Perceived importance of performance management metrics among UK theatre companies

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of the use of performance management metrics by UK theatre companies, the levels of importance attached to various types of measures, and possible determinants of managerial perceptions of the importance of each category. Design/methodology/approach - A model was constructed which hypothesised that the types of metrics regarded as most important by theatre managements depended on organisational identity, financial situation, environmental volatility, production diversity and visitor orientation. This was tested via a survey of 195 UK theatres. Findings - A theatre's financial situation greatly influenced the categories of metrics that its management deemed to be important, exerting both a direct effect and indirect impacts. An organisation's “artistic identity” also affected the dimensions of the operations that its management sought to measure. Research limitations/implications - The data were self‐reported; less than a majority of the sampling frame participated in the study; and managers in theatres that used few or no metrics may have been less likely to respond to the invitation to take part in the study. It was not possible within the confines of an already crowded questionnaire to explore the influences of various stakeholders on a theatre management's choice of metrics. Practical implications - Environmental circumstances and managerial inclinations seemingly determined the metrics that were considered important, but the metrics involved were not necessarily those that should have been applied. Originality/value - This is the first empirical study to determine the factors that cause theatre managements to prioritise the use of specific types of performance metrics and to explain variations in organisational behaviour in this regard.