Gauging and comparing the performances of dissimilar entities

The problem of comparing the performances of a set of entities that are not entirely similar in their operating characteristics challenges most of the existing performance measurement methods. A performance measurement method called operational competitiveness rating analysis (OCRA) is introduced, which is suitable for gauging and comparing the performance of entities that consume inputs of resources to produce outputs of goods and services that are not exactly the same. Additionally, the entities may assign different degrees of relative importance to the inputs and outputs reflecting different managerial priorities. OCRA's development is summarized and an example is presented to illustrate its application for comparing the performances of faculty members in two academic departments with dissimilar research orientations and investigating whether or not their salaries are consistent with their performances.