The Evolution of the Performance Model from Black Box to the Logic Model Through Systems Thinking

From approximately 1900 through the early 1970s, the examination of organizational performance in the United States reflected the Input/Output construct, which is associated with, if not derived from, scientific management. Beginning in the mid-1950s and accelerating in the 1970s, this construct transformed through systems thinking to Input → Throughput → Output. In current language, this sort of model is known as the “logic model.” There is no single accepted variant of the logic model. This process could be improved by adopting more coherence, integration with more performance constructs, and use of more systems constructs.