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Abstract: The paper studies the applicability of learning forums (Moynihan 2005) as a method for improving organizational learning in Finnish local government. The approach aims to overcome the reported challenges in the use of performance information in public management. Practical observations and the performance management literature demonstrate that public organizations gather information with an overwhelming number of performance measures and indicators but lack the ability to utilize this information in decision-making and to engage in goal-based learning. The paper describes the case of the city of Tampere, Finland, and analyzes the evolution of the city's performance management practices between 2010 and 2015. The results suggest that the future of public performance management should increasingly rely on continuous and iterative performance dialogue. The paper recognizes three components or mechanisms critical for organizational learning in public organizations: 1) the important role of information analysts as referees of the information game, 2) organizational culture that drives the move from managing daily performance to managing the longer-term ability to perform, and 3) performance dialogue itself, which depicts an innovative management approach to managing public performance.
Keywords: inter-organizational learning, performance dialogue, public management, knowledge management
1. Introduction
The paper studies mechanisms through which local government can enhance knowledge creation, sharing and appliance. More specifically, the focus is on challenges in the use of performance information in public management (e.g., Pollitt 2006; Van Dooren and Van De Walle 2008; Moynihan and Ingraham 2004; Moynihan and Pandey 2010; Taylor 2011). The aim is to understand how the barriers of knowledge transfer and information utilization can be overcome. Therefore, this particular study is more interested in improving the use of performance information than in the reasons why it is not used. The paper contributes with a qualitative and practice-oriented approach and complements the literature, which is dominated by conceptual analyses, external evaluations and statistical methods.
The rationale for this research origins both form practical observations and the performance management literature (cf. Hartley 2005; Osborne 2005; Laihonen 2015a). These demonstrate that public organizations gather information with an overwhelming number of performance measures and indicators but lack the ability to utilize this information in decision-making and to engage in goal-based learning. In this regard, Moynihan and Landuyt (2009) argue that while performance management...