ABSTRACT
The chapter elaborates on performance regimes and the notions of performance in the public, private, and hybrid settings of organisations. It deals with fundamental ambiguities in both making things measurable and in enabling institutional action through measurements. The chapter begins with a discussion of the nature of performance in an organised activity, which is then applied in the examination of performance regimes in public, private, and hybrid organisations alike. Discussion of measurement principles precedes the case illustrations of hybrid universities and public-private pension systems. The chapter describes the three E's – economy, efficiency, and effectiveness – and their conceptual extensions serve as a common ground for understanding, comparing, and measuring performance in these different domains. The concept of performance is subject to distinct, contrasting, and polysemic interpretations. A comparison of performance dimensions in the public sector, business firms, and hybrid activities provides a few important aspects for understanding hybrid performance.
