Characterization and definition of public performance: an application to local government authorities
Abstract
A review of the literature on performance management models in public organizations shows that authors’ visions of public performance are incomplete and do not adequately take into account important developments in the discipline. Having conducted a survey of French local government, we put forward a characterization and a definition of public performance. Our study model of public performance is validated in the French local-government context. Its confirmation substantiates our characterization and definition of public performance, enriching the prior literature by going beyond a partial vision of organizational performance to integrate the politico-environmental specificities of the public sector via the “public service” and “territorial” dimensions.
... The performance of the local government is assessed based on the input, output, and outcome of the services it provides to the community, where the input is related to the means mobilized by the local government, the output is characterized by adaptation to the quantity and quality of services provided by the local government to the community and the outcome is characterized primarily by efforts to achieve public interests, social justice, and regulation of economic activities (Maurel et al., 2014). Local government performance (LGP) measurement has various qualities, such as transparency and accountability, efficiency, effectivity, and program success (Bernstein, 2001). ...
This review aims to present a systematic review of empirical research on transformational leadership (TL) and local government performance (LGP) to synthesize the fragmented knowledge and propose a unifying framework for future research. This research adopts a systematic literature review methodology. A total of 22 articles were reviewed after being filtered from 59 articles found through an exhaustive search of online databases: Scopus, Emerald Insight, Science Direct, JSTOR, Taylor and Francis, and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed empirical studies published in English from 2012 to 2024. Exclusion criteria were articles that did not provide empirical results on the relationship between TL and LGP and were published older than 2012. A matrix table was developed to extract and organize information from the articles. The findings revealed three main vital themes. First, general organizational performance is the background most studied in the TL-LGP. Second, almost all studies use quantitative methods to analyze the data collected. Third, in general, the empirical results reported the influence of TL on LGP. A lot of background context still needs to be studied, and qualitative and mixed-method methods will be challenging for future research.
Um dos objetivos estratégicos do Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS) é atender bem aos cidadãos e melhorar a sua produtividade, reduzindo a extensa fila de requerimentos que aguardam análise e conclusão. Para isso, foi proposto o desenvolvimento e aplicação de uma métrica para mensurar a produtividade e a eficiência da prestação dos seus serviços e auxiliar no processo de gestão e tomada de decisões. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa e quantitativa, exploratória, descritiva e aplicada, utilizando métodos como observação participante, revisão bibliográfica e análise documental. A coleta de dados foi realizada ao longo do período de julho de 2022 a junho de 2023. Para aplicar a métrica proposta foram selecionados os seguintes indicadores de desempenho: Tempo Médio de Concessão (TMC), o Tempo de Espera de Atendimento Agendado (TMEA), o percentual de processos reabertos (SUPERTEC), e as manifestações respondidas no prazo legal (Ouvidoria). Ao longo do período analisado evidenciou-se aumento na pontuação total da produtividade do INSS tanto em nível nacional, quanto estadual, apresentando tendências crescentes, demonstrando o esforço no cumprimento de estratégias destinadas à melhoria no atendimento. As principais vantagens da aplicação da métrica proposta são: possibilitar o monitoramento da fila de requerimentos dos beneficiados da INSS de forma proativa; servir de instrumento gerencial para a medição, avaliação, análise e comparação do desempenho dos serviços prestados pelo INSS ao longo do tempo; e dar suporte e sustentabilidade à tomada de decisão sobre a aplicação de medidas preventivas e corretivas visando a melhoria do atendimento dos beneficiários da instituição estudada
Les pratiques d’évaluations de politiques publiques se développent sur les plans règlementaires et volontaires à l’échelle locale (Boutaud 2015). Cependant, les effets en termes d’apprentissages pour les structures concernées ne sont pas bien maîtrisés. En distinguant des apprentissages cognitifs, culturels et structurels, nous nous interrogeons ainsi sur les modalités des évaluations (au travers de facteurs intrinsèques et contextuels) qui favorisent les apprentissages dans les collectivités. Pour répondre à cette problématique, un questionnaire a été adressé aux collectivités françaises. Les régressions linéaires réalisées sur la base de 300 réponses mettent alors en évidence des caractéristiques influençant les trois types d’apprentissages identifiés. Ces résultats permettent au final de formuler des recommandations managériales pour favoriser ces apprentissages organisationnels.
