Performance-measurement systems as actors and boundary objects: a sociomaterial perspective to the provision of prison services

Abstract

The paper explores the performance-measurement systems (PMSs) used in the provision of prison services (and their non-human agent role) to reflect on: the role PMSs play in inter-organisational relationships; the boundary objects that connect human and non-human actors across inter-organisational levels; and what affordances such connections generate. The study focuses on the English prison sector, drawing on document analysis and interviews. The findings show that PMSs represent both active non-human agents and boundary objects. The positioning of the actors involved can be seen as a second-order boundary object. Moreover, PMSs can generate affordances that go beyond the initially-intended purposes.