Strategic Management: Balanced Scorecard (Definitions)

"An evaluation method, created by Robert Kaplan and David Norton, that consists of four perspectives (customer, learning, business, and financial) and is used to evaluate effectiveness." (Teri Lund & Susan Barksdale, "10 Steps to Successful Strategic Planning", 2006)

"A strategic management system that connects activities to strategic goals and measures how much the activities contribute to achieving those goals. It provides a broader view of the business than merely looking at financial data. Devised by management theorists Robert Kaplan and David Norton." (Steve Williams & Nancy Williams, "The Profit Impact of Business Intelligence", 2007)

"A type of scorecard application that tracks an organization's progress from various perspectives simultaneously." (Ken Withee, "Microsoft® Business Intelligence For Dummies®", 2010)

"A formal approach used to help organizations translate their vision into objectives that can be measured and monitored using both financial and non-financial performance measures." (Leslie G Eldenburg & Susan K. Wolcott, "Cost Management" 2nd Ed., 2011)

"A performance measurement approach that links business goals to performance metrics." (Linda Volonino & Efraim Turban, "Information Technology for Management" 8th Ed., 2011)

"A management tool that measures and manages an organization's progress toward strategic goals and objectives. Incorporates financial indicators with three other perspectives: customer, internal business processes, and learning and growth." (Joan C Dessinger, "Fundamentals of Performance Improvement" 3rd Ed., 2012)

"A balanced scorecard tallies organizational performance in financial, customer service, internal process, and innovation and learning areas." (John R Schermerhorn Jr, "Management" 12th Ed., 2012)

"First proposed by Kaplan and Norton in 1992, the balanced scorecard focused on translating strategy into actions, and promoted a move away from traditional financial measures. Instead, organizations were encouraged to develop a broad range of financial and nonfinancial lead and lag measures that provided insight into overall operating performance." (Sally-Anne Pitt, "Internal Audit Quality", 2014)

"One of the widely adopted performance management frameworks is the balanced scorecard technique designed by Kaplan and Norton. Balanced scorecards involve looking at an enterprise (private, public, or nonprofit) through four perspectives: financial, customer, learning and growth, and operations." (Saumya Chaki, "Enterprise Information Management in Practice", 2015)

"A tool for linking strategic goals to performance indicators. These performance indicators combine performance indicators relating to financial performance, consumer satisfaction, internal efficiency, and learning and innovation." (Robert M Grant, "Contemporary Strategy Analysis" 10th Ed., 2018)

"A balanced scorecard (BSC) is a performance measurement and management approach that recognizes that financial measures by themselves are not sufficient and that an enterprise needs a more holistic, balanced set of measures which reflects the different drivers that contribute to superior performance and the achievement of the enterprise’s strategic goals. The balanced scorecard is driven by the premise that there is a cause-and-effect link between learning, internal efficiencies and business processes, customers, and financial results." (Gartner)

"A strategic tool for measuring whether the operational activities of a company are aligned with its objectives in terms of business vision and strategy." (ISQTB)

"An integrated framework for describing strategy through the use of linked performance measures in four, balanced perspectives ‐ Financial, Customer, Internal Process, and Employee Learning and Growth. The Balanced Scorecard acts as a measurement system, strategic management system, and communication tool." (Intrafocus)