Purpose – This paper undertakes a structured literature review to analyse the literature on performance
management and measurement (PMM) in universities over the last four decades. Over that time, PMM has
emerged as an influential force in universities that impacts their operations and redefines their identity.
Design/methodology/approach – A structured literature review approach was used to analyse a sample of
articles on PMM research from a broad range of disciplines over four decades. This was undertaken to
understand the impacts ofPMMpractices on universities, highlight changes over time and point to avenues for
future research.
Findings – The analysis highlights the fact that research on PMM in universities has grown significantly over
the 40 years studied.We provide an overview of published articles over four decades regarding content, themes,
theories, methods and impacts.We provide an empirical basis for discussing past, present and future university
PMM research. The future research avenues offer multiple provocations for scholars and policymakers, for
instance, PMM implementation strategies and relationships with various government programs and external
evaluation and the role of different actors, particularly academics, in shaping PMM systems.
Originality/value – Unlike a traditional literature review, the structured literature review method can
develop insights into how the field has changed over time and highlight possible future research. The sample
for this literature review differs from previous reviews in covering a broad range of disciplines, including
accounting.