Application of strategy maps and balanced scorecard for improved organizational performance

Abstract

“The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas and enthusiasm." - Thomas J. Watson The above statement sums up what a Strategy Map intends to do – transmission of the vision across the organization thus helping the company accomplish its mission. Companies fail not because they do not have a strategy but because they were not able to implement or execute their strategy properly. Communicating clearly what the strategy is becomes the first step. Strategy Map helps in effectively communicating the vision and showing how each part of the organization fits into the overall vision. The company would not know whether it is on the right track if it does not measure and monitor its strategic performance. Balanced Scorecard helps in measuring performance objectives. This project aims at studying the application of the frameworks to a non-profit, nongovernment organization named JANAAGRAHA. Being a service organization, the main asset of Janaagraha is its people. It is critical that they retain the best people to work for them since a majority of their work force is unpaid volunteers. It is difficult enough for them to monitor the continuity of their initiatives with the ever changing volunteer group and partner institutions. It is far more difficult for them to align the goals of others with those of the organization. The strategy map created for Janaagraha would help them communicate their goals better and seek commitment to their mission. The intention of this project is to create a Strategy map which represents the cause-andeffect linkages of all parts of the organization to its overall vision and guide them towards implementing the Balanced Scorecard.