Why Measure Performance? Different Purposes Require Different Measures

Abstract

Performance measurement is not an end in itself. So why should public managers measure performance? Because they may find such measures helpful in achieving eight specific managerial purposes. As part of their overall management strategy, public managers can use performance measures to evaluate, control, budget, motivate, promote, celebrate, learn, and improve. Unfortunately, no single performance measure is appropriate for all eight purposes. Consequently, public managers should not seek the one magic performance measure. Instead, they need to think seriously about the managerial purposes to which performance measurement might contribute and how they might deploy these measures. Only then can they select measures with the characteristics necessary to help achieve each purpose. Without at least a tentative theory about how performance measures can be employed to foster improvement (which is the core purpose behind the other seven), public managers will be unable to decide what should be measured.Everyone is measuring performance. 1 Public managers are measuring the performance of their organizations, their contractors, and the collaboratives in which they participate. Congress, state legislatures, and city councils are insisting that executive-branch agencies periodically report measures of performance. Stakeholder organizations want performance measures so they can hold government accountable. Journalists like nothing better than a front-page bar chart that compares performance measures for various jurisdictions-whether they are average test scores for the city's schools or FBI uniform crime statistics for the state's cities. Moreover, public agencies are taking the initiative to publish compilations of their own performance measurements (Murphey 1999). A major trend among the nations that comprise the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, concludes Alexander Kouzmin (1999) of the University of Western Sydney and his colleagues, is "the development of measurement systems which enable comparison of similar activities across a number of areas," (122) and which "help to establish a performance-based culture in the public sector" (123). "Performance measurement," writes Terrell Blodgett of the University of Texas and Gerald Newfarmer of Management Partners, Inc., is "(arguably) the hottest topic in government today" (1996, 6).

A public value perspective for ICT enabled public sector reforms: A theoretical reflection

“…These indicators are another prominent aspect of the results-driven culture, promoted by the NPM. Businesses do indeed have a long tradition of measuring performance in order to achieve better results (Behn, 2003). However, as extensively discussed in this paper, public sector drivers are not the same as those that govern the business world.…”

“…After assessing 18 international e-government benchmarking schemes, Janssen, Rotthier, and Snijkers (2004) found that the reports differ in focus, approach and scope, thus leading to different performance measurements. All in all, understanding why measuring performance is important, and in which ways it should be done within the public sector remains crucial (Behn, 2003). Measuring performance is highly important, although we suggest that a wider range of indicators should be employed to analyze the value drivers in the relationship between the citizens and the state.…”

Um Modelo Multicritério Construtivista Para Apoiar À Gestão Da Atividade De Pesquisa Da Universidade De Mindelo

“…Assim, sob esta abordagem o processo de avaliação de desempenho deve-se considerar a percepção do gestor, o alinhamento com as estratégias da organização e as variáveis do ambiente interno e externo, garantindo que as estratégias, objetivos e métricas estabelecidas estejam adequados ao ambiente da organização (Bititci, Turner & Begemann, 2000;Bourne et al, 2000). Behn (2003) ressalta que os gestores não devem procurar uma medida de desempenho "mágica". Em vez disso, precisam refletir sobre os objetivos organizacionais, sobre como a avaliação de desempenho poderia contribuir para o alcance desses objetivos e de que forma as medidas de desempenho poderiam ser implementadas para auxiliar nesse processo.…”

Managing Performance in the Defense Sector: Cases of the Italian Army and Us Navy Surface Warfare Enterprise

“…The purpose is to incorporate the performance information in the memory and culture of the organization and finally integrate performance information into the policy and management cycles;  Uses of performance information in decision making for planning, resource allocation, taking corrective action and rewarding. Different managers and stakeholders require information for different uses [21]. Van Dooren et al [6] proposed three different uses: learning, steering and control, and accountability.…”