing the Contingencies
Developing the Feedback Report and Feedback Meetings
Aggregation Across Units
Issues in Implementing the System
Questions and Answers about ProMES
General Questions
Questions About Measurement
Questions About Feedback Reports and Meetings
Using ProMES with other Productivity Improvement Techniques
Other Interventions with ProMES
Designing Goal-Setting Systems
Designing Incentive Systems
Evaluating the Effects of a Productivity Improvement Program
How to Evaluate the Effects of a Productivity Improvement System
Conclusions
References
Appendixes
Bibliography
Index