La récurrence des faillites des Institutions de Microfinance (IMF) en Afrique relève d’un grand intérêt du débat des préoccupations du contrôle de gestion sur la pérennité. Cet article examine le rôle du contrôle de gestion sur la pérennité en dépassant la simple optique de la performance financière. Sur un échantillon de 156 IMF, l’enquête quantitative s’est appuyée sur trois pays : Cameroun, Congo et Tchad et, la méthode de régression linéaire a permis d’analyser les données. Les résultats de l’étude révèlent que le contrôle via les tableaux de bord explique les différences de pérennité des IMF du Cameroun, du Congo et du Tchad.
La théorie de la contingence ne reconnait pas les individus et leurs interrelations comme ayant une influence potentielle sur les mécanismes du contrôle de gestion. Notre thèse se saisit de ce knowledge gap pour développer un modèle conceptuel qui puisse déterminer l’influence de ce micro-environnement de contrôle inexploré sur les pratiques de contrôle formel et/ou informel, ainsi que sur leurs interdépendances. Cinq dimensions de proximité (Boschma, 2005) et quatre leviers de contrôle (Simons, 1995) structurent ce modèle conceptuel. Sur la base des données d’enquête d’un échantillon de 730 personnels d’une université française, nous avons validé nos instruments de mesure et ajusté la qualité d’un modèle d’équations structurelles. Nos résultats mettent en évidence (1) les effets directs des proximités sur les pratiques de contrôle de gestion, (2) les effets médiateurs et (3) modérateurs des proximités sur ces effets directs, et (4) les effets modérateurs des proximités sur l’interdépendance des pratiques de contrôle de gestion. En outre, (5) les proximités révèlent des pratiques de contrôle davantage informel, agrandissant le périmètre d’analyse du contrôle. Nous démontrons que l’introduction du micro-environnement de contrôle dans l’analyse du contrôle de gestion (A) apporte des éclairages sur son fonctionnement systémique et (B) permet d’approfondir notre connaissance des pratiques de contrôle formel et informel contenues dans un package de contrôle.
Türkçe:
Dünyanın her bölgesinde kamu yönetimlerinin verimliliğinin, etkinliğinin ve hesapverebilirliğinin arttırılması ortak bir ideal olarak görülmektedir. Bunu sağlayabilmek için geçen yüzyılın ikinci yarısında ve özellikle Yeni Kamu Yönetimi anlayışının gelişimiyle birlikte kamu yönetimlerinde performans ölçüm ve yönetim sistemlerinin kullanımı söz konusu olmuştur. Çalışmada, kamu yönetiminde performans sistemlerine, temel kavramlara, işleyiş mekanizmasına ve bunların gelişimine ilişkin bilgi verildikten sonra, farklı coğrafyalardaki ülkelerde, kamu yönetiminde performans yönetimi ve ölçümü uygulamalarının gelişimi ve işleyişi örneklendirilmekte ve karşılaştırılmaktadır. Karşılaştırma sonuçları, tespit edilen ayrımlara göre sınıflandırılmakta ve özellikleri belirtilmektedir. Kamu performans yönetim ve ölçüm sistemlerine ilişkin tespitler ve değerlendirmeler yapılmaktadır.
English:
Increasing the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of public administrations is seen as a common ideal in every region of the world. In order to achieve this, performance measurement and management systems have started to be used in public administrations in the second half of the last century and especially with the development of the New Public Management approach. In the study, after giving information about performance systems, basic concepts, working mechanism and their development in public administrations, the relationship between performance measurement and management processes and ethics is examined. The development and functioning of performance management and measurement practices in public administrations of the countries in different geographies are exemplified and compared. Comparison results are classified and their properties are stated according to the identified distinctions. Determinations and evaluations are made regarding public performance management, measurement systems and their implementation.
