| Summary: | Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the New Information Economy, government institutions must reorganise
themselves to leverage their resources for sustainable growth and to compete in the
global market place. According to some authors, successful organisations tend to be
those that rely on their ability to innovate, use information constructively and leverage
employee competencies to create sustainable growth rather than focusing on buildings
and machines. In this research, the effective use of an Information Orientation
Strategy for the improvement of service delivery in the South African government
departments and in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in
particular, will be investigated.
Some private organisations and a few public organisations have learned to use
information effectively to achieve higher business performance. However, a sizeable
number of public organisations are still operating within the paradigm of the old
economy. The latter organisations, through their leadership, must learn to ensure that
information is used to compete effectively throughout the organisation. They must
start to collect information about the activities of their: competitors, clients and
alliance partners in order to improve services, grow partnerships, and to respond to
clients and customers in a more intelligent and speedier manner. The change in the
effective use of information in an organisation starts at the top - that is, with the
mindset and attitude of senior management. They need to start viewing information as
a valuable resource which through interaction with information capabilities, form an
information orientation (IO), which can predict and improve business performance. In
order to attain a mature IO, an organisation must concurrently improve all the
dimensions of the IO paradigm, namely: information management practices,
information technology practices and information behaviours and values. The drive to a mature IO must be people-centred, to ensure that such people are
predisposed to a culture of proactive use of information and sharing. This requires
leadership to: develop corporate information values and behavioural norms;
demonstrate such information behaviours in conducting their duties; provide competency training for improving skills and knowledge and link the two to
performance management; introduce incentives and monetary and non-monetary
rewards to reinforce the new values. This, in turn, will pave the way for the
implementation of good information management practices and the use of information
technology to support new initiatives. An organisation, by following this path, will be
able to attain a higher IO and from this, an improved level of business performance
such as: a superior organisational image and reputation, better service innovation,
superior financial performance and greater business/service growth.
The transition to the IO paradigm must commence with leadership providing an
overarching information strategy to map out how the organisation intends to create
value from its information-based assets. In the process of developing an information
strategy, senior management must, amongst other aspects, evaluate the organisation’s
strategic and capability mix, review the relationships between the strategic priorities
and information capabilities, and determine how they will replace some of the
traditional/outdated organisation capabilities and to implement an informationcapabilities
maximisation effect. Most importantly, it must set the agenda for action
and ensure its implementation and renewal. Information, as an important resource for
an organisation, requires a strategy of its own. It is no longer feasible in the New
Information Economy to manage successfully without a fully integrated information
strategy on how an organisation will generate value from its information assets. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die Nuwe Informasie Ekonomie word daar van organisasies verwag om hulself te
herorganiseer om sodoende die hefboom effek van hul hulpbronne in die globale
mark omgewing optimaal te benut vir ‘n kompeterende voordeel. Volgens sommige
skrywers, word suksesvolle organisasies gekenmerk as diesulkes wat voortdurend
staatmaak op hul vermoëns om te innoveer, om informasie konstruktief te gebruik en
om hul werknemer bevoeghede te hefboom om volhoubare groei te bewerkstellig
eerder as om staat te maak op geboue en masjinerie. Sommige private sektor
organisasies en ‘n klein aantal publieke sektor organisasies het al geleer om beter
besigheidsprestasie te bereik deur informasie effektief te gebruik. Daar is egter nog ‘n
groot aantal publieke sektor organisasies wat nog steeds hul besigheid bedryf binne
die paradigma van die ou ekonomie.
Laasgenoemde organisasies moet deur beter leierskap leer om informasie regdeur die
organisasie vlakke te gebruik om effektief te kan meeding. Hulle moet begin deur
informasie te versamel oor die aktiwiteite van hulle konkurente, kliënte en alliansie
vennote om sodoende beter dienslewering te verseker en om vennootskappe met
kliente te groei vir die ontwikkeling van slimmer en vinniger metodes. Die
verandering na ‘n fokus op die effektiewe gebruik van informasie in ‘n organisasie
begin bo, m.a.w. die houding en ingesteldheid van senior bestuur t.o.v. informasie
gebruik. Dit is nodig dat hierdie sektor, toenemend informasie as ‘n waardevolle
hulpbron, waardeur interaksie met informasie vermoëns, ‘n informasie oriëntasie
(IO), wat prestasie kan voorspel en verbeter, gevestig kan word. Vir ‘n organisasie om
‘n volwasse IO te bereik, moet so ‘n organisasie gelykmatig aan al die dimensies van
die IO paradigma, naamlik, goeie informasie bestuurs praktyk, goeie informasie
tegnologie praktyk en goeie gedrag en waardes t.o.v. informasie, voldoen. Die strewe
na IO volwassenheid moet egter mens-gesentreerd wees, om te verseker dat
werknemers van ‘n organisasie voortdurend bedag sal wees op ‘n pro-aktiewe kultuur
t.o.v. die gebruik en verdeling van informasie. Om dit te kan vermag sal leierskap benodig word wat, ko-operatiewe informasie waardes en gedrag in die uitvoering van
pligte beklemtoon; wat bevoegdheidsopleiding vir die verbetering van bedrewenheid en kennis sal voorsien; wat koppeling met prestasie van voorafgaande sal instel en
wat insentiewe en vergoeding, beide finansieel en nie-finansieel, vir die uitleef van
die nuwe waardes sal aanbied. Op sy beurt sal dit die weg baan vir die
implementering van goeie informasie bestuurspraktyk en die gebruik van goeie
informasie tegnologie om steun te gee aan die nuwe inisiatiewe, bewerkstellig.‘n
Organisasie wat hierdie strategie volg om ‘n beter IO en ‘n beter besigheidsprestasie
te behaal sal dan daadwerklik ook ‘n superieure organisasie beeld en reputasie, beter
dienslewerings innovasie en beter besigheidsgroei demonstreer.
Die oorgang na die IO paradigma moet by leierskap begin; leierskap wat ‘n oorhoofse
informasie strategie, wat aandui hoe die organisasie van plan is om hierdie waarde uit
sy informasie-gebaseerde bates te kan skep, daar sal stel. Gedurende die informasie
strategie ontwikkelings proses moet senior bestuur onder andere die organisasie se
strategiese vermoëns mengsel evalueer en die verwantskappe tussen die strategiese
prioriteite en die informasie bevoegdheid evalueer en dan bepaal hoe hulle van die
tradisionele/uitgediende vermoëns gaan vervang om ‘n informasie vermoënsmaksimaliserings
effek te verkry. Baie belangrik is die daarstelling van ‘n agenda vir
aksie en om die implementering vir hernuwing daarvan te verseker. Kortliks gestel,
informasie as ‘n belangrike hulpbron en bate vir die organisasie verdien ‘n strategie
van sy eie. Dit is nie meer moontlik om in die era van die Nuwe Ekonomie suksesvol
te bestuur sonder om ‘n geïntegreerde strategie van hoe die organisasie waarde uit sy
informasie bates wil genereer daar te stel nie.
In hierdie navorsing word die effektiewe gebruik van ‘n informasie oriëntasie
strategie vir die verbetering van dienslewering in die Suid Afrikaanse publieke sektor
in die algemeen en in die Department of International Relations and Cooperation,
meer spesifiek, ondersoek.
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