User perspective and performance evaluation in inter-organisational relationships in public services

The research focus of the dissertation lies in how to measure performance through the user perspective, or in other words how to develop performance measurement systems including the point of view of the user. The evaluation of inter-organisational performance is a widely investigated and debated area of research, but it still poses several open questions due to its complexity. Measuring inter-organisational performance is of utmost importance in order to provide managers with a more objective as possible tool able to support them in the analysis of the convenience of maintaining a business-related relationship (Provan & Sydow, 2008). In addition, measuring and evaluating inter-organisational performance play a central role for improving the overall performance of the inter-organisational relationship and the value generated for the end-user (Cepiku, 2017). Until now, many studies have been conducted on service evaluation by the final costumer, whereas less attention has been given to investigating perceptions of an organisational customer involved in an inter-organisational relationship. The organisational user perspective plays a central role in the overall performance of the inter-organisational relationship, and this performance reflects on the final user perception about the service received. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to consider the inter-organisational user perspective when dealing with inter-organisational performance. Coherently, the present dissertation aims at addressing the following main research question: “How could the organisational user perspective be integrated in performance evaluation systems in the public sector?”.