An assessment of managerial knowledge, skills and attitudes required for implementing performance management system for organisational performance at Newcastle Municipality

• Main Author: Bhengu, Muzomuhle
• Other Authors: Ndevu, Zwelinzima
• Format: Others
• Language: en_ZA
• Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2015
• Subjects: Municipal government > South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal > Evaluation; Employees > Rating of > South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal; Performance standards > South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal; Total quality management in government > South Africa > KwaZulu-Natal; UCTD
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/97052

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa, Performance Management Systems (PMSs) are widely implemented in municipalities to monitor and evaluate service delivery mechanisms for the purpose of improving organisational performance. The implementation of an effective PMS depends on several factors, including human elements. Therefore, the purpose of this research at Newcastle Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal was to assess the available managerial knowledge, skills and attitudes required for implementing an effective PMS for organisational performance. A qualitative research design was employed to describe the performance management processes currently implemented at Newcastle Municipality and the characteristics of these processes. A quantitative survey method was useful for collecting data and for precluding the management and performance practitioners identified through a stratified sampling method from providing data that was not within the scope of this research. The research found that managerial knowledge and skills were available and adequate at Newcastle Municipality. Despite these findings, there was a minor but significant need to improve existing managerial skills. Furthermore, the research uncovered mixed reactions towards managerial attitudes and it was difficult to determine the purpose of the implementation of PMS at the municipality and the attitude of members towards it. This was because the majority of respondents provided neutral responses to the question of whether there was a lack of positive attitude towards PMS from members in the organisation and because an equal number of respondents agreed and disagreed that PMS was implemented to comply with legislation rather than used as an internal control measure. Other attitudinal data contradicted the abovementioned findings on managerial knowledge and skills owing to the common feeling among respondents that knowledge and skills pertaining to the implementation of PMS were lacking in the municipality and that the municipality did not have the capacity or sufficient resources to implement PMS. It was concluded that the interaction between performance managers and existing Knowledge Management (KM) sharing practices at Newcastle Municipality probably contributed to an increase in managerial knowledge and skills. Future research is proposed to confirm this assumption. Furthermore, owing to discrepancies in feedback on managerial attitudes, the entire study conducted at Newcastle Municipality should be replicated in a similar setting in order to improve the reliability of its findings. It is recommended that future research should utilise a combination of quantitative and qualitative data-collection methods to grant participants the opportunity to explain their rationale for indicating a particular attitude in the questionnaire. This will also assist prospective researchers to formulate a specific viewpoint of respondents’ attitudes towards the implementation of an effective PMS, which will contribute to the corpus of scientific knowledge about PMSs by highlighting the real causes of PMS implementation failure. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Suid-Afrika word prestasiebestuurstelsels (PBS’e) algemeen in munisipaliteite geïmplementeer om dienslewerigsmeganismes te monitor en te evalueer. Die doel hiervan is om organisatoriese prestasie te verbeter. Die implementering van ʼn effektiewe PBS berus op verskeie faktore, onder andere menslike elemente. Daarom was die doel van hierdie navorsing om kennis, vaardighede en ingesteldheid met betrekking tot bestuur, wat verlang word om ʼn effektiewe PBS in munisipaliteite te implementeer, te assesseer ten einde organisatoriese prestasie te verbeter. Hierdie studie is by Newcastle Munisipaliteit in KwaZulu-Natal uitgevoer. ʼn Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp is gebruik om die prestasiebestuurprosesse wat tans by Newcastle Munisipaliteit geïmplementeer word, asook die eienskappe van hierdie prosesse, te beskryf. ʼn Kwantitatiewe opname is gedoen om data in te samel en te verhoed dat bestuurders en prestasiepraktisyns, wat deur ʼn gestratifiseerde steekproefmetode geïdentifiseer is, data voorsien wat buite die bestek van hierdie navorsing val. Daar is deur middel van hierdie navorsing bevind dat kennis en vaardighede ten opsigte van bestuur sowel beskikbaar as voldoende is by Newcastle Munisipaliteit. Ten spyte van hierdie bevinding, is daar bepaal dat daar wel ʼn klein, maar beduidende behoefte daaraan is om bestaande bestuursvaardighede te verbeter. Verder het die navorsing gemengde reaksies ten opsigte van bestuursingesteldheid ontlok en dit was moeilik om te bepaal wat die doel van die implementering van ʼn PBS in die munisipaliteit is en wat lede van die organisasie se ingesteldheid teenoor hierdie stelsel is. Die rede hiervoor is dat die meeste respondente ʼn neutrale stand ingeneem het teenoor organisasielede se moontlike tekort aan ʼn positiewe ingesteldheid teenoor die PBS en omdat dieselfde hoeveelheid respondente beweer en daarvan verskil dat die PBS geïmplementeer is om aan wetgewing te voldoen eerder as om gebruik te word as ʼn interne beheermaatreël. Ander data oor ingesteldheid het die bogenoemde bevindinge oor bestuurders se kennis en vaardighede weerspreek, aangesien respondente oor die algemeen voel dat kennis en vaardighede om ʼn PBS in die munisipaliteit te implementeer, te kort skiet en dat die munisipaliteit nie die kapasiteit en genoegsame hulpbronne het om ʼn PBS te implementeer nie. Daar is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat prestasiebestuurders en die bestaande praktyk by Newcastle Munisipaliteit om kennisbestuur te deel, waarskynlik bygedra het tot ʼn toename in bestuurskennis en -vaardighede. Verdere navorsing oor die onderwerp word aanbeveel om hierdie aanname te bevestig. As gevolg van die teenstrydighede in terugvoer oor bestuursingesteldheid, word daar aanbeveel dat verdere navorsing onderneem moet word waarin die hele studie wat by Newcastle Munisipaliteit onderneem is, in ʼn soortgelyke omgewing gerepliseer word. Dit sal die betroubaarheid van studie se bevindinge kan verbeter. Vir die doel hiervan word daar aanbeveel dat verdere navorsing van ʼn kombinasie van kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe data-insamelingsmetodes gebruik moet maak om aan deelnemers die geleentheid te bied om te kan verduidelik waarom hulle ʼn bepaalde ingesteldheid in die vraelys aangedui het. Voornemende navorsers sal ook hierdeur in staat gestel word om ʼn spesifieke perspektief oor respondente se houdings teenoor die implementering van ʼn effektiewe PBS te formuleer. Dit sal bydra tot die korpus van wetenskaplike kennis oor PBS’e deur die werklike redes aan die lig te bring waarom die implementering van ʼn PBS kan misluk.