The purpose of this paper is to examine use of the performance agreement (PA) as well as the diagnostic control system that has been implemented at the provincial level of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine use of the performance agreement (PA) as well as the diagnostic control system that has been implemented at the provincial level of the Thai government.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a qualitative study. Two qualitative methods – focus group and in-depth individual interviews – were employed. In addition, documents such as performance reports, forms, provincial strategic plans, and work manuals, were examined.
Findings
Implementation of the PA at the provincial level has encountered some unexpected difficulties. Results of this study indicate that the PA and performance target-setting may contradict the “controllability” principle. In using the diagnostic control system, the two main challenges are: what to monitor and how to report it.
Practical implications
This study is intended to be used as a guide in the use of the existing PA and diagnostic control system. The study also points to areas in which improvements can be made to increase the effectiveness of the PA in future use.
Originality/value
This study calls for reconsideration in the implementation of the PA at the provincial level of the Thai government. Results show that the notion that “what gets measured gets done” is only half true at best.
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Suwit Srimai, Chris S. Wright and Jack Radford
The purpose of this paper is to consider the presence and consequences of functional overlap in organizational performance management (PM) systems.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider the presence and consequences of functional overlap in organizational performance management (PM) systems.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is speculative in that it considers the consequences of organizations applying multiple PM systems. Four widely‐used PM systems from various management perspectives are selected as proxies to demonstrate that overlap can occur across a broad array of extant PM systems. The content of the selected PM systems literature was used for analysis.
Findings
The analysis found evidence of substantial functional overlap among the selected PM systems. Significant niche overlap occurred in the functions: assisting strategy formulation and implementation processes; supporting strategic decision making; and facilitating strategic learning.
Practical implications
This study and its findings should help scholars to reframe their understanding of PM systems and let managers recognize and take action to optimize the benefits and costs of functional overlap.
Originality/value
The paper identifies functional overlap; a concept not explicitly addressed in the PM literature.
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Suwit Srimai, Nitirath Damsaman and Sirilak Bangchokdee
This paper aims to examine the role of performance measurement in the Thai public sector. It seeks to explore the interactive use of strategic performance measurement systems…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the role of performance measurement in the Thai public sector. It seeks to explore the interactive use of strategic performance measurement systems (SPMS) and organizational learning as a means to achieve strategic alignment at the provincial level of government, inter‐organizational networks of public agencies.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaires were sent to all chief officials of the Office of Governors in Thailand. Path analysis was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings revealed significant relationships between interactive use of SPMS and organizational learning and between interactive use of SPMS and strategic alignment. The results also showed an indirect effect of interactive use of SPMS on strategic alignment through organizational learning.
Originality/value
This paper provides a considerable contribution about the use of performance measurement in inter‐organizational networks which is relatively limited in the public arena.
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Suwit Srimai, Jack Radford and Chris Wright
This paper aims to understand the evolutionary paths of performance measurement (PM) from the 1980s to the present.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand the evolutionary paths of performance measurement (PM) from the 1980s to the present.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a narrative review. The sources of literature reviewed are from diverse academic disciplines (e.g. operations management, strategic management, management accounting and organisational behaviour). Three main types of literature were selected, namely scientific literature, professional journals, and books. The authors' approach is illustrative and selective. It is based on the belief that societal and organisational contexts provide the clues for the appropriateness in design and use of a managerial innovation. It describes the transition in performance measurement, incorporating a number of PM innovations as illustrative exemplars.
Findings
Management needs, arriving from the evolving business ecology and focused on creating and sustaining competitive advantage, drive the destiny of PM systems during their evolutionary progression. Performance measurement has evolved from various perspectives. The evolution took place in four major paths, from operations to strategic, measurement to management, static to dynamic and economic‐profit to stakeholder focus.
Practical implications
The evolutions embody trends in development and use of PM systems over the long periods that point the way for future PM to develop and evolve.
Originality/value
The contemporary evolution of PM exhibited in the connection with its evolving contexts that is not explicitly acknowledged in the literature gives the raison d'être to this review.