Managing for Results Differently: Examining Managers’ Purposeful Performance Information Use in Public, Nonprofit, and Private Organizations

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgen Johansen ◽  
Taehee Kim ◽  
Ling Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Nonprofit Hospitals ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Private Organizations ◽  
Managing For Results ◽  
Day To Day Operations ◽  
Level Hospital

Performance information (PI) is only valuable when decision makers use it to improve their organization. Despite its importance, evidence on PI use is still limited, particularly about PI use in different contexts and for specific purposes. This article examines managers’ use of PI for specific purposes (purposeful PI [PPI]) and compares cross-sector differences in reported PPI use with a survey of nearly 1,000 top-level hospital managers in public, private, and nonprofit hospitals in the United States, while controlling for task. Findings show significant cross-sector differences in reported PPI use in three decision areas: personnel, day-to-day operations, and service efficiency, and that public managers use PI significantly less than their private and nonprofit counterparts in most decision areas. Results are discussed within the literature on performance management and cross-sector differences.

scholarly journals Public sector reform and the state of performance management in Portugal: is there a gap between performance measurement and its use?

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 613-627
Author(s):  
Ana I. Melo ◽  
Luís F. Mota
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ideal Type ◽  
The State ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Managers

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse the state of performance management in the Portuguese public sector as part of the efforts towards public administration reform.Design/methodology/approachTheoretically, the authors took Bouckaert and Halligan's (2008, pp. 35–39) approach into consideration to analyse the adoption of performance management practices. This approach was supplemented by an adaptation of Pollitt and Bouckaert's (2011, p. 33) framework to analyse the context for administrative reforms. The used data analysis techniques include documentary analysis (namely legislation and evaluation reports of reform efforts), secondary data analysis and a survey conducted with 296 Portuguese top public managers.FindingsThe findings show that Portuguese public sector organisations adopted several tools to measure performance over the years, but failed to incorporate performance information into their management practices or to properly use it for either internal or external purposes. Concerning the ideal types proposed by Bouckaert and Halligan (2008, p. 36), Portugal is considered to fit the “performance administration” ideal type, even though it is moving closer to the “managements of performance” ideal type.Originality/valueThis is one of the first comprehensive studies on the state of performance management in Portugal framed within the broader context of public sector reforms. The findings will be of interest both to scholars who study public administration reforms and performance management and to Portuguese policy makers and public managers who are interested in understanding and improving the way performance information is measured, incorporated and used in that sector.

scholarly journals Performance Information, Racial Bias, and Citizen Evaluations of Government: Evidence from Two Studies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A Porumbescu ◽  
Suzanne J Piotrowski ◽  
Vincent Mabillard
Keyword(s):  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Racial Bias ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Social Accountability ◽  
Performance Evaluations ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Positive Performance ◽  
Two Samples

Abstract Social accountability reforms emphasize expanding performance information disclosure and incorporating citizen feedback into performance evaluations of public organizations. However, social accountability scholarship has largely ignored possible discriminatory implications of performance information use despite calls for more social equity research. We look to bridge these two literatures, arguing that increasing exposure to performance information can actually activate racial bias in citizen feedback. Using two samples of White MTurk participants residing in the United States, we test this argument in a Negative Performance Information Study (n = 800) and a Positive Performance Information Study (n = 800). In the Negative Performance Information Study, we find increased exposure to negative performance information triggers more negative performance evaluations of public organizations led by Black public managers, but not White public managers, and strengthens preferences to fire Black public managers, but not White public managers. In the Positive Performance Information Study, we find increased exposure to positive performance information has no impact on performance evaluations of Black, nor White public managers but strengthens preferences to reappoint White, but not Black public managers. These findings suggest increasing exposure to performance information triggers racial bias in performance evaluations and preferences for holding public managers accountable.

scholarly journals Getting Past “Purposeful”: Exploring Dimensionality in Nonprofit Executive Performance Information Use

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-302
Author(s):  
Clare FitzGerald
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Support ◽  
Information Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Goal Clarity ◽  
Leadership Support ◽  
Large Survey

