Coping with targets: performance measurement in The Netherlands police

Coping with targets: performance measurement in The Netherlands police

Hoogenboezem, J. A., &Hoogenboezem, D. (2005) ‘Coping with targets: performance measurement in The Netherlands police’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 54 (7), pp. 568–578.

Evaluate the findings of the authors in regards to the validity of introducing performance contracts into a branch of government in The Netherlands. Analyse the effectiveness of the performance measurement system discussed in terms of crime and employee satisfaction. Support your argument with evidence from the study and other real examples where possible

 Solution 

Aguinis (2013) illustrates that performance measurement in an organization is usually crucial when it comes to ensuring that the objectives of the organization are realized.   Therefore, through performance measurement, an organization can be able to determine the performance of each employee, which can be used in rewarding them. Nevertheless, various performance measurement methods can have serious effects on the performance of the employees. Taking this into consideration, this paper is devoted to look at the performance contracts introduced to the Dutch police, and their effectiveness in the country.

The Findings of the Authors

The introduction of performance contracts in the police forces in Netherlands was remarkable as well as merit attention.  Before that time, the authors indicate that the primary approach in regards to policing in the country was community policing. This is where police in the country were addressing various social issues in the country. Additionally, during this period, the police did not have substantial amount of freedom when it came to decision making.  Instead of aiming for the best measure, the authors indicate that the political system in the country was aiming at the most acceptable measure. Additionally, the work of the police in the country seemed averse to targets owing to the fact that police did not only act in crimes they find, but also prevent unknown number of crimes across the country.

In light if of the findings of the Hoogenboezem and Hoogenboezem (2005), the police in Netherlands were using performance contracts because the politicians in the country wanted them to so.  In this regard, the author found out that a fierce debate regarding performance of public institutions especially the police forces was central in the election campaign of 2002.  In….Please click http://writers-corp.net