12.10.2013 Views

Strategic responses to Performance Measurement in Nonprofit ...

Strategic responses to Performance Measurement in Nonprofit ...

Strategic responses to Performance Measurement in Nonprofit ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

problematic not only due <strong>to</strong> ambiguity and nois<strong>in</strong>ess but also because a) cause-and-effect<br />

relations are often unclear and b) the co-production technology which is common <strong>in</strong> non<br />

8<br />

profits deal<strong>in</strong>g with health and social care is not amenable <strong>to</strong> a straightforward measurement.<br />

<strong>Performance</strong> measurement <strong>in</strong> non-profits calls for a comb<strong>in</strong>ation of f<strong>in</strong>ancial and non-<br />

f<strong>in</strong>ancial performance measures. Conflict<strong>in</strong>g views exit with respect <strong>to</strong> the <strong>in</strong>tegration of<br />

(monetary) <strong>in</strong>centives <strong>in</strong> a performance measurement system <strong>in</strong> non-profit organizations:<br />

Sometimes the organizational charters prelude the use of monetary <strong>in</strong>centives as a mechanism<br />

<strong>to</strong> support goal congruence (Abernethy 2007). Sometimes it is argued that the <strong>in</strong>tr<strong>in</strong>sic<br />

motivation of non-profit employees will be crowed-out by monetary <strong>in</strong>centives, other authors<br />

stress the difficulties which one encounters by <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g non-f<strong>in</strong>ancial performance measures<br />

<strong>in</strong> a performance measurement system (Ittner et al. 1997, Jacobides and Croson 2000, Frey et<br />

al. 2001).<br />

There are only few empirical studies of German non-profits Some studies, like Helmig (2000)<br />

or Wendel (2001) exam<strong>in</strong>ed the hierarchy of organizational objectives <strong>in</strong> order <strong>to</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d out<br />

what non-profits regard as success (Sem<strong>in</strong>ar für Vere<strong>in</strong>s- und Verbandsforschung 1998, , ,<br />

Deutsches Krankenhausbarometer 2007). However, only Greil<strong>in</strong>g (2009) explicitly l<strong>in</strong>ks the<br />

organizational objectives directly <strong>to</strong> performance measurement systems.<br />

Specific aspects of performance measurement are also addressed by empirical studies on the<br />

state of the art of management account<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> German non-profits. The study by Weber and<br />

Hamprecht (1994), for example, <strong>in</strong>vestigated the rudimentary state of plann<strong>in</strong>g, budget<strong>in</strong>g and<br />

management control systems <strong>in</strong> 219 German non-profits. The study by the Sem<strong>in</strong>ar für<br />

Vere<strong>in</strong>s- und Verbandsforschung (1998) focused on the cutt<strong>in</strong>g edge of cost account<strong>in</strong>g and<br />

identified a need <strong>to</strong> improve management account<strong>in</strong>g. Particular high scored deficits <strong>in</strong><br />

performance evaluation and <strong>in</strong> the plann<strong>in</strong>g and goal coord<strong>in</strong>ation process. Wendel‟s<br />

empirical study compiled descriptive material about the state of the art <strong>in</strong> cost account<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

benchmark<strong>in</strong>g and the implementation of quality management systems (Wendel 2001). More

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!