Performance Measurement

Theoretical Perspectives. The Regional Hub participating

countries’ experience.

26 of July, 2015 Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyz Republic

Nature of performance

The act of measuring performance nor the resulting data accomplishes anything

itself; only when someone uses these measures in some way do they accomplish

something (Robert D. Behn 2003);

What should public agencies measure?

• program effectiveness (Joseph Wholey and Kathryn Newcomer, 1997);

• budget formulation, resource allocation, employee motivation, improving

government services and improving communications between citizens and

government" (Wholey and the Urban Institute's Harry Hatry, 1992);

• performance measures are "needed for setting goals and objectives, planning

program activities to accomplish these goals, allocating resources to these

programs, monitoring and evaluating the results " (Hatry et al. 1990).

• "to improve public accountability and policy decision making" (Wholey and Kathryn

Newcomer, 1997).

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Nature of performance

Eight Managerial Purposes for Measuring Performance (Behn)

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Purpose of Measurement Standard

2 evaluate desired result

3 control behavioural or input standard

4 budget good, acceptable, or poor level of efficiency

5 motivate reasonable and significant targets

6 promote what the public cares about

7 celebrate achievements

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learnimprove

unexpected (and significant) developmentshow their actions affect the behaviour of the people

Nature of performance

- Organizational researchers live in two worlds (March and Sutton 1997):

1) The first demands and rewards speculations about how to improve

performance.

2) The second demands and rewards adherence to rigorous standards of

scholarship.

In its efforts to satisfy these often conflicting demands, the organizational

research community sometimes responds by saying that inferences about

the causes of performance cannot be made from the data available, and

simultaneously goes ahead to make such inferences.

- Auditing of performance may have dysfunctional side-effects and there is a

need for a greater empirical understanding of the consequences of audit

(Power 1997).

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Nature of performance

THREE CLASSIC TYPES OF TARGET GAMING (HOOD 2006)

1. ratchet effect (restriction of performance to well below their production-possibility frontier).

2. threshold effect (uniform output target applying to all units in a system may indeed encourage top performers to reduce the quality or quantity of their performance to just what the target requires).

3. output distortion or the manipulation of reported results .

Antidotes to target gaming:4. increasing reliance in some areas on third-party collection of data in the form of

user satisfaction surveys (rather than data directly collected by the organizations subject to the targets)

5. the development of information system architecture that limited creative responses to data entry

6. to escape the ratchet effect by essentially declaring victory at a particular point of performance and turning targets linked to the allocation of funds from the Treasury into permanent threshold standards policed by quality overseers.

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• The joint research of the Hub on civil servants’ performance appraisal in the participating countries (2014) covered Georgia; Azerbaijan; Russia; Belarus; Armenia; Kyrgyz Republic; Kazakhstan.

• Purpose: to analyse the legislation on civil servants’ performance appraisal in the context of corruption prevention and to provide recommendations for further development.

• Types of civil servants’ performance appraisal in the covered countries: 1) Attestation of civil servants; 2) Performance appraisal of civil servants using 360 or 180 degrees performance review process.

Regional Hub participating countries’

experience.

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Attestation of civil servants (Georgia; Russia; Belarus; Armenia)

• The frequency of assessment: one time every 3 years

• The purpose of appraisal: determination of compliance with the professional knowledge and skills required in a position occupied.

• Methods of appraisal: testing and interviews.

• The decisions of the appraisal: 1) qualified for a position, recommended for a promotion;  2) qualified for a position; 3) not fully qualified for a position, training is recommended; 4) not qualified for a position (dismissal, demotion or re-attestation).

Regional Hub participating countries’

experience.

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Disadvantages of attestation

• Formalized approach.

• Weak linkages with training.

• The frequency of assessment.

• Inability to effectively motivate.

• Conflict of interest (a tool for “getting rid of” unwanted employees).

• The weak impact on anti-corruption and ethical behaviour of civil servants

Regional Hub participating countries

experience.

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Performance appraisal of civil servants using 360 or 180 degrees  review process

• The frequency of assessment: annual.

• The purpose of appraisal: 1) assessment of the quality of performance of official duties; 2) identification of the strengths and weaknesses of professional and personal competencies; 3) identification of training needs; 4) stimulation and motivation; 5) improvement of the efficiency of public bodies.

• Methods of appraisal: 360 or 180 degrees performance review process.

• The decisions of the evaluation: 1) training;  2) incentives; 3) promotion, demotion or rotation.

Regional Hub participating countries’

experience.

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Disadvantages of Appraisal (360 or 180)

• The lack of clear mechanisms to incentivize the officer (reward and remuneration).

• The weak link to the Career Plan of the civil servant (promotion, demotion or rotation).

• Lack of relationship with the training of civil servants.

• The complexity of the assessment process (working time, collection and processing of large amounts of documentation).

• The absence of relationship between the goals of public organization and evaluation criteria for managers of civil service.

Regional Hub participating countries

experience.

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Recommendations• Establish at the legislative level measurable criteria for assessing the

professional and personal competences of civil servants.• Introduce modern IT in the assessment process.• Develop or amend the regulations, linking appraisal results with the

decision on the methods of motivation.• Introduce Career plans for civil servants with reference to the results of the

appraisal.• Introduce ethical and anti-corruption behaviour standards as one of the

criteria of civil servants’ performance• Introduce performance results agreements based on achieved goals of a

public organization for the management level.

Regional Hub participating countries’

experience.

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Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana

UNDP Kazakhstan14 Bokeikhan StreetAstana, Kazakhstan

Tel.: +77172 790 331, 790 335www.regionalhub.org