Performance Management

In 2004, we continued to build on our new approach to assessing performance at company and at branch levels. Uniting performance under our 'one company' philosophy, we emphasised a balanced approached to performance management based on key approaches. These are:

People: How well we train, treat and retain people. People and their safety are key to our company so they are at the heart of performance.

Process: How well we work. For example, this might be how efficiently our power stations are operating.

Customers: How our customers and key stakeholders see us. This is a measure of how we have an impact upon and are seen in the world.

Finance: Good performance within the other approaches will deliver good financial performance. These performances demonstrate our financial strength, and our financial strength enables us to plan for the future.

These approaches support five clear Ambitions set by the Executive Committee for the Company, with clear targets to attain by 2007. Performance against these targets is being communicated to the whole company. Ambitions results are now presented monthly on 'performance boards', in company literature and on the internal company website, with staff able to ask questions of the performance teams throughout the company.