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Purpose: The study described in this paper develops an evaluation model aimed at investigating the relationships between knowledge management and objective and perceived organizational high performance. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive review of theory, research and practices on knowledge management and high performance develops a model that forms the basis of the study. The model was operationalised in financial institutions in Uganda, and was used as the basis to develop the hypotheses that are tested in the study. Findings: suggests that competitive advantage is a significant predictor of high performance and that the high performance organisation framework is a mediator of knowledge management and high performance. Originality: Among the few empirical studies relating knowledge management and its integration in financial institutions for achieving sustained competitive advantage and high performance. Limitations: The study used a small sample which limits the generalisation of the results. Practical implications: The results may provide a sound basis for making an analysis of KM behaviour and high performance in financial institutions.

Without doubt Robert Kaplan has been, in the last decade, and continues to be the most influential thinker in the field of performance management, and his Balanced Scorecard is the most successful concept in this field. The article is a summary of an interview with Robert Kaplan, co‐author of The Balanced Scorecard, Translating Strategy into Action (Harvard Business School Press, 1996). The Balanced Scorecard, measures that drive performance (Harvard Business Review, January/February 1992) and The strategy‐focused organization, how balanced scorecard companies thrive in the new business environment (Harvard Business School Press, 2000).

The purpose of this study is evaluate whether the high performance organization (HPO) framework can satisfy the recent urgent request of Thai business leaders to create a unique organization which is better able to deal with unpredictable circumstances and increased competition. To establish the suitability of the HPO Framework it first has to be made sure that this framework is applicable to the Thai business context as previous research has shown that management techniques originating from the Western world cannot be indiscriminately transferred into non-Western contexts.

During several workshops and seminars in Bangkok, participants were asked to complete the HPO questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using a second-order confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate whether the data on the 35 items in the HPO framework group into the five independent factors: continuous improvement, openness and action orientation, management quality, workforce quality and long-term orientation.

The data yielded, with a high reliability, four of the five HPO factors as present in the original HPO framework. The dropped items were either confounded with other factors or items that may be another dimension in the data or a sub-dimension of other factors. The long-term orientation factor was dropped, as the accompanying items did not unidimensionally measure this construct. This did not mean that long-term orientation (LTO) is not relevant in the Thai context; there simply were no items included that measured LTO properly in the Thai context.

The HPO framework proved to be a validated and valuable technique for Thai organizations to improve in a sustainable way. Further research should focus on testing the HPO framework in practice by implementing the framework in Thai organizations and then tracking the performance of these organizations over time. In this way, it can be evaluated if the advantages experienced by organizations while applying the HPO framework can also be enjoyed by Thai organizations.

This is the first research into the validity of the HPO framework in the specific Thai context.

To elicit the views of Ken Merchant regarding management control and performance.

An interview with Ken Merchant before his keynote speech during the lustrum congress of the Dutch Controllers Institute in November 2004.

Provides an overview of the pros and cons of present performance‐measurement techniques and discusses the possible future directions performance measurement and management control may take.

Of interest to academics and professionals in the field of performance measurement and management.

Thai organizations are currently wrestling with the quality demands that are placed on them because of the approaching accession of Thailand into the ASEAN Economic Community. Thai managers are acutely aware that this will increase competitive pressures in their country, and are therefore looking for a technique which can help them create higher quality organizations and achieve sustainable high performance in the Thai context. This article aims to evaluate whether the high performance organization (HPO) framework can provide the necessary support.

During two workshops in Bangkok, one for representatives of eight Thai profit and governmental organizations and one for staff and students of a Thai university, participants were asked to complete the HPO questionnaire. From the resulting scores three main areas of improvement were identified for Thai organizations which they should address in order to become HPO. These areas of improvement were discussed during the workshops with the explicit purpose of determining how they could be addressed in the Thai context.

The research showed that Thai managers and employees understood the HPO questionnaire and were able to fill in this survey; the results of the HPO questionnaire yielded relevant areas of improvement for Thai organizations; and the HPO framework was seen as being a valuable technique for Thai organizations to improve in a sustainable way.

Further research should focus on testing the HPO framework in practice by implementing the recommendations in Thai organizations and then tracking the performance of these organizations in time. In addition, future research could look into the degree in which the characteristics of the HPO framework itself are suited to the Thai context, in comparison to other quality and performance improvement models and frameworks.

This is the first research into the suitability of an HPO framework in the specific Thai context.

This paper aims to identify the impact and workings of a new performance management system in a branch of a national bank.

