Many organizations face difficulties due to the lack of effective performance management systems which could respond to the needs and expectations of the both organization and staff. Another difficulty is related to the execution of strategies at an organizational level (Niven, 2002,p.3). Balanced Scorecard (BSC) plays an important role in order to provide an effective solution to overcome these difficulties. Briefly speaking, BSC translates an organization’s mission and strategy into a comprehensive set of performance measures that provides the framework for a strategic measurement and management system (Kaplan and Norton, 1996,p.2). The initial model of BSC organized objectives and measures into four different perspectives: financial, customer, internal business process and learning, and growth (Kaplan and Norton, 1992). Different implementation experiences evolved BSC from an improved measurement system to a core management system. The senior executives use BSC as the central organizing framework for important managerial processes (Kaplan and Norton, 1996, p.xi). According to Niven, (2008,p.13) BSC can be used as a communication tool, a measurement system, and a strategic management system.

In the early 1990s BSC was developed by Robert Kaplan and David Norton for private sectors to overcome deficiencies in the financial accounting model. However, especially after 1996, BSC was used in public and nonprofit sectors (Kaplan and Norton, 2001,p.357). BSC is also widely used in educational institutions all over the world. Storey (2002,p.331) points out that implementing the BSC at schools is one of the convenient ways in order for developing and translating strategy; communicating and linking; planning, feedback and learning; and professional development. BSC can be used in educational institutions with the purpose of performance management rather than just performance measurement and/or monitoring (Cullen et al.,2003). Using a balanced scorecard approach to performance management in schools is one way in which senior school leaders can use data in a bottom-up fashion in order to ensure that the organizational priorities are developed from individual needs as well as taking into account of external pressures, such as governmental and societal (Moreland, 2009,p.753).

Despite all the benefits and affordances that BSC offers for an effective performance management, it could not find much place in Turkish schools and in fact there is no school which use BSC model in Turkey. Hence having observed this deficiency, this study aimed to examine the adaptation process of BSC to a Turkish school which would provide the first example for the implementation of BSC in Turkish educational system.

The purpose of this study is to determine the process through which BSC, which is used in many educational institutions around the world, could be employed as a strategic performance management tool in a real school environment in Turkey. It is also aimed, on the basis of the results of the applications in a particular school, to determine the important factors under which the development of BSC could be successfully achieved. Based on these purposes, this study focus on the following research question: What are the important factors that could be considered while developing and applying BSC?

Barab, S. A., & Squire, K. (2004). Design-based research. Putting a Stake in the Ground. [Special Issue] Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1):1-14. Cullen, J., Joyce, J., Hassall, T., & Broadbent, M. (2003). Quality in higher education: From monitoring to management. Quality Assurance in Education, 11, 1–5. Kaplan, R. S. & Norton, D. P. (1992). The Balanced Scorecard - Measures that Drive Performance. Harvard Business Review, 70(1):172-180. Kaplan, R. S. & Norton, D. P. (1996), Translating Strategy Into Action: The Balanced Scorecard. Harvard Business School Press, Boston. Kaplan, R. S. & Norton, D. P. (2001). Strategic Performance Measurement and Management in Nonprofit Organizations. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 11(3):353-370. Moreland, J. (2009). Investigating Secondary School Leaders’ Perceptions of Performance Management. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 37(6):735-765. Niven, P. R. (2002). Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step Maximizing Performance and Maintaining Results. John Wiley ve Sons, Inc., New York. Niven, P. R. (2008). Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for Government and Nonprofıt Agencies. Second Edition, John Wiley ve Sons, Inc., New Jersey. Reeves, T. C. (2006). Design research from the technology perspective. In J. V. Akker, K. Gravemeijer, S. McKenney, ve N. Nieveen (Eds.), Educational Design Research. London: Routledge. pp. 86-109. Storey, A. (2002). Performance Management in Schools: Could the Balanced Scorecard Help? School Leadership and Management, 22(3):321–338.