The Watermelon Effect
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 8:34 AM
Beware of the Watermelon Effect in your review of performance and the stewardship of it. The watermelon effect is the false sense of security that we can get lulled into when our KPI dashboard is showing all “green” indicators, but when in reality they are not comprehensive enough or complete enough to show the “red” that is actually occuring in the field. There are many potential causes for this effect but some include: an overriding desire to have a simple “dashboard” of KPIs and performance measures in which to focus on, incomplete data set, uncertainty around what metrics to actually measure, or an unsafe or toxic environment or culture that is uninterested in knowing anything other than “everything” is ok. Instead, a complete set of KPIs must be used to understand and analyze the performance of the operation so that true knowledge can be extracted and appropriate action taken. Test “greens” in your stewardshp report and undertand and action the “reds” and ask questions about if the right, and complete, set of metrics are being viewed to fully understand the operation.