In large, complex, industrial organizations leaders are responsible for managing change, managers are responsible for solving problems but everyone – from those in a control room to a board room – is responsible for performance. Performance is often headlined in annual reports and executive scorecards but in reality, performance is granular. Performance is partitioned into regional, functional, asset and sub-asset levels.  What is defined as performance is fluid both between organizations and within organizations.  

Therefore, decision-makers need the right information to understand their systems, identify new insights, and take action. This empowers people across the organization to intervene effectively instead of simply reacting to lagging KPIs.  As a result, systems need to serve people by helping them make better decisions faster. When done at scale, organizations can achieve the headline KPIs and enable themselves and individuals within that organization to command performance.  

Before one can delve into what commanding performance means for an organization and its people, we must be clear on what an organization is – specifically a complex, industrial organization. Organizations can be defined by linking the following similarities (see Figure 1):  

1. Objectives - all organizations have some form of mission, asset and people-related objectives.

2. Systems – that combine the work of people and machines/equipment to accomplish a goal in support of creating and sustaining value.

3. Management – leveraging ISO 31001 definition that ‘manage’ requirements measurement, analysis and improvement.

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When seeing an organization as a collection of depreciating assets governed by systems trending towards failure that have all been designed, operated and maintained by fallible humans, we can see the challenges people face when trying to command performance and the opportunity technology presents to support this goal.  

Too many organizations treat performance as something to measure after the fact. Commanding performance means getting closer to the action - identifying weak signals in real time, reinforcing systems before unwanted events happen, and providing decision-makers with timely, relevant and context-rich information.  

Consider where the cues for organizational performance truly come from. They don’t emerge from quarterly KPIs, lagging indicators, or leadership dashboards. Ask yourself: how much time does a football coach spend watching the scoreboard during a match? 10%, 5%, 2% … likely even less. Why? Because the scoreboard only reflects a moment in time, not the underlying actions that drive it. It provides very little insight into what went right or wrong. That information comes from what the coach observes and interprets on the field of play. The same is true for large, complex organizations: if they are stuck watching KPIs and dashboards and calling it “performance management,” they will always be reacting rather than commanding performance of their organization.

Frontline Operations as the First Line of Assurance

In high-risk industries like oil and gas, much of this is baked into regulations and standard ways of working. The barrier concept illustrates how frontline operations command performance. Barriers, whether technical or human, are layers of defense. These systems are constantly degrading and at the same time reshaping the risk profile of the organization. Rather than waiting for incidents to expose failed systems, methodologies like the ICMM’s Critical Control Management (CCM) allow leaders to map barriers, monitor their health and proactively strengthen them.

Turning Data into Decisions

This is where technology addresses the capacity gap to allow organizations to command performance, by measuring, analyzing and improving critical systems (or controls). Beyond the measurement and evaluation of systems, technology can present information that serves different users at the point of where decisions are made – i.e. where the work gets done (see Figure 2).  

InterKnowlogy’s CADDI creates a frictionless environment where information flows seamlessly across complex organizations. Instead of searching for documents, cross-referencing policies, or wondering if something was overlooked, CADDI surfaces the right insights at the right time. It transforms scattered data – inspection logs, maintenance reports, shift handovers, behavioral observations – into actionable intelligence.

Unlike generic AI tools, CADDI works exclusively within an organization's ecosystem. That means the quality of its insights depends on your trusted data, free from external noise or bias. It delivers clarity grounded in organizations' own processes, procedures, and workflows.

One of the most common objections is: “We don’t have the data.” But in reality, most organizations already have about 80% of the data they need. The problem is that it’s scattered, underutilized, or not framed in a way that supports intervention. The data exists in inspection logs, maintenance reports, shift handovers, and behavior observations. The question is whether your systems are surfacing that information in a way that decision-makers can act on.

Asking The Right Questions

The contrast between commanding performance and reacting to it is highlighted in the questions below:

• Not “How did we do?” but “What’s starting to drift right now?”  

• Not “Did we hit the number?” but “What’s happening that will help or hurt us tomorrow?”  

• Not “What did the report say” but “What are our systems telling us?”

You don’t need a crystal ball. You need a better view of the field to see around the corner to understand where resources and capital need to be allocated. Stop watching the scoreboard. It won’t tell you where to move. Get on the field. Watch your systems. Understand your barriers. And build an organization that can probe and respond, not just survive. Command performance. Don’t just track it.

What next?

Commanding performance is about surfacing real-time insights where decisions happen. Learn how IK-CADDI equips mining and energy leaders to do exactly that.