Who Shapes the Manager’s Intention to Use Performance Information?: The Case of the Administrative Managers in Nebraska
Advisor Information
Jooho Lee
Location
MBSC 201
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
6-3-2020 2:00 PM
End Date
6-3-2020 3:15 PM
Abstract
In the field of public management, major administrative reforms are driven by a belief that governmental activities should be evaluated and their performance should be measured. As part of this trend, governmental reform in the past 20 years has required agencies and government programs to assess their goals (Brudney, Herbert & Wright, 1999) and their administrative performance during the performance management process (Behn, 2003; Moynihan, 2008). Thanks to the development of science and technology, the phenomenon of collecting and analyzing a variety of information related to performance has grown enormously. In addition, coupled with this reform, citizens, elected officials, and managers in the public sector are now provided a more significant amount of performance information than ever before. The performance information use (PIU) has played a critical role in performance management (Behn, 2003; Poister 2003; Poister, Pasha & Edwards, 2013). The successful use of performance information is expected to support decision-making and to result in ameliorated both individual and organizational performance that leads a better fulfillment of the demand of the external environment, and ultimately in improved outcomes for the demands of the civil society. In this sense, the use or nonuse of performance information in decision-making has become a fast-growing research area in the field of public management (Kroll, 2013). Prior research on PIU has mainly focused on identifying various constraints on PIU including organizational culture, technical capacity, leadership commitment, external actors and environments. However, only a few studies have examined the extent to which performance information is used, what intention it is used for, and what factors influence the degree of use. An in-depth understanding of perspectives on concepts around PIU is important for successful government management and reform.
At the same time, many scholars in the field of public administration insisted that the role of the administrative managers in local governments is important because they serve as administrative technicians with the most economic and efficient way, are able to eliminate the corruption, and even support more democracy (Morgan, England & Pelissero, 2007; Nelson & Stenberg, 2018). However, most studies on PIU have only focused on the managers in the federal government or specific programs. In order to bridge this research gap, the aim of this research is to understand what factors shape the way in which the administrative managers in local governments use performance information. More specifically, the goal of this research is to find out how the administrative managers intentionally choose the scope and degree of PIU as a response to the pressures on organizations and managers at the local government level.
In this research, drawing on resource dependency theory, I offer a theoretical framework that connects the PIU pressure to the administrative manager’s intention as well as the degree and scope of PIU. Specifically, this study focuses on two types of pressures – internal and external pressures. Internal PIU pressure often comes from top executives in the organizational hierarchy (e.g., president, governors, commissioners, mayors, department director) while external PIU pressure stems from external actors (e.g., OMB, GAO, Congress, city councils) and the citizens. It proposes that these pressures directly affect the intentions of administrative managers, and the scope and degree of PIU indirectly, which means that there are relative factors between them. This research asserts that the PIU pressure affects what values that administrative managers in local governments measures and shapes organization climate of performance management. That is, I propose that PIU pressures indirectly affect the extent of PIU by shaping performance measures and fostering organization climate of performance management that directly influence the administrative manager’s intention of PIU.
For this research project, I will explore the factors influence one’s intention of using performance information. Specifically, I am interested in how the pressures on PIU shape the way in which the administrative managers use performance information. This research will enable a better understanding of how the differences in the relationships between the actors and the organization affect and shape the administrative manager’s intention and the scope of the PIU differently. Finally, I plan to conduct this research project specifically focused on the administrative managers working in the Nebraska local government. Through the study of administrative managers in Nebraska, this research will not only contribute to advancing out knowledge about the PIU in the field of public management but also about the situation of the Nebraska local government.
Who Shapes the Manager’s Intention to Use Performance Information?: The Case of the Administrative Managers in Nebraska
MBSC 201
In the field of public management, major administrative reforms are driven by a belief that governmental activities should be evaluated and their performance should be measured. As part of this trend, governmental reform in the past 20 years has required agencies and government programs to assess their goals (Brudney, Herbert & Wright, 1999) and their administrative performance during the performance management process (Behn, 2003; Moynihan, 2008). Thanks to the development of science and technology, the phenomenon of collecting and analyzing a variety of information related to performance has grown enormously. In addition, coupled with this reform, citizens, elected officials, and managers in the public sector are now provided a more significant amount of performance information than ever before. The performance information use (PIU) has played a critical role in performance management (Behn, 2003; Poister 2003; Poister, Pasha & Edwards, 2013). The successful use of performance information is expected to support decision-making and to result in ameliorated both individual and organizational performance that leads a better fulfillment of the demand of the external environment, and ultimately in improved outcomes for the demands of the civil society. In this sense, the use or nonuse of performance information in decision-making has become a fast-growing research area in the field of public management (Kroll, 2013). Prior research on PIU has mainly focused on identifying various constraints on PIU including organizational culture, technical capacity, leadership commitment, external actors and environments. However, only a few studies have examined the extent to which performance information is used, what intention it is used for, and what factors influence the degree of use. An in-depth understanding of perspectives on concepts around PIU is important for successful government management and reform.
At the same time, many scholars in the field of public administration insisted that the role of the administrative managers in local governments is important because they serve as administrative technicians with the most economic and efficient way, are able to eliminate the corruption, and even support more democracy (Morgan, England & Pelissero, 2007; Nelson & Stenberg, 2018). However, most studies on PIU have only focused on the managers in the federal government or specific programs. In order to bridge this research gap, the aim of this research is to understand what factors shape the way in which the administrative managers in local governments use performance information. More specifically, the goal of this research is to find out how the administrative managers intentionally choose the scope and degree of PIU as a response to the pressures on organizations and managers at the local government level.
In this research, drawing on resource dependency theory, I offer a theoretical framework that connects the PIU pressure to the administrative manager’s intention as well as the degree and scope of PIU. Specifically, this study focuses on two types of pressures – internal and external pressures. Internal PIU pressure often comes from top executives in the organizational hierarchy (e.g., president, governors, commissioners, mayors, department director) while external PIU pressure stems from external actors (e.g., OMB, GAO, Congress, city councils) and the citizens. It proposes that these pressures directly affect the intentions of administrative managers, and the scope and degree of PIU indirectly, which means that there are relative factors between them. This research asserts that the PIU pressure affects what values that administrative managers in local governments measures and shapes organization climate of performance management. That is, I propose that PIU pressures indirectly affect the extent of PIU by shaping performance measures and fostering organization climate of performance management that directly influence the administrative manager’s intention of PIU.
For this research project, I will explore the factors influence one’s intention of using performance information. Specifically, I am interested in how the pressures on PIU shape the way in which the administrative managers use performance information. This research will enable a better understanding of how the differences in the relationships between the actors and the organization affect and shape the administrative manager’s intention and the scope of the PIU differently. Finally, I plan to conduct this research project specifically focused on the administrative managers working in the Nebraska local government. Through the study of administrative managers in Nebraska, this research will not only contribute to advancing out knowledge about the PIU in the field of public management but also about the situation of the Nebraska local government.