| This study addressed the research question: Do results-based management tools, either separately or in combination, improve the performance of roads agencies or youth programs? The possible improvement in performance was assessed in two ways, first through managers' reported perceptions of performance improvement, and then through objective measures of the agency's outputs and outcomes.;While this study investigated results-based management tools collectively, it also individually examined the implementation and the effects of the four major components (i.e., tools) of results-based management (RBM): strategic planning, performance measurement with target setting, incentives (rewards), and process improvement tools. The four RBM tools were investigated using multiple perspectives, including how thoroughly or completely the RBM tools have been installed in the organization and how long the organizations have been using the RBM tools.;The first part of this study used responses solicited in a survey of roads agencies and youth programs. The respondents indicated which RBM tools they had implemented and which of those tools they thought were most effective. The second part of the study used objective performance data provided by the ICMA-Center for Performance Management Benchmarking Project.;A large majority of organizations report using strategic planning and performance measurement with targets, while somewhat fewer have adopted rewards and process improvement tools. The organizations indicated that information from their planning and performance measurement tools were used for numerous purposes, but especially for budgeting.;The majority of public managers using RBM tools perceived them to have substantially improved the organization. The completeness of each individual RBM tool was a significant predictor of the tool's perceived effectiveness in improving the organization. On the other hand, how long the organization had been using the RBM tool (tool duration) most commonly had little impact on how effective the tool was perceived to be in improving the organization. In both roads agencies and youth programs, the more RBM tools the organization had adopted, the more likely they were to find the tools effective, and the more likely they were to view their organization as a top performer.;Although perceived RBM tool effectiveness was high, the analysis did not find a consistent relationship between most of the RBM tools and objective performance measures. However, there was a significant relationship between the use of one RBM tool -- process improvement techniques -- and the objective measure of road quality. Possible reasons for the disconnection found between perceived effectiveness and objective performance measures are discussed, including the distinctive nature of the surveyed organizations. |
