Performance Targeting in Local Government: An Examination of Current Usage, Impacts and Implementation Factors

摘要

This report is part of a research effort aimed at assessing the status of current incentive programs for improving government employees' motivation, identifying impacts of incentives on productivity and job satisfaction, and recognizing factors facilitating or inhibiting the implementation of such programs. It discusses a study on local government use of performance targeting (including management by objectives). The data were gathered from reviews of literature and from telephone interviews with, and materials from, officials of 25 local governments employing management by objectives. Results indicate that target setting can be, and has been, implemented as a motivational technique, but certain types of services are not appropriate for this type of incentive, such as activities in which employees have little control over results, or for which realistic, measurable targets cannot be defined. No research exists on impacts of target setting on employee productivity and job satisfaction, but study data do suggest that targets focusing on results, efficiency, and effectiveness are more likely to yield higher productivity than targets focusing on workload. More research is needed on issues such as the advantages of group targets, program design and implementation, and constraints on target setting by such factors as turnover of top management personnel, union attitudes, and line employee educational background and attitudes. Appendices contain tabular data and references.