Welcome to the World Management Benchmarking Tool

This 18-question survey allows you to benchmark your manufacturing firm against more than 10,000 senior managers who have shared their management practices with us since 2004.

Please answer all 18 questions. After answering all the questions click on 'place me' to find out how your company's management practices compare to others in your country, industry or size class.

Country:

Please select your country. If not available, pick any. You will see the average score for this country.

Size:

Please select your size (number of employees). If not available, pick any. You will see the average score for this firm size.

Operations Management
Operations Management is all about how effectively modern management techniques have been introduced in your company: why were these modern processes introduced, for how long have these practices been in place, how are other departments of the company, outside your own, involved in implementing these processes?

1 Introduction to new management techniques I In regards to your day-to-day store operations process, how do you manage your inventory? If I were an employee and a customer asked me for an item from the backroom, how long would it take to retrieve it?

1
Few lean retail operations have been introduced (or have been introduced in an ad-hoc manner).
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Some aspects of lean retail processes have been introduced, but the company has not adopted all best practice processes.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Business processes have been transformed to meet the needs of the business. The store processes would be considered best practice for the industry.

2 Introduction to new management techniques II In regards to your day-to-day scheduling process, how do you choose how many people will be scheduled for each hour the store is open? If I were assigned to merchandising (stocking) that day, would I perhaps have to run to cash if the store got busier?

1
Few lean retail operations have been introduced (or have been introduced in an ad-hoc manner).
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Some aspects of lean retail processes have been introduced, but the company has not adopted all best practice processes.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Business processes have been transformed to meet the needs of the business. The store processes would be considered best practice for the industry.
Performance Monitoring
Performance Monitoring is all about how well your performance monitoring system informs your and your employees' day-to-day operations: how do processes and attitudes are screened, how meaningful are your metrics in relation to how frequently they measured and reviewed, to what degree the detection of different levels of process-based performance leads to adequate and consequential process

3 Rationale for new management introduction Can you take me through the rationale to introduce changes in your day-to-day store operations process and scheduling process?

1
Modern management techniques were introduced because others were using them.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Modern management techniques were introduced to reduce costs.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Modern management were introduced to enable us to meet our business objectives (including costs).

4 Process documentation/ Continuous improvement How do problems typically get exposed?

1
No process improvements are made when problems occur.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Improvements are made in on an ad hoc basis, targeting particular problems or areas of the store.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Exposing problems in a structured way is integral to individuals' responsibilities and resolution occurs as a part of normal business processes rather than by extraordinary effort/teams.

5 Performance tracking What kind of key performance indicators would you use for performance tracking?

1
Measures tracked do not indicate directly if overall business objectives are being met. Tracking is an ad-hoc process (certain processes aren't tracked at all).
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Most key performance indicators are tracked formally. Tracking is overseen by senior management.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Performance is continuously tracked and communicated, both formally and informally, to all staff using a range of visual management tools.

6 Performance review How do you review your key performance indicators?

1
Performance is reviewed infrequently or in an un-meaningful way e.g. only success or failure is noted.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Performance is reviewed periodically with successes and failures identified. Results are communicated to senior management. No clear follow-up plan is adopted.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Performance is continually reviewed, based on indicators tracked. All aspects are followed up ensure continuous improvement. Results are communicated to all staff.

7 Performance dialogue How are these performance review meetings structured?

1
Oftentimes, either the right data or information for a constructive discussion is not present or conversations focus on data that is not meaningful. A clear agenda is not known and the purpose is not stated explicitly.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Review conversations are held with appropriate data and information present. Objectives of meetings are clear to all involved and have a clear agenda. Conversations do not drive to the root causes of the problems.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Regular review/performance conversations focus on problem solving and addressing root causes. Purpose, agenda and follow-up steps are clear to all. Meetings are an opportunity for constructive feedback and coaching.
Target Setting
Target Setting is all about how tightly your targets are linked to the company's wider objectives: are your targets covering a sufficiently broad set of metrics, how strongly are your short and long term targets connected, how well are they cascaded down and clarified to your workers?

