Emerging Indicators and Bureaucracy: From the Iron Cage to the Metric Cage

Bernard, Benoît

doi:10.1080/10967490802494982

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Another study by Bernard (2008) of a local forestry management unit illustrates how a negotiated process of developing a performance indicator of game (deer) density in a specific forest resulted in a measure that had greater acceptance and commitment by multi-stakeholders in forest management. Bernard (2008) describes how this shared metric was developed through a collaborative and negotiated process between forest rangers, hunters, local government officials and the mayor who previously had played a central role. What resulted was an emergent indicator that was well accepted by all parties and effectively implemented.…”

Section: Stakeholder Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this is a broad cultural issue in government where central agencies continue to play an important role in making directives and imposing policy mechanisms of control. It continues to be the management model of choice despite the appeals of the new public management to decentralize organizational control (Bernard, 2008). These are macro organizational constraints that may be difficult to break and may take some time to change.…”

Section: Implementation Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Making performance measurement systems more effective in public sector organizations

Goh

2012

Measuring Business Excellence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose -Performance management in public sector organizations is a growing phenomenon worldwide. Increasingly, questions are being raised as to its effectiveness in achieving the objective of improving the performance of public sector organizations. Research has shown that there seems to be questionable benefits and many barriers, challenges and problems with implementing performance management and measurement in the public sector environment. The purpose of this paper is to argue that this is due to the lack of focus on the process of managing the implementation of performance measurement. The author aims to review the relevant extant literature to support these assertions and to provide a conceptual framework that integrates these ideas.Design/methodology/approach -This paper reviews the extant literature on public sector performance management and measurement and develops a conceptual framework to explain how public sector performance measurement systems can be made more effective in light of the research evidence.Findings -This paper suggests that three important factors need to be considered in the effective implementation of a performance measurement system in the public sector. They are managerial discretion, a learning and evaluative organizational culture and stakeholder involvement. These three factors are discussed and its impact on performance measurement is explored.Research limitations/implications -A proposed integrative framework is presented that supports the assertion of the importance of these three factors in influencing how performance measurement can lead to improved performance in public sector organizations. Some potential environmental and institutional constraints are also discussed in implementing some of the suggestions proposed. Practical implications -The paper provides a model that explains three important facors that need to be considered in implementing an effective performance measurement system in public sector organizations and suggestions for how it can be implemented effectively.Originality/value -The paper integrates and synthesizes the literature on public sector performance measurement into a comprehensive conceptual framework that explains more explicitly the factors that can influence the effectiveness of a performance measurement system in the public sector.

show abstract

Section: Stakeholder Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implementation Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making performance measurement systems more effective in public sector organizations

Goh

2012

Measuring Business Excellence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Such an enabling PMS gives employees guidance in making decisions in line with the strategy of the organization and preserves their autonomy at the same time, which is important for professional service employees (Von Nordenflycht, 2010). A dedicated enabling PMS can be built by involving employees in the development and implementation process (Bernard, 2008;Groen et al, 2012;Wouters and Wilderom, 2008). In the same vein, Blili and Raymond (1998) recommend involving users when implementing information systems in small firms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet such a form of hierarchical control may not be compatible with small PSFs since small PSFs often have flat, dynamic structures with little hierarchy, and employees work in an environment in which they have a lot of autonomy. The use of a PMS within a PSF often causes unproductive side effects such as diminished autonomy, flexibility and employee professionalism (Bernard, 2008;Kärreman et al, 2002). We build on the ideas of enabling formalization (Adler & Borys, 1996;Ahrens & Chapman, 2004) and argue a PMS purposively developed for a small PSF should be enabling, facilitating employees rather than just their managers (Groen et al, 2012;Robson, 2005;Wouters and Wilderom, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enabling performance measurement in a small professional service firm

Groen

Belt

Wilderom

2012

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Enabling performance measurement in a small professional service firm Groen, B.A.C.; van de Belt, M.; Wilderom, C.P.M. Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. Design/methodology/approach We used a process-consultation type of action research design. We developed an enabling PMS in close cooperation with the employees of a small PSF. The effects of this intervention were assessed by means of document analysis, participant observation, and individual/group interviews.Findings The enabling PMS development process helped the firm deal with three challenges common to small PSFs: (1) it increased employees' understanding about how to apply the firm's strategy, (2) it led to greater knowledge exchange among employees, and (3) it enabled them to create new knowledge. Research implications/limitations This study's results suggest the type of intervention usedfor developing an enabling PMS-that has already been shown to be effective in large firms-may also be useful for small PSFs. Similarities and differences with the intervention in large firms are discussed.Practical implications Small PSFs may benefit from the approach described herein: to develop a PMS in a participatory manner. It is especially useful if interested in better alignment of Operations with Strategy and/or to better explicate tacit and create new firmrelevant knowledge.Originality/value This is the first study about developing an enabling PMS in a small PSF.

show abstract

“…When rules are written with multiple contingencies, they may provide clear courses of action, reducing the interpretive work for the SLB (Crozier, 1964) but the “inherent autonomy” entailed in applying abstract rules to context is never completely eliminated (Portillo & Rudes, 2014). Second, autonomy is also enacted through protocols administered by the management: accountability may be practiced through top‐down organizational controls and performance metrics (Brodkin, 2008), inter‐organizational competition (Golan‐Nadir, 2021), and/or through ground‐level social relations with local public and private actors (Bernard, 2008; Maynard‐Moody & Musheno, 2000). Third, the resources provided by the bureaucratic organization, including financial means, training, expertise, and time can determine the extent to which an official is emboldened to take nontraditional actions.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between hierarchies and markets: How street‐level bureaucratic autonomy leads to policy innovations

Barral

Ghosh

2023

European Policy Analysis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although street‐level bureaucrats (SLBs) play a key role in the implementation of market‐based instruments (MBIs), their participation is widely understudied. This paper addresses this blind spot by engaging the concept of street‐level bureaucratic policy entrepreneurship. Using the case of conservation banking, a market‐based environmental policy in the United States, we explore why this novel instrument has only been adopted in a handful of jurisdictions. We examine both non‐adoption and adoption of conservation banking to find that SLBs are likely to engage in such entrepreneurial acts when a new policy form is particularly useful in legitimizing regulatory enforcement. Implementing a MBI is, however, not straightforward. Organizational conditions can restrain SLB autonomy to implement MBIs, preferring instead to persist with baseline policies, which further underscores the importance of SLB risk‐taking behavior. SLBs must strategically straddle their unique position between the market and the hierarchy to enroll different actors into the new policy arrangement, all within dynamic political–economic conditions.

show abstract

Emerging Indicators and Bureaucracy: From the Iron Cage to the Metric Cage

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Making performance measurement systems more effective in public sector organizations

Making performance measurement systems more effective in public sector organizations

Enabling performance measurement in a small professional service firm

Between hierarchies and markets: How street‐level bureaucratic autonomy leads to policy innovations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About