Aligning Performance Management Systems for Lasting Outcomes in Humanitarian Operations

Abstract

Logistics is dynamic, expansive, and critical to organizational success. While it is generally believed that effective logistics management is associated with positive performance outcomes, the links between organizational practice and performance are understudied. This dissertation leverages resource-based theory and organizational learning theory to examine organizational practice and performance in non-traditional logistics settings, with particular focus on military organizations and humanitarian operational settings. First, a meta-analytical study establishes generalizable associations between various operations management practices and performance outcomes. Then, this is applied to dynamic humanitarian logistics settings, exploring how practitioners perceive practice and performance, and how this is reported and documented for organizational performance improvement. A cumulative case study provides actionable recommendations for humanitarian practitioners and insights into an understudied area of performance management and organizational learning, which are then examined in-depth in a humanitarian field exercise. This dissertation demonstrates the importance of deliberate resource alignment, collaboration and learning for lasting logistics operations management success