8 Consequence management What would happen if a follow up plan agreed during one of your meetings were not enacted?

1
Failure to achieve agreed objectives does not carry any consequences.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Failure to achieve agreed results is tolerated for a period before action is taken.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
A failure to achieve agreed targets drives retraining in identified areas of weakness or moving individuals to where their skills are appropriate.

9 Type of targets What types of targets are set for the company?

1
Goals are exclusively financial or operational.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Goals include non-financial targets, which form part of the performance appraisal of top management only (they are not reinforced throughout the rest of organisation).
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Goals are a balance of financial and non-financial targets. Senior managers believe the nonfinancial targets are often more inspiring and challenging than financials alone.

10 Target inter-connection What is the motivation behind your targets?

1
Goals are based purely on accounting figures (with no clear connection to shareholder value).
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Corporate goals are based on shareholder value but are not clearly cascaded down to individuals.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Corporate goals focus on shareholder value; they increase in specificity as they cascade through business units ultimately defining individual performance expectations.

11 Time horizon of targets What kind of time scale are you looking at with your targets? Are your goals set independently of each other?

1
Top management's main focus is on short term targets.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
There are short and long term goals for all levels of the organisation; as they are set independently, they are not necessarily linked to each other.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Long term goals are translated into specific short term targets so that short term targets become a "staircase" to reach long term goals.

12 Target stretch How tough are your targets? Do you feel pushed by them?

1
Goals are either too easy or impossible to achieve; managers low-ball estimates to ensure easy goals.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
In most areas, top management pushes for aggressive goals based on solid economic rationale; there are a few "sacred cows" that are not held to the same rigorous standard.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Goals are genuinely demanding for all divisions; they are grounded in solid economic rationale.
Talent Management
Talent Management is all about how you manage your people: to what degree is people management emphasized within your company, how careful are your hiring policies, how closely are pay and promotions linked to the ability and effort of your employees, how do you deal with under-performers, and how do you retain your best-performers?

13 Clarity and comparability of performance If your staff were asked about individual targets, what would they say?

1
Performance measures are complex and not clearly understood; individual performance is not made public.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Performance measures are well defined and communicated; performance is public in all levels but comparisons are discouraged.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Performance measures are well defined, strongly communicated and reinforced at all reviews; performance and rankings are made public to induce competition.

14 Retaining talent If you had a star performer who wanted to leave, what would the company do?

1
We try to do little to keep our top talent.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
We usually work hard to keep our top talent.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
We do whatever it takes to retain our top talent.

15 Instilling a talent mindset How do senior managers show that attracting talented individuals and developing their skills is a top priority in your company?

1
Senior management do not communicate that attracting, retaining and developing talent throughout the organisation is a top priority.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Senior management believe and communicate that having top talent throughout the organisation is a key way to win.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
Senior managers are evaluated and held accountable on the strength of the talent pool they actively build.

16 Building a high performance culture How does your appraisal/reward system work?

1
People within our firm are rewarded equally irrespective of performance level.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Our company has an evaluation system for the awarding of performance related rewards.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
We strive to outperform the competitors by providing ambitious stretch targets with clear performance related accountability and rewards.

17 Making room for talent If you had a worker who could or would not do his/her job what would the company do?

1
Poor performers are rarely removed from their positions.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Suspected poor performers stay in a position for a few years before action is taken.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
We move poor performers out of the company or to less critical roles as soon as a weakness is identified.

18 Developing Talent How would you identify and develop your star performers?

1
People are promoted primarily upon the basis of tenure.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
People are promoted upon the basis of performance.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
We actively identify, develop and promote our top performers.

19 Creating a distinctive employee value proposition What makes it distinctive to work at your company as opposed to your competitors?

1
Our competitors offer stronger reasons for talented people to join their companies.
2
Between 1 and 3
3
Our value proposition to those joining our company is similar to those offered by others in the sector.
4
Between 3 and 5
5
We provide a unique value proposition to encourage talented people join our company above our competitors.