Opportunism in Performance Goal Setting in the Public Sector: Evidence from South Korea

Abstract

This study examines the circumstances under which public organizations establish easy performance goals, analyzing nationwide data collected from cabinet departments in central and local government agencies in South Korea. Several factors have been identified as contributing to the tendency of public organizations to set easily achievable goals. Firstly, local governments tend to establish less challenging performance standards compared to central government agencies. Secondly, public organizations with higher financial resources per employee ratios are inclined to set easy performance goals. Lastly, the presence of a strong innovation-oriented culture or transparency requirements decreases the likelihood of setting easy performance goals.