The Balanced Scorecard: A Performance Lever for Public Organizations

Abstract

In a constantly changing world, public organisations are faced with the need to assess their performance. Unlike profit-driven private companies, they need to deliver quality services while optimising the use of public funds and meeting social and political objectives. To meet this challenge, they are turning to the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), an innovative tool for assessing overall performance using a variety of indicators.

This article presents an exploratory theoretical and conceptual study of performance in public organisations. It then explores the theoretical underpinnings of BSC, defining the concept and outlining its underlying principles. Finally, the article examines how BSC is applied to measure the performance of public organisations.

The aim of this exploration is to highlight the potential of the Balanced Scorecard as an essential tool for guiding public organisations towards achieving their objectives and sustainable results. It offers a tailored response to the complex and specific needs of the public sector, fostering continuous improvement in a constantly changing environment.

Keywords: Performance, Balanced Scorecard, Public organisations

JEL Classification: H11

Paper type: Theoretical Research