EFAG Seminar with Dr Andrea Mennicken (LSE)

Dignifying Performance Measurement in Modern Slavery Survivor Care

Abstract

This seminar will focus on sustainability and accountability in NGOs. The seminar focus is on an internal reform project of the organizational performance measurement system, which sought to imbue the externally imposed contractual accountability measures (KPIs) with the values the organization held, particularly those underpinning trauma-informed and survivor-centric care. We examine the interplay of dissonance and resonance between organizational values and externally imposed performance measures and observe different activities aimed at reinfusing the externally demanded measures with organizational values. We develop the notion of ‘dignifying measurement’ to problematize and theorize the process by which the organization tinkers with these performance measures to give expression to resonant values and subdue perceived dissonances. Through ‘dignifying measurement’, we capture both the process by which measures are tinkered with and how the resulting measures are envisioned to give expression to resonant values and subdue dissonances. This study holds relevance for practitioners, policymakers, and academics involved in the development and interpretation of measures for values. The seminar's focus on aligning organizational values with externally imposed accountability measures directly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to peace, justice, and strong institutions (Goal 16) and partnerships for the goals (Goal 17).

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