Making the trains run on time: The tyranny of performance indicators

In this paper, we will consider the use of performance indicators in the newly privatized British rail industry. Specifically, we consider those targets set by the Department for Transport in its attempt to hold the private rail companies accountable to rail users. The narrow scope of these indicators, which are strongly centred on punctuality and reliability whilst focusing only slightly on one aspect of safety, suggests that their use reflects a wider political agenda; these indicators are chosen specifically to promote the perception that the state plays a major role in holding to account private companies which provide a public service. Email: b.cole@strath.ac.uk To enforce this idea, we draw upon Tsoukas's 1997 paper, The Tyranny of Light. We use his metaphor of performance indicators casting light onto certain areas of an organization thereby casting the rest of the organization into darkness. The use of railway performance indicators is an example of how there is an increasing tendency on the part ...