Strategic Performance Management in Higher Education: A Balanced Scorecard-Based Indicator Framework for Moroccan Public Universities
Abstract
Public universities are increasingly expected to improve student success, teaching quality, research performance, institutional governance, and accountability, yet the data needed for educational leadership are often fragmented across academic and administrative units. This study develops a generic performance indicator framework for strategic management in Moroccan public higher education. It adopts a conceptual modelling approach based on a reasoned synthesis of literature on higher education performance measurement, the Balanced Scorecard, public management, university governance, and quality assurance. The framework is constructed through four stages: identifying core university missions; translating them into management dimensions; formulating generic objectives; and selecting indicators linked to data sources, reporting frequency, and institutional responsibility. The resulting model comprises six complementary dimensions: teaching and learning, research, governance and educational leadership, resources, external engagement and employability, and institutional learning and improvement. It is supported by five indicator-validation criteria - relevance, reliability, comparability, actionability, and readability - and by a three-level hierarchy distinguishing strategic, tactical, and operational uses. A progressive implementation sequence is also proposed, moving from diagnosis and indicator selection to formalization, piloting, and institutionalization. The framework contributes to higher education research by connecting student-centred educational outcomes with governance, resource use, research, external engagement, and continuous improvement within a single decision-support architecture. It also highlights risks associated with information overload, metric fixation, and punitive uses of performance measures. Rather than functioning as a universal ranking or compliance tool, the framework is designed as an adaptable instrument for university leaders and academic units. Future research should empirically validate the proposed indicators through comparative case studies, interviews, Delphi procedures, or surveys across Moroccan public universities