On Friday, 10^th November, 2023, Ms. Kashmala Kakakhel, currently working at UNDP conducted a workshop on “PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC SECTOR” for the participants of 38^th MCMC. She emphasized that measuring performance in public sector has been spread over six decades which can be divided into four periods. The first period is described as Traditional (Pre-1979), focusing on cash accounting and control over inputs, followed by Managerial phase (1978-1995) which tried to introduce private sector management techniques into the public sector. Marketization Phase (1986-1992) was a combination of managerial phase plus economic theories focusing on one’s own interest, and Strategic Phase (1982-Present) which emphasizes that a holistic approach needs to be adopted with focus on the long-term results.

She explained that many tools had been developed to measure performance in public sector. Most of these tools concentrate only on the processes and outputs not on the outcomes. Therefore, it is important to concentrate on the outcomes of processes being adopted by the public sector to measure performance effectively and quantitatively. Furthermore, she explained that globally performance measurement in public sector is evolving very quickly and it is moving towards coaching and development rather than rigid rank system. She highlighted the importance of change in performance measurement in public sector to meet the challenges of ever changing local and global environments. She emphasized that incremental approach is better than shocking the system to achieve sustainable, synergy with positive outcomes. In order to do so, collective goal setting and team building around these collective goals will lead to performance improvement, cascading into personal performances. Participants worked in smaller groups on the assigned scenarios and presented their work to the class.