Performance Management for Wicked Problems

Abstract

In this essay, I reflect on my past experiences as a frontline child welfare caseworker. Now, as a public administration scholar, I am frequently confronted with the juxtaposition between theories I am learning and casework practice I remember. Over the past 100 years, child welfare has evolved from a private to a public responsibility. Performance management is an important part of public management. This charge is complicated in the context of "wicked problems" like child maltreatment. I argue that while performance management is a critical component of continued improvement for the field, success cannot be achieved without deliberate inclusion of frontline caseworkers. Performance management must be injected into the reflection and action of team and agency learning if it is to meaningfully influence and improve process and outcomes for children and families affected by the child welfare system.