To assess how different measurement types contribute
to firm performance more directly, we also asked
the manufacturing managers to indicate the degree to
which they had found each type to possess the following
attributes, where 1=“not at all” and 5=“very high
extent”:
1. Encourage risk-taking;
2. Encourage innovation;
3. Encourage a short-term focus on the business;
4. Encourage gamesmanship or manipulation;
5. Contribute to the quality of short-term operational
decision making;
6. Contribute to the quality of long-term strategic
decision making;
7. Provide focus on the goals of the department;
8. Encourage the alignment of objectives across
departments;
9. Be influenced by factors outside the manager’s
control; and
10. Be free from measurement problems.
Table 3 reports each measurement type’s average ratings
on each attribute. This table also indicates significant
differences across measurement types’ average