Performance Management in the Thai Government: A Case Study of Seven Departments under the Ministry of Industry

Abstract

This article presents the results of the implementation of performance management in departments under the Ministry of Industry from 2004 - 2016. The research examines the process of performance management, consistency of performance management in the Thai context, and the role of the central government agency, the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC). A qualitative research method was employed, using document reviews and in-depth interviews with 66 key informants, consisting of government officials from seven departments of the Ministry of Industry, the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC), and academics.

The findings show that implementation of the performance agreement in the Ministry of Industry’s departments is not congruent with the purpose of the performance measurement, which is to improve the performance of public servants and provide higher-quality service to the people. The performance agreement has been implemented in the government agencies using the same set of performance measures, although the role and mission of each agency is different. Therefore, the implementation of performance management in each department of the Ministry of Industry faces problems with respect to key performance indicators. The article concludes by suggesting some guidelines for performance management in Thai government agencies, policy and implementation recommendations, and future research.