Abstract

Public organizations increasingly produce performance information. However, quite often this information is not put to use. In this paper we study how different organizational echelons use performance information. We use a representative survey among Danish public managers to compare the extent to which different organizational echelons use performance information. We find that top managers generally use performance information – information on outcomes and user satisfaction in particular – more than other echelons. These findings are important, because performance management systems are often designed at the top of public organizations, even though they are intended to be used for different purposes at different organizational echelons. Our findings raise important questions regarding the use and design of performance information that are relevant for frontline managers and executives alike.

摘要

公共组织越来越多地产生绩效信息。然而，很多时候这些信息并没有被使用。在本文中，我们研究了不同的组织梯队如何使用绩效信息。我们使用丹麦公共管理人员的代表性调查来比较不同组织梯队使用绩效信息的程度。我们发现，高层管理人员通常比其他梯队更多地使用绩效信息——尤其是关于结果和用户满意度的信息。这些发现很重要，因为绩效管理系统通常是在公共组织的顶层设计的，即使它们旨在用于不同组织梯队的不同目的。