The impact of balanced scorecards in a public sector environment

Purpose – Many papers discuss the use of the balanced scorecard yet few provide empirical evidence within a longitudinal context. Still fewer studies present balanced scorecard evidence from within public services. This study seeks to consider the impact of implementing and using the balanced scorecard within a public service city council environment.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the recent literature within the area of public sector performance measurement. A longitudinal case study approach is adopted using interview and documentation analysis to consider the impact of balanced scorecards in a public sector organisation. The impact of balanced scorecards was evaluated at three levels: strategic planning, team management, and individual staff performance.Findings – The empirical evidence suggests that the use of scorecards within the case organisation enables employees to clearly appreciate their role, and focus on delivery of performance‐related measures which support organisational st...

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