Performance Management Practices in Local Government Units

The general objective of this study was to assess Performance Management Practices in Ghana's Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA) with the view to determine the effect on efficiency and effectiveness of operations. The study adopted a qualitative approach and used a multiple case study design. Three MMDAs were selected, and key informants sampled and interviewed. The findings of the study indicate that MMDAs in Ghana have adopted and use PMPs in their operations with slight variations; however, central government and other stakeholder requirements play key roles in influencing how these practices are used. The findings of the study also show that PMPs have both desirable and undesirable influences on the performance of MMDAs in Ghana. Key challenges identified in relation to the use of PMPs in the selected MMDAs relate mainly to inadequate funding, partisan political influences, and negative human behavioral traits. Several benefits have been identified by the research to have accrued to MMDAs as a result of the adoption and use of PMPs. The study suggests the use of different methodologies by other researchers in order to confirm the findings.