I think most departments and agencies are terrified of measuring true program efficiency or efficacy because the truth will be exposed: that much of what the public service actually delivers is employment for public servants. Which is not to say that public servants are lazy or incompetent, but rather that the bulk of them competently and diligently work at tasks that do not deliver value.
All senior and large city governments are littered with Ministries of Silly Walks of many varieties, essentially as attempts at social engineering and statist propaganda. Canadian Heritage is a poster child of such.
Do the the workers at these government agencies get bonuses? Do they decide what to measure and then get bonuses when they hit those self-reported goals?
I’ve had bosses who lived by “Measure what matters”, the book and the principle. But no one wants to talk about what happens when you decide to measure what doesn’t matter.
I think most departments and agencies are terrified of measuring true program efficiency or efficacy because the truth will be exposed: that much of what the public service actually delivers is employment for public servants. Which is not to say that public servants are lazy or incompetent, but rather that the bulk of them competently and diligently work at tasks that do not deliver value.
Why does none of this surprise me? I’m so glad to find a numbers nerd like you! Sending this far and wide, especially to my ‘numbers nerd’ kids
All senior and large city governments are littered with Ministries of Silly Walks of many varieties, essentially as attempts at social engineering and statist propaganda. Canadian Heritage is a poster child of such.
Do the the workers at these government agencies get bonuses? Do they decide what to measure and then get bonuses when they hit those self-reported goals?
I don't know about the rank and file, but executives and managers will indeed often get "performance"-based bonuses.
I’ve had bosses who lived by “Measure what matters”, the book and the principle. But no one wants to talk about what happens when you decide to measure what doesn’t matter.