ACCA MA Syllabus F. Performance Measurement - Advantages and limitations of the balanced scorecard - Notes 8 / 13
The Balanced Scorecard
Advantages of balanced scorecard
it measures performance in a variety of ways, rather than relying on one figure
managers are unlikely to be able to distort the performance measure - bad performance is difficult to hide if multiple performance measures are used
it takes a long-term perspective of business performance
success in the four key areas should lead to the long-term success of the organisation
it is flexible - what is measured can be changed over time to reflect changing priorities
'what gets measured gets done' - if managers know they are being appraised on various aspects of performance they will pay attention to these areas, rather than simply paying 'lip service' to them.
Limitations of balanced scorecard
it can involve a large number of calculations which may make performance measurement time-consuming and costly to operate
the selection of performance indicators under each of the four perspectives is subjective
this in turn will make comparisons with the performance of other organisations difficult to achieve satisfactorily
it is also very difficult to set standards for each of the key performance indicators