Setting Individual Achievement Targets with DEA
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Setting Individual Achievement Targets with DEA Emmanuel Thanassoulis and Gary Simpson Data Envelop ment Analisis can be used to set targets for
take into account extraneous factors and must be
individual attainments that are demanding but realistic. The targets are based on the best attainment levels realised by other individuals, after allowing /àrfoctorr beyond an individual's control. The approach will be illustrated using the example of school children but it has wider applicability in monitoring and improving the peformance of individuals in wir context
realistic to have the desired motivational effect.
Outline of the approach Let us take a situation where we wish to set targets
for each individual within a
uiiiie large numbers of individuals are engaged in a given at/v'itv but under varying conditions. For example
set, all individuals
performing the same task. The targets will refer to
levels to be attained on given variables over a
saie3jiersons ma)' he set targets which reflect the vaying sales
specified period of time. For example, in the case of
em 'ironments in which ther operate.
sales persons the targets might be in terms of' the volumes of sales achieved while in the case of a tax
-ooOoo-
oflicer the target might be in terms of' the number of tax cases assessed.
In many arcas of life we attempt to meet targets or to set targets; whether as school children attempting to meet the expectations of parents and teachers, or as bank tellers attempting to reach a target level of transactions, In this paper we will describe a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) based technique introduced in Thanassoulis (forthcoming) to set attainment targets for individual school children, generalising it to other contexts. Targets at individual person level can play a very important role in helping individuals improve performance when the targets are suitably set to be challenging but not demotivating. For example, the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE 1996, p6) notes that effective target setting 'helps schools to
In order to deploy the method we need recent data at individual person level on two sets of variables. The first set is that of attainment variables on which future targets are to be set. The second set is that of control variables. The latter relate to factors beyond the control of' the individual but which nevertheless impact his/her ability to attain the tatgets set. Foi' example, in the case of sales persons the attainment variables might be the volume and the value of sales of each type of product. while the control variables might he the corresponding total volume and value of sales in the geographical region covered by the sales person, the number of' competitors s/he fàced and so on.
articulate clearly what is being aimed at, whether by schools as
The identification of the control and attainment variables is crucial if the targets are to have the
a whole, or by groups or individuals within the school'.
Often our success in meeting targets depends not only on our own effort but
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