Constraints on the applicability of performance management systems framework

Abstract

As part of the New Public Management reforms in public-sector, private-sector style of management such as performance management systems (PMS) were adopted to ensure efficiency and accountability in the public sector of developed and developing nations. This study first explains the introduction of performance management and the level of its application in the Nigerian public sector. After that, this study attempts to identify the constraining factors (political and socio-cultural) on successful the application of PMS in Nigeria. Utilizing information obtained from interviews of management staff and employees of a state-owned hospital, it is argued that application of PMS should be cognizant of political and socio-cultural contextual characteristics of developing countries.