Wired but not woven: a system of systems review of public-sector performance measurement and management under complexity

This study examines how Performance Measurement and Management (PMM) is designed and reported in complex public-sector settings, framing PMM as an operational planning, coordination, and control capability in multi-unit environments. Using a PRISMA-based systematic literature review, we analyse 116 Web of Science articles published between 2017 and 2025. Evidence is structured through the Context, Intervention, Mechanism and Outcome (CIMO) framework and assessed through a System of Systems (SoS) lens based on Autonomy, Belonging, Connectivity, Diversity and Emergence. Findings show that reported PMM designs more often support learning-oriented control and plural information use than routine cross-unit coordination. Diversity and Emergence are strongly represented, Belonging is substantial but often partial, and Autonomy remains bounded by central targets and compliance requirements. Connectivity is the persistent weak point: even where benchmarking and data infrastructures are reported, evidence of enacted interoperability and recurring inter-unit coupling remains limited. The study identifies a translation gap between technically enabled systems and operationally integrated control arrangements, offering a transferable SoS-informed design grammar and practical priorities for strengthening connectivity, feedback loops and adaptive improvement.