Developing Benchmarks for Guiding CAO Performance

This article reviews a research study on developing performance benchmarks to guide Chief Administrative Officer performance in Nova Scotia. The study collected examples of excellent and substandard performance from 22 individuals who were CAOs, members of Council, or provincial advisors. The information was content analysed, revealing 13 competency areas, illustrating four types of competencies. A practical aspect of this study is the suggestion that the competencies might be arranged in a semicausal logic model (or Competency Scorecard, similar to the Balanced Scorecard) and that performance measures might include outcome and activity measures. The framework might guide researchers in calibrating the linkage between competencies and organisational performance measures.