Do we measure what we get?

Performance measures shall enhance the performance of companies by directing the attention of decision makers towards the achievement of organizational goals. Therefore, goal congruence is regarded in literature as a major factor in the quality of such measures. As reality is affected by many variables, in practice one has tried to achieve a high degree of goal congruence by incorporating an increasing number of these variables into performance measures. However, a goal congruent measure does not lead automatically to superior decisions, because decision makers’ restricted cognitive abilities can counteract the intended effects. This paper addresses the interplay between goal congruence and complexity of performance measures considering cognitively-restricted decision makers. Two types of decision quality are derived which allow a differentiated view on the influence of this interplay on decision quality and learning. The simulation experiments based on this differentiation provide results which allow a critical reflection on costs and benefits of goal congruence and the assumptions regarding the goal congruence of incentive systems

Do we measure what we get?

Performance measures shall enhance the performance of companies by directing the attention of decision makers towards the achievement of organizational goals. Therefore, goal congruence is regarded in literature as a major factor in the quality of such measures. As reality is affected by many variables, in practice one has tried to achieve a high degree of goal congruence by incorporating an increasing number of these variables into performance measures. However, a goal congruent measure does not lead automatically to superior decisions, because decision makers’ restricted cognitive abilities can counteract the intended effects. This paper addresses the interplay between goal congruence and complexity of performance measures considering cognitively-restricted decision makers. Two types of decision quality are derived which allow a differentiated view on the influence of this interplay on decision quality and learning. The simulation experiments based on this differentiation provide results which allow a critical reflection on costs and benefits of goal congruence and the assumptions regarding the goal congruence of incentive systems.

Group-Level Exploration and Exploitation: A Computer Simulation-Based Analysis

Organisational research has studied the tension between exploration and exploitation for years. In essence, this body of research agrees on the necessity of a balance between explora-tive and exploitative processes to prevent an organisation from falling into a learning trap. Thus, to enhance the active management of this balance in organisations, a deeper theoretical understanding of the factors that influence the development of exploration and exploitation has to be gained. One of the recently discussed factors is the interplay between exploration and exploitation on different organisational levels. This paper picks up this discussion. It pro-vides an in-depth, computer simulation-based analysis of the performance of organisational types with varying degrees of within-group and between-group exploration and exploitation in situations of different degrees of task complexity. The findings indicate that a high share of between-group processes as compared to within-group processes positively influences the organisational performance level and that dependent on task complexity the optimal share of exploration and exploitation varies.Organisational Learning, Experience-Based Learning, Exploration, Exploitation, Knowledge Management, Genetic Algorithms

Parental Psychological Control and Autonomy Granting: Distinctions and Associations with Child and Family Functioning

Objective:This study utilized an observational coding scheme to identify parenting behavior reflecting psychological control and autonomy granting, and examined relations between these parenting dimensions and indices of child and family functioning. Design: A community sample of 90 preadolescents (aged 10.5 to 12 years) and both of their parents engaged in a triadic interaction that was coded for parental psychological control and autonomy granting. Participants also completed measures of child adjustment, interparental conflict, and triangulation. Results: Factor analyses indicated that a two-factor model better fit the data than a one-factor model, suggesting that psychological control and autonomy granting are best conceptualized as independent but related constructs. Parental psychological control and autonomy granting exhibited some shared and some unique correlates with indices of child and family functioning. Hierarchical regressions revealed significant interactions between these dimensions, suggesting that the strength of some associations between parents\u27 use of psychological control and youth adjustment problems depends on the level of autonomy granting exhibited by the parent. Conclusions: By examining psychological control and autonomy granting simultaneously as unique constructs, this study identifies patterns of psychological control and autonomy granting that undermine youth adjustment. Findings inform targeted intervention efforts for families of preadolescent youth

Doves and hawks in economics revisited [An evolutionary quantum game theory-based analysis of financial crises]

The last financial and economic crisis demonstrated the dysfunctional long-term effects of aggressive behaviour in financial markets. Yet, evolutionary game theory predicts that under the condition of strategic dependence a certain degree of aggressive behaviour remains within a given population of agents. However, as the consequences of the financial crisis exhibit, it would be desirable to change the 'rules of the game' in a way that prevents the occurrence of any aggressive behaviour and thereby also the danger of market crashes. The paper picks up this aspect. Through the extension of the in literature well-known Hawk-Dove game by a quantum approach, we can show that dependent on entanglement, also evolutionary stable strategies can emerge, which are not predicted by classical evolutionary game theory and where the total economic population uses a non aggressive quantum strategy.Evolutionary game theory; financial crisis; hawk-dove game; quantum game theory

Wissensmanagement und Controlling: Eine Forschungsperspektive? [Engl.: Knowledge Management and Management Control Systems: A New Research Field?]

GERMAN ABSTRACT: Wissensmanagement und Controlling werden seit Jahrzehnten parallel in der betriebswirt-schaftlichen Forschung diskutiert. Bis dato wurden aber kaum Versuche unternommen, die Zusammenhänge zwischen beiden Bereichen aufzudecken und die so identifizierten Schnittstel-len als potenzielles Forschungsfeld herauszuarbeiten. Das vorliegende Arbeitspapier hat zum Ziel, diese Schnittstelle anhand des beiden Bereichen gemeinsamen Forschungsobjektes unternehmensrelevantes Wissen zu identifizieren und bei-spielhaft ein Vorgehen aufzuzeigen, dass für beide Forschungsstränge zum Erkenntnisfort-schritt führen kann. Darüber hinaus wird eine Einschätzung der Erforschungswürdigkeit von einzelnen Themen wie alternativen Vergütungssystemen und Kennzahlensystemen in diesem Schnittstellenbereich vorgenommen. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Knowledge management and management control have been discussed separately in business literature for many years. This working paper looks at the possibility to achieve a linkage be-tween the two research arenas and the value of such a linkage with respect to progress in eco-nomic thought. It shows that knowledge management and management control, in fact, overlap in their analy-sis of explicit, declarative and procedural knowledge. Consequently, it is possible to link the two research perspectives. And doing so, in fact, seems very promising with respect to the po-tential advancement in knowledge that can be achieved in both of the two research arenas. Fi-nally the paper shows that analysis of alternative payment schemes and modern, financial and non- financial performance measurement systems seem the two most promising areas for re-search linking knowledge management and management control.Wissensmanagement, Controlling, Knowledge Management, Management Control Systems