Although performance information use (PIU) among public managers is a growing and increasingly relevant research area, the existing evidence base has two significant limitations for those interested in its application to nonprofit executives. First, large survey investigations, the predominant method used to assess PIU behaviors, have rarely sampled outside of government. Second, despite theoretical arguments and empirical support for PIU being a multidimensional behavior, only ‘purposeful’ use (i.e., the deliberate and instrumental use of performance information in decision-making to improve organizational operations) has been examined with any regularity. Thus, in addition to developing theory around PIU for nonprofit executives (rather than just public managers within governments), I test established drivers of purposeful and political PIU using survey data from 260 nonprofit executives throughout the United States. Results show that nonprofit executive PIU is driven by different considerations than public manager PIU. Additionally, results show that leadership support of performance measurement is an important driver of purposeful and political PIU, with organizational goal clarity and networking behavior also, specifically, driving political PIU.

How Can Public Managers Use Performance Management for Improvement Without Demotivating Employees?

2021 ◽  
pp. 142-160
Author(s):  
Poul A. Nielsen ◽  
Caroline H. Grøn
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Performance Management Systems ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Hard Time ◽  
New Public

Performance management systems in public organizations have grown in importance since the advent of new public management, but they often have a hard time delivering on their promises. This chapter discusses how managers can use performance management tools without demotivating their employees. The chapter points to six guidelines which should be kept in mind when using such tools. Managers should be given procedural autonomy; performance information should be used to increase learning; links between performance and rewards should be considered carefully; performance information and management practices should be used to support professional development and to avoid negative motivational effects and gaming; performance information should be used as a basis for dialogue; and, finally, performance management should increase employee autonomy and avoid documentation overload.

scholarly journals Why is dialogue on performance challenging in the public sector?

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomi Rajala ◽  
Harri Laihonen ◽  
Petra Haapala
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Use ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to understand performance management as a social phenomenon by investigating the challenges of performance dialogue, a phenomenon where participants jointly interpret performance information and discuss it while identifying the actions needed to manage the performance according to this information. Design/methodology/approach The research aim is achieved by conducting an interview study. Empirical data were collected by interviewing 30 public managers in three Finnish municipalities and subjecting it to content analysis using inductive category development. Findings The research provides empirical evidence from challenges in engaging in performance dialogue. It moreover derives a comprehensive conceptual model categorizing factors inhibiting performance dialogue. Practical implications Difficulties in conducting organizational performance dialogues are better explained. The findings support the management of performance dialogue by helping practitioners to identify challenges associated to these dialogues. Originality/value This study contributes to current conversations on performance management by showing that performance dialogues are no miracle cure for problems in performance information use. Moreover, the authors demonstrate that complications in performance information use are intertwined in many ways.

Who Values Diversity? Comparing the Effect of Manager Gender Across the Public, Private, and Nonprofit Sectors

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 797-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgen Johansen ◽  
Ling Zhu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nonprofit Hospitals ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
The Public ◽  
Private Organizations ◽  
Attitudes Toward Diversity ◽  
Diversity Issues

Researchers have focused on the role of managerial gender on attitudes toward diversity issues mainly in either the public or private sector, but there is little research that compares managerial attitudes on diversity across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. This article identifies important distinctions among the sectors that may influence gender differences in managerial priority placed on diversity. Using a national survey of nearly 1,000 top-level managers in public, private, and nonprofit hospitals in the United States, we analyze how managerial gender combined with cross-sector differences shape managerial priority on diversity. We find female managers place a higher priority on diversity than their male counterparts in nonprofit and private organizations compared with managers in public organizations. The differing effects of managerial gender on the priority placed on diversity are shaped by the organizational contexts of the three sectors. This research provides systematic evidence of sector differences in the patterns of managerial priorities regarding diversity.

scholarly journals Learning from Performance Information

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Calmar Andersen ◽  
Helena Skyt Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Bayesian Learning ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Years of research on performance management has generally concluded that performance information is seldom used purposefully by public managers and that it does not improve performance as intended. More recently, both theoretical and empirical work have begun to focus on situations in which performance management may facilitate internal organizational learning. In this study, we focus on one key component in performance management systems, namely generation of performance information. Based on a Bayesian learning model, we argue that generation of performance information at the individual level may create performance improvements because both users and frontline workers may learn where to prioritize their efforts. To test the isolated effect of this key component of any performance management system, we use as-good-as-random variation in exposure of students to testing because of a technical breakdown in an IT system. We identify the effect of testing on student learning measured two years after the breakdown. Results show positive and statistically significant effects of about 0.1 standard deviations, which is comparable to much more expensive interventions, and effects tend to persist after four years. We find larger effects for students with low socioeconomic status but also that schools with many students from this group are more reluctant to measure their performance. Implications and limitations in terms of increasing the level of student testing are discussed.

