Benchmarking

Do external incentives
lead to internal change?

Hans Ruijgers, Utrecht University

September 9, 2005:
IMPORTANT! This presentation not only contains
the sheets but also most of the text I spoke. It is
in the notes pages. Help yourself 

CASE Edinburgh, August 31, 2005

 Utrecht University

• Founded 1636
• Staff 8.000
• Students 27.000
• Budget € 631.000.000,-
• Shanghai ranking no. 6 in Europe

• We have a dome (too)

• We have a Nobel Prize winner

Gerard ‘t Hooft, Physics 1999

• But, the most famous is …

Dick Bruna’s Miffy

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 Can we institutionalize change?
Academic Affairs Office
• Long term strategy (1998): Perspective 2010
• 5 Year strategy: Strategic Plan (every 2 year)
• 1999-2003
• 2001-2005
• 2003-3007
• 2005-2009
• Method
Change Reality Goals

Reality Goals

Effects

Results Projects
Results Projects

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 Monitors, Surveys & Benchmarks

Ge
ne
t y ra
d en urve Mo Em
l
u
St / S ni plo
it or to
r yee
n
Mo
Bachelor & HRM
Master

New employees
Marketing

Employee Market
Monitor

Survey
Employer Alumni
Branding Relations

Corporate Organization of
Image Communication

I
M ma k
on ge ar
ito m
r n ch
Be
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 Benchmarking: a definition

• Systematic and continues process of

identifying and learning from the best
practices anywhere in the world.
• External point of reference for evaluating
quality, cost, and effectiveness of activities,
practices, and processes.
• It’s about why en how.
Organization of
Non -competitors
Communication

External National :
Dutch Universities
Competitors
International :
Sjanghai Survey
Student Monitor /
Survey
Internal

Employee Monitor

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 Organization of communication
Learning step by step
1. Research
2. Benchmark
Benchmark • First time in Netherlands, in field of COM
• Compare with practices outside HE branch
• 2 banks, national insurance company,
international consultancy firm, university
Change Reality Goals

Reality Goals
Conclusions ( goals)
Effects • Reform organization of communication
• Sharpen (refresh) brand profile
Results Projects

Results Projects
• Develop recruitment communications
• Develop internal communications

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 Organization of communication
Towards a culture of change
3. Projects
• Branding project, corporate design
• Professionalize Internal Communication
• Monitoring corporate image (2004)
• Employer Branding Campaign “Science
Never Stops” (Awarded in 2004)

4. Results
• Results have effect on reality, they
change reality

Change becomes institutionalized

• Coming next: Image monitor 2007

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 Lessons learned
There is no class!
• You want knowledge, not information
• You want to learn, not to copy
• Best in class? There is no class!

Second hand First hand

Information Knowledge

Utrecht Consultant / Benchmark

University Researcher Partner

Meeting
Meeting Interview
Interview
(conclusions
(conclusions )) (checklist
(checklistor
or
questionnaire
questionnaire ))

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 Lessons learned
Methodology
Total ranking
1 Company Y

No. 1? Visible
PR 2 YOU

You must 3 Company X

be good! YOU X Y

Theme A 3 1 4 Best in class

Visible
Interesting
Theme B 1 2 3
Best in class
Etc.

1 2 3 4 5
Question

Question Not visible

Very

Why?!
Question interesting !
Aspect 1 Aspect 2

How?! Theme Theme

What for?!
Theme A
B C

Show me! Organization of communication ?

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 The Success Factors

• Knowledge of own organization YES

• Choice of benchmark partners
• Best in class 50/50
• Transparency
• Organization of Communication YES
• Marketing Strategy NO
• Research methodology
• The Benchmark, part II NO
• Follow up (projects, results) YES
• Change becomes continuous process YES
• “It will never be quiet anymore”

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 Closing remark

During World War II, the statistician Abraham Wald was assessing the
vulnerability of airplanes to enemy fire. All available data showed that some
parts of planes were hit disproportionately more often than other parts.
Military personnel concluded, naturally enough, that these parts should be
reinforced. Wald, however, came to the opposite conclusion: The parts hit
least often should be protected. His recommendation reflected his insight
into the selection bias inherent in the data, which represented only those
planes that returned. Wald reasoned that a plane would be less likely to
return if it were hit in a critical area and, conversely, that a plane that did
return even when hit had probably not been hit in a critical location. Thus,
he argued, reinforcing those parts of the returned planes that sustained
many hits would be unlikely to pay off.
(Jerker Denrell, Selection Bias and the Perils of Benchmarking, Harvard
Business Review, April 2005, 114-119.)

In my words:
Do not always (and merely) look at good practices but also take
into account bad practices.

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 Do external incentives
lead to internal change?

YES, they do!

Thank you

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