While reading chapter 4 in the Jossey-Bass handbook, I continuously questioned how organizations might function if there was not so much stress put on accountability, but instead just on being effective. Do you think that organizations often get weighted down by all of the accountability measures necessary to please stakeholders? I am writing my capstone on performance measurements and from the literature I have read, it is pretty clear that organizations become stressed out by all the measures they have to take to receive funding. Does anyone think organizations would be more productive if they were not always trying to fulfill accountability measures?
Also, in a previous post I said that I thought accountability and effectiveness go hand in hand and I still do believe that. I agree that effectiveness and accountability are not the same, but I think that many stakeholders want organizations to be accountable because they believe accountability measures lead to effectiveness. What do you think of this statement, is it true or untrue?
From the reading this week, I gather that effectiveness and accountability do not necessarily go hand in hand. Indeed, the accountability that is required by government founders does not necessarily lead to improvements in an organization. Specifically, I think our Professor's article brought light to this problem. Accountability measures or feedback do not always measure how well an organization is performing, but rather whether an organization is doing what a funder wishes it to do.
ReplyDeleteTo me, an effective organization is one that performs its mission and improves the lives or circumstances of its beneficiaries. I think that certain stakeholders' opinions on effectiveness should be held with greater esteem. For instance, if I wanted to know how to improve a soup kitchen, would I ask a funder for advice, or a person in line for soup?
I agree 100% with you Dan. My question is though, not if accountability measures are effective because the readings have shed light that this often is not the case, but that if stakeholders requiring those measures do so because they believe it leads to effectiveness...
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