Explaining the doctrine of performance management.

• Author: Mucha, Michael J.
• Position: The Dynamics of Performance Management: Constructing Information and Reform

The Dynamics of Performance Management: Constructing Information and Reform

By Donald P. Moynihan

Georgetown University Press

2008, 224 pages, $26.95

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The public sector has been greatly influenced by performance management in the past few decades. Reform after reform has focused on achieving better accountability, improved efficiency, and overall better decision making through performance management. Reforms have been widely applied, as all states have at some point passed legislation requiring the use of performance management. However, the success of these reforms has been mixed, at best.

As Donald Moynihan discusses in The Dynamics of Performance Management, it is difficult to define exactly what is meant by performance management, and reforms will likely fail to meet expectations unless performance information is complemented by the proper focus and organizational change. To succeed, government officials need to clearly think through the purpose of performance management in their organization, and then dedicate the proper resources--not only to gathering the right performance information, but also to changing the way everyone in the organization thinks about and approaches problems. Without this kind of organizational change, the task of collecting performance information is little more than a distraction.

HOPES AND ASSUMPTIONS

The book uses "the performance management doctrine" (see Exhibit 1) to explain the basic assumptions state and federal governments make regarding their performance efforts, as well as their hopes for these endeavors.

Exhibit 1: Basic Assumptions with Doctrine of Performance Management * Governments have areas of inefficiency. * Governments can transform themselves to become more efficient * Poor performance in government is of major consequence in terms of fiscal health and public trust in government * Governments can and should make rational decisions. * Performance information will improve decision making and can be used to foster accountability. In theory, success of the performance management doctrine relies on two basic recommendations: 1) build a performance information system, and 2) encourage its use through an expansion of managerial authority In practice, however, data do not show a conclusive link between performance management and improved performance, mainly because the second point has been lacking in most performance efforts. As the book notes, relying on the hope that "If you...