Producing and benchmarking high performance are essential for college leaders, from campus presidents to early career administrators. This book provides a road map for understanding the cognitive and behavioral elements of performance that are crucial for effective leaders.

Michael Bastedo, University of Michigan School of Education

Alfred and his colleagues offer a deep dive into understanding performance in organizational settings. Organizational performance is analyzed through multiple lenses: objective, subjective and cognitive. For those of us in higher education, the book offers a special and timely insight into how performance is and should be assessed in our unique world. The reader is left not only with a nuanced understanding of organizational performance, but with a guide to action: why leaders should think differently about performance and why it is imperative for leaders to operate simultaneously in three domains to enhance organizational performance. This book is a ‘must read’ for college and university leaders.

Donna Randall president, Albion College

Measuring performance in higher education is a complex but critically important task. Performance: The Dynamic of Results in Postsecondary Organizations offers thoughtful and helpful guidance for colleges and universities that, like the State University of New York, have chosen to engage in self evaluation for the ultimate betterment and strengthening of their institutions.

Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor Emeritus, State University of New York

Richard Alfred has been a valued mentor to many higher education leaders, and his latest work in association with Nathan Harris, Kathryn Thirolf, and James Webb, Performance: The Dynamic of Results in Organizations, provides great insight on one of the most important and challenging issues facing all organizational leaders today. For education leaders, this book addresses the performance issue from a thoughtful, practical perspective. While centered on the higher education, it draws on literature, practice, and examples from across organizational contexts that makes this book a timely and valuable read for anyone interested in understanding and improving organizational performance.

R. Scott Ralls, president, North Carolina Community College System