8 ◾ Organizational Assessment and Improvement in the Public Sector
government programs and the laws or regulations that implement them con-
tain complex regulatory provisions that all but ensure that these services will
never be completely efficient. Initially, it may seem logical to think that it is
more important to be effective. The mission of any agency presumes effec-
tiveness. However, efficiency can’t be overlooked. Being efficient maximizes
the available resources, and can also free up resources, which, in turn, can
lead to expanded services and an increased ability to meet goals. It’s no won-
der that the challenge of evaluating government performance is so difficult.
What Is Organizational Assessment?
The question becomes how to det