The failed implementation of performance management in Irish central government

Ireland's Strategic Management Initiative was launched in 1994 and aimed to improve public services delivery. In line with public sector reforms in other countries, it placed strong emphasis on performance management in public sector organisations. Initiatives stressed the need for strategic planning and performance monitoring. The overall impact of these reforms was disappointing, with the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development reporting in 2008 that the Irish public sector lacked a performance culture. This paper utilizes a series of interviews with senior managers in order to identify why performance management did not gain traction and our contribution highlights the complex contextual factors which undermined this agenda.