The Frames of Performance Auditors – Theory and Original Research Method of the Belgium SAI

Frames are mental models that govern our information processing: they determine how we select facts (what we look at), how we interpret them and how much importance we attach to certain facts. This makes some of them visible, but also blinds us to other facts, it can even make us see things that are not there. Each of these perspectives can shed light on reality, but none is complete. To get a broader picture of what is going on, you need more than one lens. That is the subject of this article: with what frames do performance auditors perceive and think and how does this affect their judgments, explanations, recommendations? The message is not “to each his truth”, but reality is complex – different perspectives are needed to make as much of this reality visible as possible. Which (parts of a) frame are or are not applicable in a concrete case is ultimately an empirical question. The article is organized as follows: in the introduction the Authors explain what frames are and present the research method, next they summarize the existing literature on frames and then discuss the findings and analysis, based on three case studies. They conclude with lessons for audit practice.