Performance Variability

Performance Variability [PDF 112 KB]

A graph is displayed on a white circle with a straight, horizontal blue line (representing work as imagined) behind a zigzagging green line (representing work as done).

In a workplace system, performance of the same task or activity varies. This is a natural characteristic of the workplace system.

Continual adjustments are often necessary to cope with the unpredictability of the work context. For example, changes related to the work environment, available equipment, manpower, goals, time available, internal/external demands, and pressures may drive adaptation by workers.

Processes and procedures cannot be written for every potential scenario and condition. Without adaptive problem solving and the resulting performance variability, organizational success would often be limited.

Employees are very good at adjusting their behaviour to meet expectations and desired outcomes. They often use adaptive problem solving to get things done because the context within which work is performed is so dynamic and unpredictable.

Performance variability is often deliberate, but it is not always well considered and managed to reduce unintended consequences. As a result, new risk(s) may be introduced in the workplace system. Sometimes deliberate variability is new and unexpected. In these cases, the variability may be associated with abnormal or previously neglected workplace issues. Employees may be compelled to try to resolve threats and deficiencies in real time to get the job done.

It is important to identify the nature and sources of all types of variability to better understand the system’s functioning and its tolerance for variability. This allows organizations to proactively address underlying system issues and build increased resiliency.

A blue bubble showing the icon of a checklist states: “Work as Imagined (i.e., how work should be performed under ideal conditions)”. An arrow points from this blue bubble to a green bubble showing a stick man balancing spinning plates on sticks. The green bubble states “Work as Done (i.e., real world response to dynamic context of work)”. A navy blue rectangular bubble underpins the blue and green bubbles stating: “To understand work (and workplace system functioning), organizations need to understand how and why performance varies. Then, resiliency to control variability and potential negative impacts can be built.”

Description

Work as Imagined (i.e., how work should be performed under ideal conditions)

Work as Done (i.e., real world response to dynamic context of work)

To understand work (and workplace system functioning), organizations need to understand how and why performance varies. Then, resiliency to control variability and potential negative impacts can be built.

Reflective Questions:

  1. When has performance variability facilitated success within your organization? When has variability led to undesirable outcomes? In each instance, what specific workplace context changes drove the performance variability? What do these reflections tell you about your organization’s resiliency?
  2. Do you have a mechanism for collecting information about performance variability within your workplace system? If not, why not? What steps could you take today to better understand and learn from existing performance variability?
 

For more information on systems thinking and performance influencing factors see Canadian Standard Association. (2022). Human and organizational factors for optimal pipeline performance (CSA Express Document No. 16:22).

For more learning resources on Human and Organizational Factors and Safety Culture visit the CER’s Safety Culture Learning Portal.

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