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That is the question. From early on in the paper: > we define “best” management practices as those that continuously collect and analyze performance informati

by n4r9 6y ago

That is the question. From early on in the paper: > we define “best” management practices as those that continuously collect and analyze performance information, that set challenging and interlinked short- and long-run targets, and that reward high performers and retrain/ fire low performers It appears that the purpose of the paper is to apply a set of normative judgements in order to validate at a shallow level the types of preconceptions that GP was questioning. It's not a surprise that government organisations aren't operating in a cut throat manner.

Spooky23 6y ago
Exactly. MBA students are going to be looking for specific indicators and terminology (OKRs, KPI dashboards, etc) and things like comp plans. That's not because they are stupid or evil, it's just their world. They aren't trained to understand performance management in an environment where collective bargaining gives employees due process rights, for example. Conversely, public sector leaders are going to struggle with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance or financial decisions that incorporate tax optimization. Your state/local government isn't going to provide meaningful incentive compensation, for the simple reason that it doesn't work in most cases and taxpayers won't tolerate paying rewards to people for doing their job. You also need to evaluate the effectiveness of governance differently, because management within an organization is not empowered in the same way. If Congress or a state legislature decrees that you must do X in Y way, you need to do Y, even if it doesn't make sense or is inefficient. Usually in a corporation business management is expected to own their P&L on a broader scope and optimize. Public sector managers can only optimize in the (more limited) scope they control, and only with the consent of the elected/appointed official or board.

by n4r9 6y ago

Spooky23 6y ago

Exactly. MBA students are going to be looking for specific indicators and terminology (OKRs, KPI dashboards, etc) and things like comp plans. That's not because they are stupid or evil, it's just their world. They aren't trained to understand performance management in an environment where collective bargaining gives employees due process rights, for example. Conversely, public sector leaders are going to struggle with Sarbanes-Oxley compliance or financial decisions that incorporate tax optimization. Your state/local government isn't going to provide meaningful incentive compensation, for the simple reason that it doesn't work in most cases and taxpayers won't tolerate paying rewards to people for doing their job. You also need to evaluate the effectiveness of governance differently, because management within an organization is not empowered in the same way. If Congress or a state legislature decrees that you must do X in Y way, you need to do Y, even if it doesn't make sense or is inefficient. Usually in a corporation business management is expected to own their P&L on a broader scope and optimize. Public sector managers can only optimize in the (more limited) scope they control, and only with the consent of the elected/appointed official or board.