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Measuring Up 2.0
By Jonathan Walters
Governing Books
2007, 94 pages, $24.95
As Jonathan Waiters notes in Measuring Up 2.0, the most powerful and pervasive enemy of performance measurement is fear. While many jurisdictions credit their performance management systems with impressive gains in service quality and efficiency, increased transparency, and, ultimately, better government, some individuals remain skeptical. That is to be expected--adopting performance measurement represents significant change, and when change occurs, it is almost guaranteed to face resistance from some quarters.
This book is not a how-to guide, but it provides an excellent resource for combating opposition to change. In one chapter, Waiters discusses and then challenges seven common reasons people give for why performance measurement will not work. And overall, Measuring Up provides a lively and powerful resource that demonstrates how performance measurement is quickly becoming standard practice among well-run governments.
Jurisdictions have designed many varieties of performance measurement systems, and this book cites plenty of examples. Not everyone agrees on specific performance measurement tools--the chapter on reporting provides a good example of this--but Waiters provides some common principles. Chapters focus on system components such as "stats" and benchmarking with other organizations, and also key issues such as performance-based contract ing, the role of elected officials, "punishment-based" performance measurement, and the difficulty of measuring certain services.
Some common themes emerge throughout Measuring Up. The most important of these are:
1) Performance measurement is just the initial step. It will not improve anything by itself, but is a tool that can produce important benefits.
2) Governments, agencies, and departments must define their missions and begin focusing on results--and on the right results. Doing so allows governments to not just work toward a vague goal of increased efficiency, but to be more efficient at doing the right things.
3) Effective measurement that results in positive changes has to be integrated into all areas of the organization--planning, justifying budget requests, evaluating employees, engaging and responding to citizens, and so on. Obviously, this kind of commitment requires that executives, managers, staff, and elected officials understand and use performance measurement.
4) To create a system geared toward learning and improvement, governments must devote resources to truthful data collection and analysis, along with processes for presenting data without fear of punishment. If results are poor, managers need to find out why and fix them, rather than responding by automatically taking away resources or punishing staff.
These steps may sound simple, but they are not always easy to achieve. One reason is that while outcomes are important, measuring outcomes is not nearly as easy as measuring activities. Another problem arises from tying resource allocation, performance reviews, or other important decisions to specific performance measures. This situation can tempt employees to avoid perceived negative consequences by performing in ways that run counter to the organization's best interests. Public officials have to keep in mind that measurement by itself tells what happened, not why something happened.
Walters argues successfully that performance measurement is not the latest management fad, but rather is a proven means of ensuring transparency and facilitating improvements in services. By focusing on the big issues, he effectively explains the key benefits of performance measurement and attempts to dismiss common hang-ups. Using examples from successful performance measurement applications, along with humorous stories and simple logic, Measuring Up 2.0 provides an effective tool for convincing people who still think "Why performance measurement?" to start thinking "Why not performance measurement?" Overcoming initial, knee-jerk resistance is the first step in helping everyone in an organization realize what performance measure can do for them, rather than what it might do to them.
The Big Seven: Reasons Given for Why Performance Measurement Will Not Work
I) We already did that.
2) Performance measures are inherently unfair,
3) Performance measurement is going to invite unfair comparisons.
4) It's a great idea, but what happens when this administration gets tossed out?
5) There is no way to measure what I do.
6) My agency has conflicting missions.
7) I still don't want to.
MICHAEL J. MUCHA is a senior consultant/analyst in the GFOA's Research and Consulting Center. He can be reached at mmucha@gfoa.org.
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