Abstract
We present one of the first large-scale implementations of data envelopment analysis (DEA) at the heart of a permanent performance management system in its third year of operation. The system evaluates more than 1000 field unit operations devoted to disaster relief, emergency communications, and life-saving skills training. The following research objectives were accomplished: (a) advanced a conceptual model for measuring performance in the nonprofit sector; (b) adapted a DEA formulation to account for differences in the operational environment of the field units, and included service quality, and effectiveness measures alongside traditional efficiency measures; and (c) created from scratch data collection (service quality and outcome achievement survey instruments) and report generation tools necessary for the deployment of evaluation results to the field in an user-friendly format for managers. While the suitability of DEA for real-life performance measurement is demonstrated, challenges of a DEA implementation are also discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1084-1098 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of the Operational Research Society |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2007 |
Keywords
- Benchmarking
- Data envelopment analysis implementation
- Nonprofit social services
- Outcome measurement
- Performance evaluation system
- Strategic planning
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Management Information Systems
- Strategy and Management
- Management Science and Operations Research
- Marketing