Achieving outcomes in complex environments Toby Lowe Summary - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Achieving outcomes in complex environments Toby Lowe Summary Outcomes-Based contracting/Performance Management makes it harder to produce good outcomes Systems produce outcomes take responsibility for the health of your
Toby Lowe
Management makes it harder to produce good outcomes
responsibility for the health of your systems
complex
Outcomes-Based Performance Management?
Wimbush, Erica (2011): ‘Implementing an outcomes approach to public management and accountability in the UK—are we learning the lessons?’, Public Money & Management
OBPM turns everyone’s job into the production of data, not meeting client need.
Burt Perrin, “Effective Use and Misuse of Performance Measurement”, American Journal of Evaluation, 1998
S van Thiel and F. L. Leeuw “The Performance Paradox in the Public Sector”, Public Performance and Management Review, 2002
Work Programme evaluation: Findings from the first phase of qualitative research on programme delivery, DWP, 2012
and Canada, Soss et al 2011 USA, Newton 2012 – UK)
and Leeuw 2002)
Systematic review of Outcomes-Based Contracts by Australian Government: Emma Tomkinson 2016
people wanted
“If we had a thousand measures, we could still not fully capture the health and readiness of young children. We use data to approximate these conditions and to stand as proxies for them.”
Mark Friedman, Results Based Accountability Implementation Guide
#KittensAreEvil
#LittleHeresies
= distortion effect of Proxy when used as a Performance Measure
Robert Schalock & Gordon Bonham “Measuring outcomes and managing for results”, Evaluation and Program Planning, 2003
Complexity-friendly commissioning is based
Motivation Learning System health – quality of relationships
Context matters “X would be completely ineffective if was done in [another city], but they might benefit from this model of infrastructure.” (Charitable Funder) “Humility is needed – recognising we don’t know the answer as individual organisations” (Charitable Funder) Outcomes matter – as motivation and a focus for learning “We do not, we never want to get into the measuring impact thing, and the attribution thing. It’s all nonsense I think…. I think for us it’s about saying ‘Did it work, did it do what we thought it would? If not why not?... It’s about learning rather than measuring.” (Charitable Funder).
Developing trust “The two things that are most important that I would say are, the first is trust and the second is respect. Without those two things, you can’t do anything.” (Public Sector Commissioner) It’s not cosy – it’s challenging “He [funded organisation] might also be very critical of me face to face. So he can say very critical things…. That’s okay” (Public Sector Commissioner) Learning and listening “I think creating a culture that models generosity and listening leads to critical thinking and asking questions.” (Charitable Funder)
Trust provides the confidence to let go of the illusion of control. I trust this organisation to do the right thing when the world changes. Question: what is a good set of reasons for a commissioners and providers to trust one another?
Some potential answers:
system(s) in which they operate
practice with others
wasn’t working
approach
problems forum