Managing with Performance Measures in Local Government: A Dialogue

摘要

This panelist - audience dialogue derives from the Workshop on Managing with Performance Measures, part of the Conference on Local Financial Management held in Detroit, Mich., June 7 - 8, 1979. Two communities with performance measurement experience (Genesee County, Mich., and Sherman, Tex.,) were represented on the workshop panel, providing the perspectives of both elected and appointed officials, along with top management and operational management. The audience of about 80 people was made up primarily of management officials from local governments. The approach to performance measurement in Sherman, Tex., was an incorporation of performance indicators of demand, workload, productivity, and effectiveness into the budget document. The unique aspect of the performance measures developed in Sherman was the demand indicators, which involve external factors beyond the control of the organization that would define and describe the size of the environment served. The Genesee system was a cost accounting and computerized system approaching a standardized cost system in industry. Exhibits illustrate the four types of performance indicators used in Sherman, a page from Sherman's performance budget, and the Genesee County organizational approach. The appendix lists conference sponsors. A selected bibliography of recent performance measurement and productivity improvement publications is also provided.