Output measurement in professional public organizations: insights from European justice systems

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this study is to empirically explore and analyze the concrete tasks of output measurement and the inherent challenges related to these tasks in a traditional and autonomous professional public work setting – the judicial system.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis of the tasks is based on a categorization of general performance measurement motives (control-motivate-learn) and main stakeholder levels (society-organization-professionals). The analysis is exploratory and conducted as an empirical content analysis on materials and reports produced in two performance improvement projects conducted in European justice organizations.FindingsThe identified main tasks in the different categories are related to managing resources, controlling performance deviations, and encouraging improvement and development of performance. Based on the results, key improvement areas connected to output measurement in professional public organizations are connected to the improvement of objectivity and fairness in budgeting and work allocation practices, improvement of output measures' versatility and informativeness to highlight motivational and learning purposes, improvement of professional self-management in setting output targets and producing outputs, as well as improvement of organizational learning from the output measurement.Practical implicationsThe paper presents empirically founded practical examples of challenges and improvement opportunities related to the tasks of output measurement in professional public organization.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need to study how general performance management motives realize as concrete tasks of output measurement in justice organizations.

Developing Court Capabilities and Insights through Data Conversion

“…The collective commitment to effective system implementation supported by documented management strategies and the tools to carry out the tasks and track the progress ultimately contributed to the overall success of the project. While these factors are not novel as they are identified by Pekkanen (2011) as keys to reducing processing delays and backlogs, it doesn't mean their application is easy. The mistakes made throughout this multi-year data conversion project led to exploring ways to redefine the conversion management team's approach and engage more productively with project partners.…”

“…Research conducted in two separate Finish law instances also finds that it is critical for individuals to be committed to process improvements sought as well as have the procedures, practices and tools available to achieve and sustain them (Pekkanen, 2011). While this is not an easy feat and courts continue to be challenged by what it means to achieve higher performance (Cornell et al, 2020), the commitment to improvement is at the core of the Framework and effective court administration.…”