Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Public sector organisations have to deliver quality services to the people amid budgetary cuts and public disenchantment with the public sector. Delivering these services in the face of dwindling resources has led public sector organisations to introduce performance improvement initiatives in an endeavour to do more with less. The government of Botswana introduced a raft of performance improvement initiatives such as WITS, O & M and Job Evaluation in the public sector with the sole objective of improving performance and driving public service delivery. However, despite the implementation of these initiatives, there was increasing concern that the quality of the delivery of public services was declining. These performance improvement initiatives were criticised for failing to make any meaningful impact on organisational performance, as the problems of poor service delivery remained unchanged. The failure of these earlier public sector reforms to improve organisational performance led the government to introduce a more comprehensive and holistic reform programme, PMS, guided by the national vision – Vision 2016 – in 1999. PMS was seen as the overall framework within which all previous reform initiatives could be integrated. This research sought to determine whether the objectives of PMS of DTA were being realised, given that previous public sector reforms had been deemed to have failed to actually raise organisational performance. A case study of DTA was therefore undertaken to describe the extent to which PMS had delivered on its objectives. Data collection was through structured self-administered questionnaires, comprising 14 closed-ended questions, one ranked question and one open-ended question. This was also augmented by documentary analysis of official reports such as the Annual Statements of Accounts (ASA). The research found that PMS had succeeded only in so far as communicating DTA’s vision, mission and values across the department. There was awareness of PMS within DTA. However, the system had not succeeded in improving DTA’s organisational performance, as it was hampered by various challenges such as lack of leadership commitment, the difficulty in implementing the system and lack of feedback on organisational performance. Recommendations are also made for enhancing DTA’s PMS to actually realise its objectives of improving organisational performance. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar word van openbare sektor organisasies verwag om kwaliteit dienste aan die publiek te lewer te midde van ingekorte begrotings en openbare ontnugtering rakende die openbaresektor. In ‘n poging om hierdie dienste te lewer ten spyte van beperkte hulpbronne stel openbaresektor organisasies inisiatiewe in om werkverrigting te verbeter en sodoende meer koste-doeltreffend te werk. Die regering van Botswana het ‘n aantal inisiatiewe, byvoorbeeld Werk Verbetering Spanne (WITS), Organisering en Metodes (O&M) en Posevaluering, in die openbaresektor geïmplementeer met die uitsluitlike doel om werkverrigting te verbeter en openbare dienslewering te dryf. Ten spyte hiervan was daar egter toenemende kommer dat die kwaliteit van dienslewering toenemend verswak. Bogenoemde inisiatiewe is gekritiseer dat hulle gefaal het om enige noemenswaardige impak op organisatoriese prestasie te toon, aangesien probleme rakende swak dienslewering onveranderd was. Die versuim van hierdie aanvanklike hervormings in die openbaresektor om organisatoriese prestasie te verbeter, het daartoe aanleiding gegee dat die regering in 1999 ‘n meer omvattende en holistiese hervormingsprogram, die Prestasie Bestuur Stelsel (PMS), ingestel het, gelei deur die nasionale visie – ‘Vision 2016’. Die PMS is gesien as die omvattende raamwerk waarbinne al die vorige hervormingsinisiatiewe geïntegreer kon word. Hierdie navorsing het gepoog om vas te stel of die doelstellings van die PMS in die Departement van Stam Administrasie realiseer, siende vorige openbaresektor hervormings nie geslaag het om organisatoriese prestasie te verbeter nie. ‘n Gevallestudie van die departement is onderneem om die mate waarin die PMS se doelstellings bereik is te beskryf. Dataversameling is gedoen deur gestruktureerde, selfgeadministreerde vraelyste, bestaande uit 14 geslote vrae, een ranglysvraag en een oopvraag. Dit is aangevul deur dokumentêre analise van amptelike verslae soos Jaarlikse Rekeningstate. Die navorsing het gevind dat die PMS slegs in dié mate geslaag het dat mense dwarsdeur die departement bewusgemaak is van die departement se visie, missie en waardes. Hoewel mense bewus was van die prestasiebestuurstelsel, bevind die navorsing geen daadwerklike verbetering in organisatoriese prestasie nie, aangesien dit belemmer word deur verskeie uitdagings, soos gebrekkige toewyding deur leiers, probleme met die implementering van die sisteem en die tekort aan terugvoer rakende organisatoriese prestasie. Die navorsing stel sekere aanbevelings voor om die departement se prestasiebestuursisteem te verbeter om die doelstelling om organisatoriese prestasie te verwesenlik.