Quality in Practice: Using the Balanced Scorecard at USPS - Essay Example

USPS has been operating under a balanced scorecard initiative that is divided into three major areas of execution that are known as management cycles (Kaplan & Norton, 2001). ‘Voice of the employee’ focuses on providing secure and safe working environment that enhances employee welfare. This serves to increase employee productivity, which is facilitated by suitable working conditions. Voice of the employee works to support “voice of the business” by helping the USPS achieve its entrepreneurial goals and objectives.

Motivated and satisfied employees are better placed to work efficiently and effectively in line with the institutions short and long term goals of production. Enhancing and improving the voice of business, which is divided into two categories, with one being expressly concerned with ensuring customer satisfaction and service. This means that the three areas of focus that are addressed by the USPS balanced scorecard have a cascading effect from one area to another. This is in the sense that efficiency and effectiveness in one area reflects positively on the other areas.

Thus, enhancement and improvement in the voice of business will guarantee the support and achievement of customer satisfaction through the voice of the customer initiative.. The national performance assessment tool that is used on customers is one area where the USPS balanced scorecard can gain from in terms of improvements in their services (Kaplan & Norton, 2001). This is in the sense that that the six item index can be increased to include customer responses and suggestions on how to improve services rendered to them by the service provider.

Customer suggestions can provide profound insights into ways that can be embraced to enhance and improve USPS services and business activities. The USPS balanced scorecard can increase its use of technology to reduce labour costs, which would contribute to increase the institution’s strategy on financial stability (Rainey, 2010). The use of a balanced scorecard by USPS has seen to its emergence as the most suitable field of employment for minority groups within the US (Niven, 2011). This has been due to the implementation of measures that ensure the provision of a safe and secure workplace environment (Rainey, 2010).

According to Niven (2011), this has reduced or eliminated of violence and poor employee relations. The implementation of the balanced scorecard approach by USPS saw the institution survive its imminent demise in light of rapid technological advancements that could have made its services irrelevant. Developments like the internet email and social media threatened traditional postal services, but with the implementation of the balanced scorecard, this was averted. A balanced scorecard has enabled the institution improve its financial position by increasing revenue collection and the achievement of financial goals.

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