Promotional Information

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.

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

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.

Reviews

?For the reader who elects to use the productivity, easurement and enhancement (Promes) system developed by the author and his associates, or for the reader simply seeking a system, this book provides a precise description and practical guide. The step-by-step presentation offers a logical sequence form definition through installation and critique. One troubling issue throughout the discussion is the subordination of qualitative issues to quantitative measures. There is also some awkwardness in dealing with the motivational aspects of productivity measures; this is reflected in the relatively brief treatment in the introductory chapters, the fairly simplistic measures described in Appendix G, and the limited number of management references cited. Seven appendixes provide graphic examples illustrating the installation and evaluation process. Extensive industrial/organizational psychology reference list; well-ordered index. This clear and practical guide will be of value to both practitioners and students of production/operations management and industrial/organizational psychology.?-Choice

?Productivity has become a national priority whose 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 and describes the use of the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES) designed by its author and his colleagues. This detailed guide is a valuable source for organizational psychologists, management consultants, classes, and workshops.?-The ABA Newsletter

"Productivity has become a national priority whose 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 and describes the use of the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES) designed by its author and his colleagues. This detailed guide is a valuable source for organizational psychologists, management consultants, classes, and workshops."-The ABA Newsletter

"For the reader who elects to use the productivity, easurement and enhancement (Promes) system developed by the author and his associates, or for the reader simply seeking a system, this book provides a precise description and practical guide. The step-by-step presentation offers a logical sequence form definition through installation and critique. One troubling issue throughout the discussion is the subordination of qualitative issues to quantitative measures. There is also some awkwardness in dealing with the motivational aspects of productivity measures; this is reflected in the relatively brief treatment in the introductory chapters, the fairly simplistic measures described in Appendix G, and the limited number of management references cited. Seven appendixes provide graphic examples illustrating the installation and evaluation process. Extensive industrial/organizational psychology reference list; well-ordered index. This clear and practical guide will be of value to both practitioners and students of production/operations management and industrial/organizational psychology."-Choice