Performance Management

I am a fan of the principles that underlie the game of duplicate bridge. The players rotate between each table and are given the opportunity to compete with others playing the identical cards. By scoring relative performance, the element of skill is enhanced while the element of chance is reduced. In the end, the person who plays the hands best wins. Head-to-head competition - no hints, no gimmicks, no cheats.

The Human Capital Institute (HCI) and Vistage International, Inc. (Vistage) partnered to conduct this research to gain a deeper understanding about the ROI of Executive Development. In an effort to determine what business areas are most influenced by executive development and how, a survey was designed and distributed to 346 respondents, and supplemented by additional primary and secondary research methods. This research profiles the key business measures affected by Executive Development, and provides a more comprehensive perspective on what methods of development an organization can use to most effectively leverage its senior leaders. As a result, the common barriers facing Executive Development, illuminated in 2011 by a report produced by HCI and Vistage, are also addressed.

Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s have just been charged with knowingly misrepresenting the credit risk involved in some of the mortgage-backed securities they rated during the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis. The agencies will resist, saying that they simply erred in predicting the future, as anyone could have.