L’adoption de la loi organique relative à la loi des finances (LOLF) par l’État marocain s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un vaste chantier de modernisation des services publics et de consécration d’une démarche de gestion axée sur la performance, notamment dans un contexte marqué par la contestation de la légitimité de l’action publique et le resserrement des finances publiques. La question de performance, objet de la plupart des réformes publiques partout dans le monde, se pose avec acuité sous l’impulsion des principes de la nouvelle gestion publique (NMP). Si au niveau central les administrations publiques se sont dotées déjà d’un référentiel commun de gestion de la performance, au niveau local, aucun dispositif généralisé n’est encore mis en place pour uniformiser au sein des collectivités territoriales une démarche de gestion axée sur la performance. L’objectif de cet article est de présenter les fondements et spécificités de la démarche de performance de type LOLF et de montrer, à travers une étude de cas au sein d’une commune urbaine marocaine, le degré d’influence de cette démarche sur les pratiques de gestion au sein de cette organisation en termes d’outils, de modalités et de méthodologie de mise en œuvre.
Most studies on public-sector performance management
(PM) have been undertaken in English-speaking
and Nordic countries. More specifically, research
on PM in local government has focused on
competencies for which performance measures are
easier to develop, while little attention has been given
to PM in local economic development (LED).
The few studies that have focused on PM in French local government have not considered the context of
the metropolis. Therefore, this study aims to reduce
the gap in PM implementation between France and
English-speaking and Nordic countries through exploratory
research based on a qualitative study in a large
French metropolis. We aim to examine the process of
designing and implementing a LED performance management
system (PMS) and to understand the different
types of use of this system. Our review of the literature
on PMS has enabled us to develop an analytical
framework based on previous models.
The results show that, first, Performance Measure practices
and occasional evaluation represent two complementary
approaches to the PM of economic activity. Second,
PM is used for internal purposes, monitoring, and
analyzing results, learning, strategic decision-making,
managing contracts and partnerships, overall management
during unified management dialogues, and reporting
to politicians.
Le développement de l'information de gestion dans les organisations publiques suppose une clarification des finalités poursuivies. Il gagnerait également à tirer les leçons du succès des « balanced scorecards » comme à un examen des problèmes de transposition des principes de celles-ci aux organisations publiques. C'est le cas en particulier pour l'aspect descendant de la démarche qui, pour l'Etat comme pour les collectivités territoriales, apparaît moins efficace que l'utilisation d'une démarche essentiellement ascendante. En tout état de cause, les démarches d'élaboration et de mise en œuvre de tableaux de bord et d'éléments de reporting demandent que soit dépassée une vision ponctuelle et instrumentale du changement entrepris.
This is an article about performance in government. It considers how performance, in a variety of senses, has become a dominant theme in probably the majority of OECD countries (although not all). It asks some fundamental questions about what is 'performance' in, and of, government by reflecting on what governments do in terms of the policy instruments available to them. It looks briefly at how developments in the use and understanding of 'performance' concepts (and related issues of quality) have been changing in the private sector - especially the emergence of new holistic models of performance or 'balanced scorecards'. It discusses how far these are relevant to public services performance, concluding that while there is much to learn there are also key areas of difference between 'performance' in the private and public sectors. Drawing on the evident strengths of the more holistic models developed in the private sector, it outlines a similar approach - a balanced framework - for public services, but one which takes account of the constraints and purposes of public service - the Public Service Excellence Model.
Leading scholars in the field of governance examine the effectiveness of the different non-institutional strategies at the disposal of modern governments in tackling issues of urban decline, public administrations, governmental regionalization, budget deficits and global economics. The governance approach to political science yields a new perspective on the role of the state, domestically as well as in the international arena. Globalization, internationalization, and the growing influence of networks in domestic politics means that the notions of state strength and the role of the state in society must be re-examined.
In recent years, concerns over the effectiveness of public administration have encouraged the widespread measurement and management of 'performance'. But is performance management an appropriate model for public sector organizations, and has it proved successful? Moreover, how do the principles of performance management affect how public bodies operate, and the way they relate to the wider community?. In this important text, the viability of performance management in public sector organizations is systematically assessed across a number of international case studies. The book provides a framework through which models of performance management can be understood in terms of both their impact within a public sector organization, and the effects that have been seen in countries with contrasting administrational contexts. Managing Performance - International Comparisons critically examines the effects of performance management models in the public sector, and assesses their future evolution. It is an important book for all students and researchers with an interest in management, public administration and public policy.
La perspective d'une transposition unilatérale vers les collectivités de la Loi Organique pour les Lois de Finances est parfois évoquée, mais elle est dans l'ensemble repoussée par les dirigeants locaux; une solution décentralisée de rationalisation de la gestion locale, est-elle imaginable?
