Performance Management in Local Governments During the COVID-19 Crisis

The proposed study will add to the growing literature exploring the impact of environmental turbulence on the organizational operations of local governments. We seek to study the changes in performance management practices in the public sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study adds to the research on cut-back management in local public organizations that focuses on the recession. Previous research on performance management during turbulence has shown a heightened use and effectiveness of local public organizations' performance management practices. The proposed study will take this research forward by exploring: • The extent to which COVID-19 impacted performance management systems in different local government departments. • The factors that lead to higher or lesser use of performance management during the crisis. • How leadership support and perceptions surrounding performance management impact the use of performance management in line departments during the crisis, and • Whether performance management helps local governments in economic recovery.