Performance management systems help organizations to measure, control, and improve activities to achieve strategic goals. The overall aim is to establish a high-performance culture in which individuals and teams work for the continuous improvement of processes and of their own skills and contributions within a framework provided by effective leadership. Aligned with the transformation program of the APO, new areas and knowledge that contribute to effective governance through the adoption of advanced performance management systems in public-sector organizations in the region are being explored.

As part of that effort, the APO organized a workshop on Advanced Performance Management for Modern Public-sector Organizations, 19–23 May, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, hosted by the National Productivity Organisation (NPO) under the Ministry of Industries. The workshop reviewed and assessed existing performance management of governments in member countries and formulated strategic plans to promote the adoption of advanced systems adoption in public-sector organizations. The ultimate goal is improved governance effectiveness and making public-sector organizations in the region future-ready. The 21 individuals who attended all represented different public-sector agencies from 11 member economies and are thus in positions to create multiplier effects.

Three international resource persons and one local one made presentations and led discussions: Dr. Wouter Van Dooren, Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp, Belgium; Director Dr. Nowood Park, Center for Performance Evaluation & Management, Korea Institute of Public Finance; Dr. John Antony Xavier, National University of Malaysia Graduate School of Business; and Former Senior Secretary Shyam Sundar Sikder, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Bangladesh.

Chief Guest Secretary Md. Abdul Halim of the Ministry of Industries, Bangladesh, gave opening remarks, in which he noted that, “Over the past couple of decades, there has been a revolution in performance management systems.” He went on to describe steps taken under Vision 2021 of Bangladesh to ensure good governance, under which improved performance management was vital. The welcome remarks by NPO Director for Bangladesh and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Industries, S.M. Ashrafuzzaman emphasized how better governance leads to higher productivity and competitiveness and “has a direct bearing on the welfare of citizens.”

The Bangladesh Public Administration Training Center hosted a visit by participants, who examined its operations and incorporated selected practices into action plans drafted for their own public-sector organizations. After assisting in the development of those drafts, resource person Dr. Van Dooren commented that “the richness of different practices” in participants’ countries “allowed for a good discussion on how performance management plays out in different contexts.” There was a general consensus among resource persons and participants that the APO should organize similar national-level workshops on the topic given its current importance.