Aujourd'hui, deux approches semblent disponibles pour tenter de répondre à cette question :
- l'approche de la performance par les parties prenantes,
- et l'approche de la démocratie par la délibération.
Peuvent-elles constituer des pistes prometteuses pour engager une nouvelle dynamique de la gestion publique ?
This paper takes another look at the much-canvassed idea of a 'new global paradigm' emerging in contemporary public management. It argues that, linguistic usage apart, the 'globality' and monoparadigmatic character of contemporary public management change seems to be exaggerated. Three interrelated objections are advanced against the claim of an emerging new global paradigm. First, it is argued that contemporary reform ideas, particularly those advanced by Osborne and Gaebler, are culturally plural rather than homogenous. Second, it is argued that there are substantial biases towards exaggerating international similarity in public management reforms, but that the similarity weakens when we go beyond semantic packaging to examine the specific content of reform initiatives. Third, it is claimed that there are also built- in biases for overstressing the continuity of contemporary public management reforms, but that in fact there are major obstacles to the emergence of a stable new paradigm in public management. One is the underlying mutual repulsion of the multiple reform paradigms today, and the other is the frequency of self disequilibrating processes in public management reform associated with the production of unintended side-effects and reverse effects.
DELIVERING EXCELLENCE IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE - ABSTRACT
REVIEWS
“This book provides clear guidance on quality, excellence and performance measurement in health and social care and contains a large number of case studies in health, social care and the voluntary sector.” - Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
"...the author's wealth of knowledge of the public sector is drawn upon to provide an array of interesting and apposite case studies which illustrate his main themes. As a consequence the book will be useful, not only to those who want an academic perspective, but to anyone concerned with improving the service that they provide". - David Fillingham, Director of NHS Modernisation Agency
"...this is going to be a very useful book. It provides an authoritative overview of approaches to quality management contextualised to health and social care." - Joe Walsh, Assistant Director of Social Services at the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
SYNOPSIS
Many organizations in health and social care are striving to implement the ideas of organizational excellence, performance measurement and process improvement, in the context of a large number of government initiatives including the NHS Plan, Best Value, Clinical Governance and Quality Protects. This book provides a clear explanation of the whole area and includes a wide variety of case studies and examples within health and social care, including the Voluntary Sector.
The book gives extensive guidance on the use of the Excellence Model, but it does much more than just describe how to use the Model. It provides practical guidance on how to deliver services focussed on patients and service users, on how organizations can lead, motivate and involve their staff, on partnerships and user involvement, and the vital area of process improvement. There is also a major section on performance measurement.
Written by a principal lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, who is also a Director of South Yorkshire Excellence, a member of the European Foundation for Quality Management Health Interest Group, and a member of Trent Regional Health Authority's Modernisation Board, Delivering Excellence in Health and Social Care will be of considerable value to managers at all levels in health and social care.
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to explore the issues involved in developing and applying performance management approaches within a large UK public sector department using a multiple stakeholder perspective and an accompanying theoretical framework.
Design/methodology/approach
An initial short questionnaire was used to determine perceptions about the implementation and effectiveness of the new performance management system across the organisation. In total, 700 questionnaires were distributed. Running concurrently with an ethnographic approach, and informed by the questionnaire responses, was a series of semi‐structured interviews and focus groups.
Findings
Staff at all levels had an understanding of the new system and perceived it as being beneficial. However, there were concerns that the approach was not continuously managed throughout the year and was in danger of becoming an annual event, rather than an ongoing process. Furthermore, the change process seemed to have advanced without corresponding changes to appraisal and reward and recognition systems. Thus, the business objectives were not aligned with motivating factors within the organisation.
Research limitations/implications
Additional research to test the validity and usefulness of the theoretical model, as discussed in this paper, would be beneficial.
Practical implications
The strategic integration of the stakeholder performance measures and scorecards was found to be essential to producing an overall stakeholder‐driven strategy within the case study organisation.
Originality/value
This paper discusses in detail the approach adopted and the progress made by one large UK public sector organisation, as it attempts to develop better relationships with all of its stakeholders and hence improve its performance. This paper provides a concerted attempt to link theory with practice.