Evaluating Result Based Management (RBM) and the need for complexity aware management approach for international development agencies

Result Based Management (RBM) is a widelyused management approach in international development agencies. During the lasttwo decades, there have been growing concerns regarding the rigidity of this approach; and both the scholars and practitioners have been calling for an alternate complexity aware adaptive approach. However, there remains a lackof empirical evidence to support this criticism. The objective of this study is to contribute towards this end by undertaking an empirical evaluation of the efficacy of the RBM approach and assessing the need for a flexible and adaptive approach. Since the toolto measure the implementationof RBM is not available, we at first developed and validated a toolfor measuring the implementationof RBM. Subsequently, by collecting data from 206 middle and senior levels employees of development agencies, the relationshipbetween RBM and theabilityof agencies to adapt has been tested. The validity of the instrument was established through exploratory factor analysis and hypotheses were tested by regression analysis. The findings showed that RBM negatively affects the adaptability of development agencies and hence calls for developing an alternate flexible and adaptive approach hold merit.