In order for performance management systems to be effective, managers must be able to share performance data in a way that is accessible to stakeholders outside of the organization. You will often have to explain performance data to elected officials, advisory board members, funders, communities, and citizens who may or may not know what it is that your organization does.
Create a short 1-page paper discussing what you would tell a family member or friend about what you learned in Applied Public Management. Some things a family member or a friend might ask that you could address in your response:
Do public and nonprofit organizations really care about performance?
How do they even measure performance? How do they choose what is important to measure?
Doesn’t government just collect taxes and spend our money? Why do they care about efficiency and effectiveness?
Wouldn’t it just be better to outsource or privatize all government functions?
Why do they build toll roads and charge us to drive on them? Don’t we already pay enough?
All government employees are lazy and rude. They get paid whether they do their job or not. Why can’t they do better? (Most people say this in relation to a story about the DMV or other agency they generally don’t like)