Think Essays

Leading Change with the Balanced Scorecard

 What is the problem or issue that necessitates that such an article be written?

            The article was written to discuss the change that was implemented in the measurement of performance. There is a need for measuring the performance of the employees as this creates focus for the future and communicates important messages to all organizational units and employees.

            A Balanced Scorecard program as a change project was introduced. The article discussed the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of such a program as well as its advantages. It describes the new system that evolved out of this new Balanced Scorecard program.

 

 What strategies or techniques are used to solve the problem or address the issue?

            In the Balanced Scorecard program, several strategies or techniques are used in solving and addressing the issues/problems. Organizations that adopt the Balanced Scorecard program for their new strategies understand the need for a new measurement framework and see it as a powerful tool for driving change initiatives.

The executive leadership that creates the Balanced Scorecard becomes the guiding coalition for driving change in the organization. The process of building the scorecard builds both the team and its commitment to the strategy. The scorecard makes the vision and the strategy operational. Words do not sufficiently communicate change initiatives, since the same words mean different things to different people. It's when word statements are translated into measures that everyone in the leadership team understands clearly what the vision and the strategy are about.

            The organizations that adopt the Balanced Scorecard have strategies that include a strong growth component. To increase their profits, they don’t simply do this by cutting costs, downsizing and eliminating unprofitable business units because they believe that cost and productivity improvements typically deliver only the short-term component of the strategy. Instead, what they do to improve profitability long-term is through expanding their revenues.

            Building executive teams are also used as a strategy in the Balanced Scorecard program. Within the team, a shared vision and strategy is created. A tremendous amount of cross-fertilization takes place as each element of the strategy becomes translated into the scorecard format.

 

 Your conclusions and recommendations.

            The Balanced Scorecard program should be used by organizations that are firm in their decision to change for the better. This program introduces the use of meetings report and a discussion of all relevant measures to the strategy and the initiatives designed to improve measured performance along with the usual traditional meetings.

            As presented in the article, it is recommended to have the meetings scheduled in advance. Meetings should be done every month and performance of the employees discussed. The Balance Scorecard program helps drive change in the organization and empower the employees.

 

 Your assessment of how the article contributes to helping practicing managers.

            Practicing managers can gain insight from the article that was presented. They can compare the traditional ways of how performance measurement is done with the new ways like the Balanced Scorecard program. This in a way will help the practicing managers to keep on the right track with their performance and monitoring of employees’ performance.

           

 Provide a list of discussion questions useful for leading a discussion of the article.

            The following discussion questions could be useful in leading a discussion of the article on Balance Scorecard program:

1. Why should a Balanced Scorecard program be a change project and not a metrics project?
2. In what ways can the Balanced Scorecard program be effective?
3.  What is the advantage of organization’s issues being considered as a team problem rather than considered as the domain of a single functional executive?

 

European Community

Introduction

The Treaty of Rome instituted the European Community to realize an ever closer union among the citizens of Europe, in fields of economic activity like agriculture and movement of goods, guidelines of competition procedures, free movement for employees and services, and the removal of trade restrictions. Moreover, similarly acknowledged as the Maastricht Treaty, made improvements in the EC Treaty with the intention of attaining its objectives. These are declared in its Preamble to be a continuance of the development of “ever closer union”, financial and monetary unification, as well as the creation of a single currency, general citizenship, familiar foreign and defence rules, and the improvement of the democratic utilities of community institutions.

 This treaty among building the European Union is the basic tool in which Tom Kaye would be able to conduct his practice overseas. However, there is the problem in his application for his architectural practice in Portugal. The following discussions will be able to present the rights of Tom Kaye with regards to the community law of the EU. Specifically, the discussion is going to be based on Council Directive 85/384/EEC of 10 June 1985

 

Architecture in the European Union

The Directive is appropriate to actions in the area of architecture, specifically those activities typically carried out under the professional label of architect. Furthermore, education and training that leads to diplomas, licenses and other confirmation of official qualifications have to be granted by means of the courses of studies at university level involved predominantly with architecture. Similarly, each Member State have to correspond, concurrently to the other Member States and to the Commission, the register of diplomas, licences and other proof of official qualifications which are given within its area. These registers are printed by the Commission in the Official Journal of the European Communities. If a Member State or the Commission has reservations as to whether a diploma, licence or other proof of official prerequisites satisfies the education measure, the Commission will convey the issue before the Advisory Committee on Education and Training in the Field of Architecture.

In addition, every Member State becomes aware of the diplomas, licences and other proof of official qualifications, honoured by other Member States to citizens of the Member States, where such citizens previously owned these conditions at the instant of notice of the Directive, or their studies bringing about such diplomas, licences and other proof of official qualifications initiated throughout the third academic year at the latest subsequent such announcement.

Moreover, it stated that the academic label is employed in the language of the Member State of origin or the Member State from which the citizen originates. A host Member State which have need of its citizens evidence of good character or excellent standing when they acquire for the first time an action in the area of architecture have to recognize as adequate confirmation, with regard to citizens of other Member States, a license provided by a knowledgeable authority in the Member State of origin or in the Member State from which the individual comes from. An excerpt from the "judicial record" may possibly be called for by the host Member State where the Member State of origin or the Member State from which the foreign national comes from does not necessitate verification of good character or excellent standing of individuals desiring to assume the activity under consideration for the first time.

Similarly where a Member State necessitates of its own nationals longing to acquire or follow an activity in the area of architecture, either a sanction from or partisanship of or registration with a professional association or body, that Member State will, in the instance of giving of services, excuse citizens of other Member States from that obligation; the individual involved will offer services with the similar rights and responsibilities as citizens of the host Member State; he will be put through the rules of conduct of a professional or administrative nature which is relevant in that Member State. In the same way it is required that they supply the evidence that they are sheltered by insurance in opposition to the financial outcomes of their professional responsibility, that State will recognize official documents issued by the insurance commissions of other Member States as being corresponding to certificates provided in its own country.

Conclusion

The discussions above regarding the directive on Architecture provide the fact that Tom Kaye is allowed to practice in any other state within the confines of the EU. However, directives are not directly applicable in every member state for the reason that it is given to the individual member state to apply them. In some cases the European Court of Justice has decided that a Directive can have direct consequence. Nevertheless there are a variety of restrictions to the function of the standard of direct effect. Among these is that the circumstances for direct effect have to be satisfied. This needs that the time-limit for carrying out must have concluded. Secondly, directives only contain vertical direct effect. These instances are relayed