Drivers for performance improvement originating from the Dutch drinking water benchmark

Drivers for performance improvement originating from the Dutch drinking water benchmark

de Goede, J.A.C. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering)
Enserink, B. (TU Delft Policy Analysis)
Worm, G.I.M. (Isle Utilities)
van der Hoek, J.P. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering; Waternet)

2016

The Dutch drinking water sector has been benchmarked every 3 years since 1997, and the sector has significantly improved performance since then.Based on interviews withCEOs and financial managers of drinkingwater companies
five drivers for improvement as a result of this benchmark are identified: ‘learning effect’, ‘enhanced transparency’, ‘managed competition’, ‘avoidance of negative consequences’ and ‘personal honour of director’. Different developments have caused stagnation of further improvement: the variation on the benchmarked performance indicators has
decreased, participation in the benchmark became mandatory for all Dutch drinking water supply organizations, it lacks a focus on the future, and participating organizations experience high financial pressure. These developments decrease the influence of the drivers. Four possible new impulses for the benchmark are identified and their influence on the effect of the drivers is analysed. The two most promising new impulses are tomake the benchmark adaptive and to involve consumers in the process of benchmarking, both have a positive influence on the effect of almost all drivers.
This study contributes to the understanding of how benchmarking leads to improvement and to the analysis of the impact of design choices, leading to well-founded decisions for re-design of the Dutch drinking water benchmark.

Adaptive benchmark
Benchmarking
Consumer involvement
Drinking water supply
The Netherlands

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:01922c04-d3eb-4e01-97ec-76a05912078c

https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2016.125

2017-05-31

1366-7017

Water Policy, 18 (5), 1247–1266

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2016 J.A.C. de Goede, B. Enserink, G.I.M. Worm, J.P. van der Hoek