Article Abstract:
William D Coplin; Astrid E Merget; Carolyn Bourdeaux “The Professional Researcher as Change Agent in the Government-Performance Movement” Public Administration Review; Nov/Dec 2002; 62, 6; ABI/INFORM Global
Abstract
Performance monitoring plays a crucial role in management practices to both practioners and government agencies. It is credited as a factor that improves government responsibility and not merely an accountability metric. In the recent days, the performance is taken as a policy development strategy rather than a management factor. Therefore, perfortmance management can be undertaken as a democratic force that interlinks government and citizens. This helps to bring unity and operation efficiency in a specific state. National Academy of Public Administration among others are the most influencial performance management organizations who have initiated and adopted the performance measures.
Theory
The paper finds a solution to the responsibilities of the professional researchers’ with respect to performance measurement. In addition, the researcher aims at investigating on how a community can increase its effectiveness in promoting the culture of performance measurement. The reference on answering the questions is on the performance of Government Agencies and Programs. The researcher expected to find citizens being involved in the performance measurement process. They also expected to find the use of benchmarking concept being used in order to improve the local government services. Normative theory is used as the main basis for the analysis of performance measures.
Data
The researcher used qualitative type of data. Qualitative data involves expressing measurement in the natural language description rather than in numbers. Specifically, they used ordinal variables, which are mainly useful in the measurement of attitude. Specifically, the analysis was wholly based on information collected from various sources that were used by arrive at a conclusion. Based on the nature of perfoemance measurements, both qualitative and quantative data can be used. Thus, for more conclusive analysis of the question, the researchers ought to incorporate the quantative data on their research.
Findings
The researchers discovered that professional researchers are the major change agents towards achieving performance measures in government agencies. The professional researchers should take responsibility as change agents in the facilitating the improvement of measuring government performance. They must embrace continuous improvement in designing performance measurements. The professional researchers should provide information to all the relevant stakeholders. The aim is to enable them work together as a team. Working together is essential in problem solving at the community level.
Conclusion
The aim of the enquiry was to investigate the responsibilities professional researchers in promoting performance measurement in government agencies. From the research findings, the professional researchers are considered as the change agents in the performance measurement. As a change agent, the professional researchers have various roles. Therefore, the findings are useful in answering the questions.
Robert Cunningham; Louis Weschler “Theory and the Public Administration Student/ Practitioner” Public Administration Review; Jan/Feb 2002; 62, 1; ABI/INFORM Global
pg. 104
Abstract
The relationship that exists between theory and practices poses a major challenge to many practioniers and staffers. The root of this is differing orienatation on line management and the staff members. Teaching that makes manager students to reflect what is real situation through experiences and practice is recommended, mostly by Weschler and Cunningham. The inefficiency experienced in public administration practices can be related to wounds developed due to misunderstanding of theory and practice. MPA students should use theories that reflect the actual practice in their endovours. If this is not the case, then the theories used offers a short changing students to the public administration practices.
Theory
The article aims to find out the relevance of the theories taught in class in the development of students’ careers and administrative practitioners. The researchers intend to find out the worth of the theories in public administration. In addition, the researcher wants to investigate the applicability of the theories in improving the performance of administration practitioners. In answering the question, the researcher examines the different orientations of the line managers and staffers in explaining the relationship between theory and practice.
Data
The researchers used qualitative type of data. Qualitative data involves expressing measurement in the natural language description rather than in numbers. The researchers used the existing facts in explaining the distinct roles of the line and staff practitioners. They investigated the relationship between the line managers and various variables such as postmodernism and public administration journals and practitioners.
Findings
The researchers found that students and practitioners who intended to become line positions lacked relevant theories for their position. There were no sufficient theories which would be used in preparing students and practitioners for the role of line managers. From the research, it was found that the theories that were being used and taught in classes and training programs were only useful for the staffer. The theories rarely touched on the issues and challenges facing line managers.
Conclusion
The aim of the study was to examine the relevance of the theories in use and taught in class to the practitioners. The questions of the research were answered by the findings. The findings concluded that the theories are relevant to the staffers, but irrelevant to line managers.
Reference
Coplin, William D, Astrid E Merget, and Carolyn Bourdea. "The professional researcher as change agent in the government-performance movement." Public Administration Review (ABI/INFORM Global) 62, no. 6 (Jan/Feb 2002): 104.
