What a nice term this is: Information Radiator. I’ve often very successfully solved some organizational problem by creating just such a device. More than once I’ve improved the quality of a large piece of software by just creating a concise report of current status and placing in someplace were people would notice it. The trick, from my point of view, is less to collect the data than how you manage to present it. The less ink the report uses per item of information the better. The more the report shows change or summary scores the better.
But the best thing about that term “information radiator” is how it so nicely sums up that you want something that’s not to hot not to cold. Something that changes the temperature. Something that draws attention to it’s self; but doesn’t burn.