The Adoption, Use, and Impacts of Performance Measures in Medium-Size Cities

Abstract

Based on a national mail survey of chief executives in mid-sized U.S. cities (populations between 25,000 and 250,000), this study examines the patterns of adoption, use, and impacts of performance measures for the purpose of advancing understanding of the challenges involved in moving from performance measurement to performance management. This study identifies the factors that distinguish cities that adopted and used performance measures and the results that chief executives expected to derive from the use of performance measures. What chief executives thought about the helpfulness of performance measures in making various types of decisions and why they thought their use of performance measures met, fell short, or exceeded their expectations are examined. The study finds that while most chief executives thought that performance measures met or exceeded their expectations, several factors helped to explain why the use of performance measures fell short of leaders' expectations. The single most important factor that helped to explain the gap between expectations and actual experience was the extent of "buy-in" of performance measurement by line managers and administrators. The level of workforce unionization and the extent of municipal experience with performance measurement also helped to explain whether performance management was perceived to be successful.

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