Final Project: PPT

Measurable Goals

Actionable Suggestions for Putting Data to use to Enact Change

Karen Crump

National Louis University

Dr. Beth Minor

Introduction

Organizations need adequate the right measures to management activities, to make organizational improvements, and to enhance value. To attain a high performing organization, Jones (2014) suggests that organizations must have the right leadership, ideal culture and everyone must aptly define success if a firm is to enable constructive change. The firm can adequately initiate changes when the proper measures are tied to performance goals to ensure that the firm enacts long term sustainable change. In recent years, British Airways has faced severe data breach issues, and enhancing lasting change requires precise key indicators to link to the firm's performance goals.

Correlating key indicators to Performance Goals for British Airways

In 2018, numerous customers had to cancel their credit cards after a data breach at British Airways, which compromised approximately 400,000 card payments (Telegraph, 2018). Security breaches placed BA business at risk, and thus, the whole BA workforce has had to make changes to enhance system security and customer satisfaction. Such changes will be severe if the firm does not communicate the right performance goals and if the firm has low-performance indicators (KPI’s). The KPI's indicated will incorporate performance goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (SMART).

Data Review Committee

The first objective is to make a data review committee in the company to review and make decisions consistent with the data and to also assess the firm's progress concerning the company’s decisions. Thus, the objective of a review committee would be to track progress towards progressive change by establishing a key measure such as creating a committee to review performance on a monthly or a quarterly basis. Setting this indicator is imperative because it ensures a timely assessment as opposed to sporadic evaluation. For example, the committee will use the number of breaches on the system after 30 days and four months as a performance goal to assess the progress of the organization's outcomes to mitigate the system's breach instances (See table one for the full summary of measures and performance goals).

The Champion

Creating a champion to help accelerate changes in the firm is an imperative KPI because the champion acts as a leader. Warwick (2009, Pg.14) identified three distinct roles that the champion plays, including initiating, facilitating, and implementing change. According to Jones, "the designated champion assumes responsibility for ensuring quality data-gathering compliance and reviews the assigned measure regularly" (2014, Pg.221). Thus, the performance goal for this measure is the champion's ability to set compliance standards and to evaluate how well and after how long the firm’s workforce implements compliance activities inside the firm. Moreover, the champion can reward highly compliant employees. By choosing a leader, the workforce will be more motivated to commit to their work.

Meet Regularly

When the committee adopts regular meetings, they can aptly assess the accomplished goals and those goals that need comprehensive emphasis. As a result of this measurement KPI, assembly requires the committee to communicate required efforts and to liaise with the firm on necessary changes and activities that have been achieved. Therefore, meetings can enhance a firm's ability to celebrate already attained successes.

Consistent Meeting Format

Consistently meeting is an objective that ought to be followed if the organization to reach any benchmarks. Constant meetings can increase the firm's ability to communicate needed changes and ultimately drive success and sustainable change because the committee can identify activities that hinder progress. Communication is an immediate performance goal in this endeavor because data informs on gaps to lasting changes, and hence, communication is vital in this effort as it increases confidence in the employees.

Table One: Summary of KPI with performance goals (SMART Objectives)

Conclusion

Perhaps it is imperative to note that data breaches can cripple a business, and thus, BA has to initiate changes that would meet the least amount of resistance. Therefore, the primary KPI's that the firm needs to use is to use the review committees with a champion who can initiate, facilitate, and implement efforts. Most importantly, the committee needs to meet to enhance recognition programs and ensure that the meetings are consistent with communicating progress and thus augmenting confidence. Perhaps establishing a committee that evaluates progress is the most imperative KPI as it sets a time to assess the achievement of goals set by the firm.

References

Jones, S. C. (2014). Impact & Excellence: Data-Driven Strategies for Aligning Mission, Culture, and Performance in Nonprofit and Government Organizations. John Wiley & Sons.

The Telegraph (2018). British Airways hacking: Customers cancel credit cards as airline defends handling of 'sophisticated' cyber attack. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/07/british-airways-hacking-customers-cancel-credit-cards-airline/

Warwick, D. (2009). Developing organization change champions: A high payoff investment. Organisation Development Practitioner, 41, 14-9.