Performance Management of Collaborative Projects: The Stronger the Collaboration, the Less Is Measured

ABSTRACTThis study examined performance management in interagency collaborations. Drawing on six case studies of management projects in the field of natural resources that represented nondependent, dependent, and interdependent types of collaboration, the study showed that as collaborative relations change, performance management systems also change. It found that nondependent and dependent collaborations have hard-and-simple quantifiable measures that are used as a basis for budget allocations and to ensure the accountability of the collaborative partners, but that in interdependent collaborations, performance management is looser, more implicit, and relies less on quantifiable performance measures. These findings suggest that as interdependent collaborations evolve to become based more on trust, respect, and professionalism, performance management systems will need to evolve into learning platforms along with the stronger collaborative relationship.