Performance Magazine, a trusted professional resource for industry updates, expert analysis, case studies, and trends in strategy and performance management, marked a successful year in 2023 with the release of four special editions. Performance Magazine – Print Edition is published quarterly by The KPI Institute (TKI), a leading global research institute dedicated to defining standards and advancing the field of strategy and performance management.

The four editions covered themes of the public sector, sustainability, data analytics, and government. Each edition showcases insights from guest experts in their respective fields. The magazines also present real-world examples, dissect frameworks, and offer practical recommendations for professionals seeking a comprehensive understanding of performance standards.

The Public Sector Edition highlights TKI’s Government Service Index Report 2022, which documents the performance of governments worldwide in key public service areas. The data were analyzed using five dimensions: adaptability, talent, digitalization, governance, and impact. The digital copy of this edition can be downloaded directly from TKI Marketplace while the print copy is available for purchase on Amazon.

The Sustainability Edition offers valuable information and analysis on how to effectively apply sustainable practices to business operations and strategy, as well as measuring and evaluating the impact of such efforts on the growth of the business and the wider society. Readers can grab a copy on TKI Marketplace or Amazon.

The Data Analytics Edition provides insights into applying data analytics to transform business operations, develop robust strategies, improve decision-making, and enhance performance management. This edition can be accessed through TKI Marketplace or Amazon.

The Government Edition explores the public sector’s multifaceted approach to strategy and performance management and reviews standards and concepts behind the tools and techniques governments use in planning strategies and measuring performance. Those interested can secure a copy via TKI Marketplace or Amazon.

For the first quarter of 2024, readers can look forward to editions covering employee performance and strategy management. Stay updated and be the first to access them by following TKI’s LinkedIn page.

In the PERFORMANCE Magazine Issue No. 27, 2023 – Government Edition, The KPI Institute was given the opportunity to connect with Michael Jacobson, Deputy Director for Performance and Strategy in King County’s Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget, through a written interview and discuss government strategy and performance management, focusing on people, processes, and public service.

TKI: What key trends have shaped the public sector in recent years, and how have they influenced governmental practices and policies?

Jacobson: Increasing complexity and cross-sectoral issues: the hardest problems to solve are not technical or even financial but cut across multiple sectors and social dimensions. They also require political agreement or at least alignment. The public sector cannot solve issues like homelessness, climate change, or poverty alone. The need for cross-sectoral collaboration is required.

Demographics: this applies to the increasing diversity of the populations we serve and the changing expectations of new generations and their relationship to work, especially if they want to work in the public sector. This requires a more racially diverse workforce and a more responsive stance as an employer to adapt to changing market conditions. This has also reinforced the need for governments to improve equity in services and policies (process, distributional, and results).

Accountability and limited resources: increased public accountability and constrained resources have required governments to focus on management systems, including performance management and Lean, to deliver results.

TKI: In your observations in general, what do you think about how well governments manage their performance in terms of strategy planning and performance monitoring?

Jacobson: Some are doing a fantastic job developing strategic plans, cascading strategy down to the organization, and tracking performance to targets. Some are doing little of these things and primarily reacting to issues. The majority are doing one or two major planning and monitoring efforts, maybe inconsistently or in specific departments only and not at an enterprise scale.

A complete strategic planning-monitoring-improvement cycle (or a complete Plan-Do-Check-Adjust cycle) is not a small thing. It has taken us years to have the key elements in place at the enterprise level in King County. There are still many opportunities to improve, whether using targets more consistently or being more results-focused when performance differs from where it needs to be.

Dive deeper into Jacobson’s perspectives on the latest trends in strategy and performance management in the government sector today. Check out the cover story of the newest issue of PERFORMANCE Magazine. Visit the TKI Marketplace for a free digital copy and Amazon for an additional printed version of the magazine.