The Professional Researcher as Change Agent in the Government-Performance Movement

Although academic and professional publications give the impression that performance measurement is a growing government practice, in actuality the use of this technology is not as deep or as widespread as it may appear. Even when performance measures are used, governments rarely integrate them into...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public administration review 2002-11, Vol.62 (6), p.699-711
Main Authors: Coplin, William D., Merget, Astrid E., Bourdeaux, Carolyn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Benchmarking
Change Agents
Cities
Communities
Community Relations
Counties
Educational research
Evaluation Research
Government
Government (Administrative Body)
Government agencies
Government officials
Government performance
Human resources
Job Performance
Local government
Management decisions
Measurement
Municipalities
Nonprofit organizations
Organizational Effectiveness
Outcome Measures
Performance evaluation
Performance management
Performance Measurement
Performance metrics
Personnel Evaluation
Personnel management
Polls & surveys
Population Distribution
Public Administration
Public Agencies
Public officials
Public sector
Research centers
Researchers
Resource Allocation
Strategic management
Strategic planning
Theory
U.S.A
Work incentives
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Summary:Although academic and professional publications give the impression that performance measurement is a growing government practice, in actuality the use of this technology is not as deep or as widespread as it may appear. Even when performance measures are used, governments rarely integrate them into planning, budget, personnel, and other management processes. Most professional researchers located primarily in academic institutions, but also in research and government organizations, approach performance measurement as though governmental officials, elected or otherwise, are already sold on its usefulness. Instead, they need to function as "change agents," using a variety of strategies to gain acceptance and understanding of the strengths and limitations of performance measurement. This article draws on the authors' experiences with the Community Benchmarks Program of the Maxwell School in Onondaga County and a review of the current literature. It suggests guidelines for professional researchers who want to increase the use of performance measures by governments at all levels.
ISSN:0033-3352
1540-6210
DOI:10.1111/1540-6210.00252