MBO IN MUNICIPAL-GOVERNMENT - VARIATIONS ON A TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT TOOL

What is the current status of Management by Objectives (MBO) in munici pal government? The conventional wisdom in this area presents mixed si gnals. On one hand, MBO is seen as a traditional management tool which forms part of the foundation of effective public management, while at the same time it is viewed by others as being out of date, ineffectua l, and inconsistent with contemporary management thought and practice. Theodore H. Poister and Gregory Streib surveyed 520 municipal manager s to explore the usage of MBO in local government. The findings indica te not only that MBO is widely used in municipal management, but also that there is widespread variation as to how this traditional approach is used.