The practice of dialogue is a key learning mechanism used by public organizations. While several authors have emphasized the learning potential embedded in dialogues, there is a clear gap in current knowledge regarding how management controls are used to influence learning in performance dialogues and, through them, organizational behavior. To provide new theoretical ideas and practical illustrations of the topic, this chapter examines learning and management controls in the context of performance dialogues. Performance dialogue refers to the performance management process in which public servants use dialogue methods to discuss and share their interpretations of performance information with each other while identifying actions required to improve performance. During this dialogue, knowledge about organizational performance and future actions is stored in the minds of the public servants.

The analysis in the chapter showed that by using controls to steer learning in performance dialogues, one could control the organizational behavior. Thus, learning can be used as a control tool to enforce managerial control in performance dialogues. It is important to understand how management controls affect learning in performance dialogues and how this learning controls the organizational behavior because controlled learning may or may not serve organizational goals and the well-being of societies. For academics and practitioners, the study demonstrates the complex relationship between management controls and learning during performance dialogues while arguing that one cannot ignore these relationships as they affect learning. In addition, the results provide practical tools for developing management control systems and organizational learning.