How do UK public service organisations use performance measures and reporting to inform performance management activities?

This paper discusses a doctoral research project exploring how UK public service organisations (PSOs) are using performance measures and reporting to inform performance management activities. The paper discusses key concepts from public service literature, the two-stage ‘rich’ qualitative case study approach, and early findings from the project. Initial analysis, suggests that PSOs in the UK are very much focused upon economy and efficiency within their performance management activities. There is little evidence from the analysis, that PSOs are linking performance measurement, reporting, and management activities to equity, public value, and co-creation of services with service users and customers.