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Benchmarking Impact Through Municipal Benchmarking Networks Improvement Or Leveling Of Performance?

Knutsson, Hans LU ; Ramberg, Ulf LU and Tagesson, Torbjörn LU (2012) In Public Performance & Management Review 36(1). p.102-123
Abstract
Benchmarking has received much attention in local government. However, since benchmarking within a networking environment is quite a recent phenomenon, there is a need for better understanding of the impact of these networks on local government. This article describes municipal benchmarking networks and analyzes and categorizes variations in action and performance among municipalities participating in them. The data are drawn from the National Benchmarking Project (NBP): document studies of 100 reports, 2 surveys, 3 focus groups, and 64 interviews in 12 municipalities. The study shows that the capacity for action-oriented use of benchmarking is weak. Poor performers often blamed their own actions and performance on exogenous factors or... (More)
Benchmarking has received much attention in local government. However, since benchmarking within a networking environment is quite a recent phenomenon, there is a need for better understanding of the impact of these networks on local government. This article describes municipal benchmarking networks and analyzes and categorizes variations in action and performance among municipalities participating in them. The data are drawn from the National Benchmarking Project (NBP): document studies of 100 reports, 2 surveys, 3 focus groups, and 64 interviews in 12 municipalities. The study shows that the capacity for action-oriented use of benchmarking is weak. Poor performers often blamed their own actions and performance on exogenous factors or methodological flaws. And some excellent performers used the results as a reason to reduce performance. Thus, the NBP actually triggered a behavior that led to the "average" rather than the "best practice" being promoted as the norm. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
benchmarking, efficiency, impact, networking, performance measurement
in
Public Performance & Management Review
volume
36
issue
1
pages
102 - 123
publisher
M. E. Sharpe
external identifiers
  • wos:000308235700005
  • scopus:84867355182
ISSN
1530-9576
DOI
10.2753/PMR1530-9576360105
project
Public Management Research
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bdf7f95a-c15c-40d4-b032-1820fb7d98a9 (old id 3147069)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 09:48:37
date last changed
2022-04-03 23:30:28
@article{bdf7f95a-c15c-40d4-b032-1820fb7d98a9,
  abstract     = {{Benchmarking has received much attention in local government. However, since benchmarking within a networking environment is quite a recent phenomenon, there is a need for better understanding of the impact of these networks on local government. This article describes municipal benchmarking networks and analyzes and categorizes variations in action and performance among municipalities participating in them. The data are drawn from the National Benchmarking Project (NBP): document studies of 100 reports, 2 surveys, 3 focus groups, and 64 interviews in 12 municipalities. The study shows that the capacity for action-oriented use of benchmarking is weak. Poor performers often blamed their own actions and performance on exogenous factors or methodological flaws. And some excellent performers used the results as a reason to reduce performance. Thus, the NBP actually triggered a behavior that led to the "average" rather than the "best practice" being promoted as the norm.}},
  author       = {{Knutsson, Hans and Ramberg, Ulf and Tagesson, Torbjörn}},
  issn         = {{1530-9576}},
  keywords     = {{benchmarking; efficiency; impact; networking; performance measurement}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{102--123}},
  publisher    = {{M. E. Sharpe}},
  series       = {{Public Performance & Management Review}},
  title        = {{Benchmarking Impact Through Municipal Benchmarking Networks Improvement Or Leveling Of Performance?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/PMR1530-9576360105}},
  doi          = {{10.2753/PMR1530-9576360105}},
  volume       = {{36}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}