tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7585040184982733654.post2479464423995825672..comments2024-03-20T11:13:46.071+00:00Comments on Knoco stories: Being the Best - Benchmarking, motivation and KMNick Miltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413967879826601863noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7585040184982733654.post-38871244440983344922010-02-27T08:59:21.816+00:002010-02-27T08:59:21.816+00:00Just to follow up on my reply to SJP - the culture...Just to follow up on my reply to SJP - the culture he describes where "many could really care less about overall system improvement" is a difficult one to penetrate. I agree that metrics work best with technical people, but I would suggest that's partly because metrics are easier. It's pretty clear, in engineering or construction, what separates a good job from a bad job. <br /><br />In areas of the public sector, in contrast, it can be very hard to understand what makes for a good performance. Is cheaper necessarily better? Is faster necessarily better? What makes for a good government policy - one that works, or one that plays well in the press?<br /><br />You can see that for example in the health service, where metrics become political instruments and are treated with derision.<br /><br />But where you CAN find clear unambiguous metrics, then they can support KM. Take infection rates as a result of surgery. If your hospital rate is 1%, you might be quite happy, until you find that this puts you at the bottom of the league, and that the global average infection rate is 0.1%. That's when you know that you have something to learn.Nick Miltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02413967879826601863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7585040184982733654.post-80138183262880246252010-02-26T22:12:31.376+00:002010-02-26T22:12:31.376+00:00Thanks for spotting that one - I've changed it...Thanks for spotting that one - I've changed it now<br /><br />i still am not sure anyone goes to work to do a shoddy job, though I appreciate that in some circles, shoddiness becomes accepted. Also I appreciate that in other circumstances, performance metrics are unwelcome. That doesn't make them a bad thing though.Nick Miltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02413967879826601863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7585040184982733654.post-70907117446707700062010-02-26T20:02:14.589+00:002010-02-26T20:02:14.589+00:00If a bunch of Chicago lawyers got to 250 metres th...If a bunch of Chicago lawyers got to 250 metres then more power to them!! Think you may have missed the 'c' from the 'cm'? If not, a lot of Chicago Architects need to be really worried...<br /><br />I think the metric approach works well, probably best, when working with technical people. In other situations, reinforcing the 'wrongness' or inadequacy' of current processes can be taken as threatening and the result is often for the wagon to be put in a circle, leaving the KMer on the outside with the Indians.<br /><br />Anyone who thinks "It's only the Homer Simpsons of this world** who are happy with shoddy work" has never worked in a large corporate or government bureaucracy. I used to see this all the time - one of the reasons I am quite happy taking some time out and just having to put up with two large dogs with no work ethic at all - and without a clear 'what's in it for me' factor (stick, carrot, or both), many could really careless about overall system improvement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com