The Impact of the Nicaragua Case on Matters of Evidence and Fact-Finding

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-156
Author(s):  
PAUL S. REICHLER
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pulp Mills ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
The Government ◽  
Fact Finding ◽  
Day To Day Operations ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe Nicaragua case demonstrates the Court's competence in receiving and interpreting evidence, and in making reasoned findings of fact, even in the most complicated evidentiary context, as is often presented in cases involving use of force and armed conflict. The Court applied well-established standards for evaluating the conflicting evidence presented to it. In particular, the Court determined that greater weight should be given to statements against interest made by high-level government officials than to a state's self-serving declarations. The Court also determined that statements by disinterested witnesses with first-hand knowledge should receive greater weight than mere statements of opinion or press reports. In applying these guidelines, the Court found, correctly, that (i) the United States had used military and paramilitary force against Nicaragua both directly and indirectly, by organizing, financing, arming, and training the Contra guerrillas to attack Nicaragua; (ii) the evidence did not support a finding that the United States exercised direct control over the Contras’ day-to-day operations; and (iii) there was no evidence that Nicaragua supplied arms to guerrillas fighting against the government of El Salvador during the relevant period, or carried out an armed attack against that state. While Judge Schwebel's dissent criticized the last of these findings, in fact, the evidence fully supported the Court's conclusion. In subsequent decisions during the past 25 years, the Court has continued to rely on the approach to evidence first elaborated in the Nicaragua case and has continued to demonstrate its competence as a finder of fact, including in cases involving armed conflict (Bosnia Genocide) and complex scientific and technical issues (Pulp Mills).

Can India’s Higher Education Improve Through Better Management of Human Resources: A Comparative Study of India and the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 006996672110638
Author(s):  
Jai Mohan Pandit ◽  
Bino Paul
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Other ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Global Standards ◽  
The Us ◽  
Education In India ◽  
Recruitment And Selection

This study investigates human resource management (HRM) practices in higher education institutions (HEIs) based on a comparative analysis of India and the US. Although higher education in India has grown over the decades, its quality, in general, has not kept up with global standards. On the other hand, many US universities have performed consistently well in international university rankings. Based on qualitative research collected from principal stakeholders of HEIs in India and the US, HRM practices and policies followed by them are presented and discussed. Data collection for the research study was through web interviews during the period August–October 2020. The study reveals that Indian public HEIs do not have professional HRM teams. Also, they are in a formative stage in autonomous and private institutions. On the other hand, many HEIs in the US have developed mature HRM systems. This difference resonates in attributes such as structure of HRM, recruitment and selection processes, training and development programmes, performance management, career progression and talent retention.

Does Managerial Use of Performance Information Matter to Organizational Outcomes?

2021 ◽  
pp. 027507402110488
Author(s):  
Xu Han ◽  
Donald Moynihan
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
School Performance ◽  
Public Management ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
High Stake ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Objective Indicators

Public management scholars have made impressive strides in explaining managerial usage of performance information (PI). Does such PI use matter to performance? If so, what types of use make a difference? To answer these questions, we connect managerial self-reported behavior with objective organizational outcomes in Texas schools. We control for lagged comparative school performance and employ inverse probability weighting to mitigate endogeneity concerns. The results show that managerial use of PI is associated with objective indicators of performance, and that the type of use matters. In particular, school principals’ use of PI for strategic planning is positively associated with better high-stake test scores. The findings suggest that maturity of performance management system can shape the relationship between managerial PI use and organizational performance, thereby contributing to a contingency-based understanding of the relationship between performance management and organizational performance.

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