Abstract
Despite considerable research interest, the existence of a positive relationship between the measurement of performance and the achievement of performance outcomes has yet to be definitively proven in the literature. This thesis contributes to existing knowledge in the performance measurement (PM) field by providing three theories which explain the link between measurement and the achievement of outcomes in the hospitality sector. These theories derived from a mixed quantitative-qualitative sequential methodology, and embedded in a Critical Realist (CR) perspective, develop and improve upon existing theory by providing additional understanding and new research directions for practitioners. Beginning with a reconceptualisation of performance as an emergent property rather than a contingent property, the research then applies the Critical Realist logic of inference, known as retroduction, which explains events through the identification of mechanisms which are capable of producing them. The emergence of performance in hospitality organisations is thus investigated through the exposure of the underlying factors, the structures and generative mechanisms which influence both measurement and performance outcomes. The research results in a new understanding of the role of leadership in stewarding performance by the selective deployment of the organisational measurement apparatus. It also re-evaluates the role of dissonant performance to promote innovative problem-solving to improve performance, and uncovers the delicate balancing act between the needs of principals and agents in the property owner / management company relationship. Most notably this work presents an augmented control theory of the measurement-performance link, which is a complex, multi-faceted and adaptive model with elements of the traditional control theory paradigm, as well as pre-emptive and pre-operational control elements. The findings of this work challenge the prevailing paradigm of the subject area and update, refine and expand on the existing body of theory by offering a deeper, more comprehensive explanation of the measurement-performance link than previous works.