Theories of Performance

1
Theories of Performance

• Colin Talbot

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ESRC Programme and Fellowship
3
Performance

• Performance, in its broadest sense, is the
  ultimate dependent variable in all organisational
  studies and in (most) politic science.
• So thinking about performance in the public
  sector is like throwing a very big rock into an
  extremely large pool

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The Book

• 1. Introduction
• SECTION I PERFORMANCE AND THEORY
• 2. Problematics of Performance
• 3. Theories and Performance
• SECTION II GOVERNMENT AND PERFORMANCE
• 4. Performance Regimes Institutions
• 5. Performance Regimes Interventions
• 6. Performance and Public Value(s)

• SECTION III PERFORMANCE OF ORGANISATIONS
• 7. Organisations
• 8. Public Organisations
• 9. Managerial and Organisational Responses
• SECTION IV CONCLUSIONS
• 10. Public Performance Multiple Models in a
  Single Framework?

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Positivism, Constructionism or Realism?

• brute facts plus social construction

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Shaping Performance?
7
Shaping Performance
8
Shaping Performance
Ch. 4 5
Ch 7 8
Ch 2, 9 10
Ch 6
Ch 1 3
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Performance Regimes
10
Public performance as a system

• Which institutions can try to steer
  performance?
• How do they do so?
• What is, and what drives organisational
  performance (including interventions)

Institutions
Interventions
Organisations
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Performance institutions

• Performance policies are more shaped by, than
  shaping, institutions
• Although they can also change institutional
  settings (e.g. changing role of Audit Commission)
• Comparing institutional arrangements across time
  and space is useful (but not done much)

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Regime Institutions
Core Executive
Legislature
Line Dept.
Judiciary
Auditors Inspectors
Partners
Professions
Citizen-users
Agency
13
Regime Interventions
Managerial-Contractual Performance
reporting Performance targets Performance
budgets Quasi-contracts
Capability Reviews Leadership Strategy and
planning Resources, people, process
mgmt (Re)organization
Systemic Competition Market-type
mechanisms League tables Benchmarking Outsourcing

Systemic Choice and Voice Rights and
entitlements User choice
14
Performance Models
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Organisational Performance studies
Performance Management
Balanced Scorecard
Quality, Culture Values Management
In Search of Excellence
Built to Last
Good to Great
Organisational Effectiveness
Competing Values Theory
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Developments Links
Baldrige
Balanced Scorecard
EFQM
7 S
CAE
CAF
EPSA
Speyer Awards
MAF
PSEM
Public Value
PV Scorecard
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(Some) big recurring themes

• Generic

• Public Sector

• Defining performance as a construct? Is it
  possible?
• One model, many models or no models?
• Is capacity or capability part of the
  performance construct or something separate?
• The Halo effect and the nature of evidence
  and causality

• Performance as efficiency or effectiveness or
  accountability?
• Who is responsible for performance?
• Levels and units of analysis problems?
• Behavioural problems
• Data reliability and validity

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Public Organization Performance Model
Values Aim Legitimacy Governance
Strategy Leadership Structures Partnerships
Resources People Process Customer Service
Service Outputs Social Impact
Innovation Risk Management
Talbot 2009
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Public Values
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Public Values Relational Models
COMMUNAL SHARING Common Good Public
Interest Social Cohesion Altruism Local
governance Citizen involvement
Equality Matching Human dignity Sustainability Fut
ure Majority rule Democracy Individual rights?
Authority Ranking Regime dignity Regime
stability Political loyalty Accountability Respons
ibility
Market Pricing User democracy? Individual rights?
Public Values from Bozeman
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Competing Public Values
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Putting It All Together
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COMPETING PUBLIC VALUES OF AUTHORITY SOLIDARITY
AUTONOMY EQUALITY
Core Executive
Legislature
Line Dept.
Judiciary
PERFORMANCE REGIME
Auditors Inspectors
Partners
Professions
Citizen-users
PERFORMANCE MODEL