Browsing by Subject "Management Development"

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    Changing Conceptions of Public ‘Management’ and Public Sector Reform in South Africa
    (International Public Management Network, 2015) Naidoo, Vinothan
    South Africa’s political transition to democratic rule was the catalyst for ambitious public sector reform efforts, which sought to restructure the organisational and personnel profile of the state. A key aim of this process was to enhance the state’s management capacity to steer a far-reaching socio-economic policy agenda, which drew on the principles and tools of comparative public management practice as it had evolved globally and intellectually. This article examines how South Africa’s policy commitment to management reform can be characterised in comparative terms, and twenty years on, assess if and how this commitment has materialised in practice. I will argue that the South African case exhibits a confusing and directionless mix of traditional management control and unconsummated NPM advocacy. Although this is generally consistent with NPM practice in developing countries, I will propose that there are at least three specific elements that lend texture to the South African case, namely, capacity, commitment and capture.
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    The management whisperer: Ensuring organisational sustainability, viability and competitive advantage through management development via a practice based future fit talent pipeline
    (2017) Harmse, Ingrid; Ryan, Tom
    The researcher was appointed into the position of General Manager within the Clothing and General Merchandise Supply Chain in a large retail organisation as part of a transformation strategy to turn around a business unit which had historically been delivering substandard performance and had led to significant impacts on organisational performance. Despite the organisation having a number of mechanisms in place to assist line managers to manage the life cycle of an employee during their employment, the performance measures as well as selection of a talent pipeline were measured against the framework of an underperforming environment. Competence was therefore benchmarked on overrated performance against underrated goals which led to ineffective performance and no validity in talent identification. Critical Realism was chosen as an ontological philosophy. Data was generated through four research cycles and processed through grounded theory meta-synthesis methodology. Four core variables emerged from the research: Identification of inherent DNA required for talent succession development, Quality of leadership, Effectiveness of a performance plan and Leading with heart. The driving variable within the balancing loop identified in the causal mechanism was Quality of leadership which is the initial point of influence in the system, and sets off a chain of cause and effect interactions between all the other variables, resulting in either a positive or negative stabilization within this system. This research suggests interventions and mechanisms to improve performance while simultaneously developing a future fit workforce who have the ability to focus on a number of moving parts at the same time. Efficiency is created through their competence in ensuring outstanding operational performance, the engagement and effective management of staff as well as the ability to handle constant change, complexity and uncertainty. The theory built, as well as the proposed interventions and mechanisms were tested and modified within the environment and delivered significant business results. The results achieved as a result of the implementation of the theory, are therefore concrete evidence of relevance, validity and utility. Contributions to practice, theory and research are discussed in this closing chapter of this dissertation.