A Proposal for Simple Performance-Based Evaluation

Abstract

While the documented number of Japanese companies introducing performance-based evaluation is on the increase, the number of early proponents either revising or abandoning results-based systems would suggest that all is not well with the Japanese application thereof.Major issues fall into three main areas: 1) the increasing complexity of evaluation models; 2) the gap between what models promise and actually deliver; and 3) low staff buy-in to the evaluation process per se. While each is independently cause for concern, a greater concern is that they seem to compound each other, creating a kind of negative synergy. Accordingly, this paper argues that a radical new approach is required to break this vicious circle, positing the UNDP's Human Development Index as an instructive alternative.Specifically, the HDI approach of capturing the inherently complex concept of “human development” by three indicators (longevity, adult literacy and GDP) may indicate a tenable exit strategy from current evaluation complexities. While the specific performance indicators proposed in the paper are highly provisional and need to be empirically tested, the basic approach of pinioning evaluation frameworks on the concept of “bounded objectivity” is deemed to hold promise for not only simplifying evaluation procedures, but also raising their manageability and powers of persuasion