Determinants of Organizational Effectiveness for Metrology Entities

Abstract (MSC 2009)

This paper expands on the findings developed from research that investigated leadership style and the selection of determinants of organizational effectiveness for National Measurement Institutes (NMI). The data suggests that there is a strong correlation between the operational attributes of an NMI and private sector metrology entities. The commonalities range from a hi-level sponsorship, which provides funding, down to the policy authority for intrinsic, artifact, and documentary standards.

The research methodology focused on answering the central research question, which asked, “… is there is a significant performance difference based on the NMI’s or corporate leadership’s style and the selection of the determinants of organizational effectiveness?” The findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between leadership style the use of determinants for measuring organizational effectiveness. The relationships between leadership style and selection of determinants varied depending on the goal of effectiveness or efficiency. A surprise finding challenged the traditional characterization of effectiveness and efficiency as mutually exclusive.

Other statistically significant findings revealed information on the selection process, including the unexpected emergence of third and fourth measurement dimension involving relations with the political or corporate sponsor versus varying positions-of-responsibility within the entity. These findings regarding the additional measurement dimensions suggest rich areas for future research.

The rationalization for this subject and methodology is contained in a prophetic comment made by the British scientist Lord William Thomson Kelvin (1824-1907) to the Institution of Civil Engineers, on May 3, 1883. Lord Kelvin argued that knowledge and science is based on measurements, usually expressed as numbers. Lord Kelvin’s argument centers on the ability to succinctly express one’s thoughts, one must be able to quantify the knowledge. Without numbers, knowledge is lacking substance.

See MSC 2009 at: http://www.msc-conf.com/msc/index.html