BENCHMARKING

Benchmarking is defined as the analysis of performance across organisations or parts of an organisation with a view to improvement. Kelly (2001) suggests that there are two types: one relying on a comparison of outcomes against an average statistical attainment; the other on a comparison of critical processes against those in another organisation acknowledged to be more effective. The latter is prevalent in the world of business; the former in not-for-profit sectors like education. Comparative process benchmarking began in 1959 in the Xerox Corporation, when analysis revealed a large disparity in terms of performance between the corporation’s different subsidiaries. Thus a comparative process was born that focuses on how ‘critical processes ’ (defined as ones which if done badly, result in the organisation failing to achieve its primary purpose) as opposed to ‘functional processes ’ (ones undertaken merely to fulfil legal or statutory obligations) can best be performed. In the United Kingdom, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) defines benchmarking in schools as a process of measuring performance against that achieved by others with broadly similar characteristics (DfES, 2006a), and it requires educatio