Data recording in performance management : trouble with the logics

In recent years, performance management (PM) has become a buzzword in public sector organizations.Well-functioning PM systems rely on valid performance data, but critics point out thatconflicting rationale or logic among professional staff in recording information can undermine thequality of the data. Based on a case study of social service staff members, the authors explore threerecording logics. The findings reveal a complexity of recording behavior and show how frontline staffshift between recording logics according to the situation. The actual data recordings depend notonly on the overall logic but also on factors such as attitudes, assumptions, and motives. The authorssuggest that shifting recording logics weaken the validity of performance data. These shifts underminethe idea of PM as a trustworthy strategy to bridge the gap between professional and managerialstaff, as well as the possibility of a well-informed management