Performance data of the branch, before and after introducing a new performance management system, were collected and the results of actions taken by managers in the commercial divisions of this bank, to improve performance management, and the results of their responsibility areas were observed.

The striking issue in this case study is the different effects the introduction of the new performance management system had in the two commercial divisions of the bank branch. However, only the Private Clients division improved its results significantly while those of the Business Clients division only improved slightly. After analysis, it turned out that this difference was due to the way the new system was used. The divisional manager of the Business Clients division paid virtually no attention to the behavioural factors of importance to the successful implementation of performance management, with detrimental effects.

The main limitation is that the research concerns a case study in which only one fairly small organisation has been the subject of investigation. Whether the same effects of performance management can be found in other, bigger organisations remains to be studied.

During the implementation of a performance management system an organisation has to expressly pay attention to fostering and improving the behavioural factors of performance management, in order to increase the chance if a successfully implemented and used system.

This article describes the results of a study that explored the impact and working of a new performance management system in a branch of a bank, and thereby sheds light on the important role behavioural factors play in the successful implementation and use of performance management.

Traditionally, budgeting is considered to be one of the most important management tools to steer the organisation, evaluate its performance and motivate its people. However, criticism of the budgeting process has increased considerably in the past decade. This paper aims to examine an alternative to budgeting known as “beyond budgeting”, comparing it to traditional budgeting.

Examines some of the literature regarding budgeting and describes the beyond‐budgeting entry scan, a tool which helps organisations to assess whether they are ready to start the powerful change process of abandoning the budget.

There are many possibilities, on the scale of traditional budgeting to beyond budgeting, to modernise the budgeting process. However, the beyond‐budgeting model deserves serious consideration because it enables an organisation to look with a fresh view at its budgeting process, other planning processes, and organisational structure.

Each organisation should at least explore the benefits of introducing one or more beyond‐budgeting principles. This is especially interesting because research has shown that the more beyond‐budgeting principles an organisation implements, the better it performs.

There is a growing debate and research stream on the influence of national culture on the type and nature of management control systems (MCSs) used by organizations in the country. A specific case is the management control of projects executed in a multicultural international environment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the findings of a study into the role of national cultures in controlling a project which a multinational undertook in four countries.

Based on project management control literature a theoretical MCS for international projects is developed. Subsequently, the influence of national culture on this system is discussed, using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Then the theoretical system is applied on the project the multinational case company executed in four countries (Austria, Finland, India, and Russia).

A key finding is that different national cultures do require different types of control, but that this effect is neutralized by the culture of the multinational which is the same all over the world and which supersedes national cultures. This makes it possible to implement a standardized project management control framework.

The research yielded a conceptual project management control framework which in practice seemed to be useful for controlling not only the process and progress but also the product (end result) of a project in a multicultural environment.

To test whether performance management is a useful management tool for organisations in developing countries.

Firstly, an overview is given of the status of performance management in developing countries and in particular in Africa. Secondly, prescriptive empirical research, in the shape of a case study at the Tanzanian College of Business Education, is used to test whether performance management is a useful technique for organisations in developing countries.

It seems clear from the case study that the management technique of performance management is suitable for organisations in developing countries to try out. At the same time, the case study also makes clear that performance management, and especially the fostering of performance‐driven behaviour, cannot be implemented lightly and should not be underestimated. Its takes continuous attention, dedication and in particular stamina from management to keep focussing on performance management in order to keep it “alive” in the organisation.

Performance management was only tested at one organisation in one developing country. More research is needed to identify the manner in which performance management can be implemented in other types of organisations and other countries.

Performance management has been proven to improve the performance of western organisations. The case study in Tanzania gives an indication that the same might be true for organisations in developing countries. This gives management of organisations in these countries the incentive to also start improving the results of their organisation by implementing performance management.

There is not much known yet about the factors influencing and behavioural changes needed to make performance management a success in organisations in developing countries. The case study provides insight into the suitability of performance management and the importance of performance‐driven behaviour for organisations in these countries.

Despite the increase in experience gained, there is still little known about the factors that influence the everyday use of performance management. Research predominantly focuses on the technicalities of implementing performance management and pays too little attention to behavioural aspects. A recent study identified 20 behavioural factors that contribute to the successful implementation and use of performance management. The research study discussed in this paper continues this line of research, by addressing the question how organisations can determine how they good (or bad) they are performing on the factors that contribute to performance‐driven behaviour. The study consists of four stages: identifying the various aspects of performance‐driven behaviour; developing a practical tool which incorporates these aspects and measures the performance‐orientation of organisations; applying the tool within organisations (including the description of a case study), and evaluating the analysis results; making suggestions for improving performance‐driven behaviour.