I have quoted Drucker before, “What gets measured gets done”. In fact I have even challenged part of this quote and introduced an accountability element… “What gets measured and accounted gets done”. My other management guru has been Mr. Welch. Along the lines of measuring and rewarding Jack said - "If you want risk taking, set an example yourself and reward and praise those that do." It is all about walking the walk and talking the talk.
In all these quotable quotes is the question of who is measuring? The underlying assumption is the one who measures understands what the measurements REALLY mean! Then arrives the concern of an unbiased comparison of the results from the measurement. Should that be HR, the GM or the Functional expert? Given HR is familiar with the legalities, the GM controls the purse strings and the Functional expert understand the effort, skill/talent it takes. In my ideal organization it must be a horse trading between them all.