I’ve spent more than two decades thinking about different ways to measure human and team performance for various reasons and in various contexts. In my early days in the laboratory, I wrestled with anachronistic technology that required a chin rest. Later, in classrooms, office environments, and fields (treacherous at times…think snakes and “wait-a-minute” vines that stop you from taking another step). I prefer the latter contexts to the chin rest situation.
From these endeavors, I learned that successful measurement requires three things at a minimum:
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- Understanding the why or the purpose
- Understanding the impact of the measurement activity
- Clearly communicating the purpose and impact
It can be easy to forget that on the other end of that measure are people—the ones who are measured, the ones who do the measuring, and the ones deciding what to do about the results. Clearly communicating the purpose and impact in a way that matters to your employees will make all the difference in their confidence and trust in the process and the outcome.
Purpose
What do you want to know and why?
It’s important to understand why data are being collected. Understanding the why ensures that measurement is purposeful—designed to meet your intended outcomes and make a positive impact.
With access to big data and data mining techniques, it’s easy to go on a “fishing expedition”; if you look hard enough you will find something, and you’re likely to find “evidence” that supports almost anything. I don’t fish, but I would imagine it’s better to know where the best fish are than to explore the ocean to find the fish (and not the sharks). Checking your thinking and framing the measurement problem in advance can help you avoid this pitfall. It can also help you get the most out of the big data sources you already have.
Let’s consider employee engagement. Most organizations want to know if employees are engaged in their work. The why may vary from finance and accounting to talent management (and beyond). These and other business needs impact organizational outcomes in different ways. Specifying why you want to know whether employees are engaged can help not only identify the best measures but also gain employee trust and confidence.
For example, what if you measured employee time spent on a task by collecting data on their minutes of computer usage? The employee data are abundant and easy to obtain; you just have to mine the data. You can even visualize the data to highlight trends and insights, such as how much time employees spend on their computers. Is this measure a good proxy for engagement? Probably not, especially if your why—the purpose of your measurement—is that you want to know about engagement for employee retention and career development. In this case, surveys and employee interviews are a better measurement tool because you can put together a more holistic picture about how your employees are faring in their jobs, where they are thriving (and where they aren’t), and how to keep them engaged over time. At TiER1, we use the THRIVE index with clients to help them understand how best to engage employees—by helping them thrive.
Impact
How will the outcomes impact the measured, the measurer, and the consumers of that information?
The measurement activity doesn’t start with a survey, a button press, a movement, or a question. Nor does it end after the data are collected or analyzed. Chances are that the activity itself—whether you do anything with the results—will have some impact. Framing the measurement activity by asking key questions is just as important and will help you understand the scope of the challenge and its impact:
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- Who are you measuring?
- What does it mean to them?
- What about the measurer?
- What are the data going to be used for and what decisions will they affect?
- Does the impact on each group help to achieve or diminish your desired outcomes?
For example, a recent TiER1 project required us to measure the development of complex skills like critical thinking and teamwork in a classroom type setting. The question was, “Are learners demonstrating proficiency in these types of skills?” The why behind it was to provide developmental feedback to learners given that the value of these skills is not immediately obvious—they are more like enablers than key performance indicators.
In this example, at least three groups are impacted: the learners who are measured, the instructors who are measuring, and the administrators who decide what resources to allocate and how. If the instructors don’t see the value of the activity or see it as undermining their instruction, they may influence the data negatively by implicitly communicating their skepticism and distrust of the process. Learners are likely to be influenced by this skepticism and be less willing to listen to or act on the feedback from the assessment. Administrators could end up with an inaccurate picture of the developmental state and trajectory of learners in the classroom, which can impact the implementation of instructional approaches and the allocation of classroom resources.
Communication
How do you articulate the purpose and the impact in ways that matter to stakeholders?
Start by framing the measurement problem for yourself and all stakeholders. Knowing the purpose ahead of time will not only help you define the scope and goals but identify who is impacted and how to communicate with them. Understanding both the operational requirements or practical constraints and the state of the science is key to answering your questions and purposeful measurement.
It’s also critical to embrace the art of storytelling and conveying the message in a way that your audience hears, understands, and learns from. Will your message make an impact or not? How will you communicate your purpose and findings in a meaningful way? This last part is directly related to change management or strategy activation—everyone affected by the activity needs to know what this means for them and clearly understand why it matters. To learn more about effective communication of data, read this article.
Conclusion
Meaningful measurement requires understanding the people being measured, those who are doing the measuring, and those who will use the results of the measurement activity. When you can clearly communicate the purpose and impact in ways that matter, you create opportunity for all stakeholders to build confidence and trust in the process and its outcomes. It will help set you up to succeed in activating the strategy that your measurement activity is designed to support and help you make a positive impact on your staff and organization.
