Assessment Centres within the South African Workplace: Relationship between a Situational Judgement Test and Ability and Personality Measures.This research investigates the relationship of a specific situational judgement test, Scenarios, to that of ability and personality measures through a discriminant validation study. The Scenarios Test was developed in order to assess the construct of Managerial Judgement within the work context. Despite the fact that this instrument has demonstrated reliability and validity evidence, this has been primarily obtained within a European context. Therefore, this study will contribute towards the growing body of evidence supporting the psychometric integrity of the use of Scenarios within a South African context. Moreover, this research aims to determine whether or not a situational judgement test of Managerial Judgement provides information relating to constructs which are not sufficiently measured by ability tests and personality questionnaires. The results indicate that there is significant inter-correlation between the scales of Scenarios, but not between Scenarios and the other instruments used (cognitive ability tests and a trait personality measure). This may support the hypothesis that SJTs could measure a broader underlying construct, such as tacit knowledge, as well as the fact that they may provide unique information relating to candidates‟ potential job performance which is not provided by tests of ability and personality. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

This study evaluates the implementation of a performance management system within a division of a company operating in the pulp and paper manufacturing industry. The research has been carried out in order to establish the perceived effectiveness of a performance management system as well as to identify areas where the system can be improved upon. An empirical study was carried out in the form of an e-mailed questionnaire to approximately 350 employees at Paterson grading level Upper C to Upper 0 across all mills, covering all aspects of the performance management system which included the process of establishing individual performance agreements, performance feedback as well as performance rewards. An analysis on the relationship between salary, salary increase percentage and performance positioning was also carried out. The survey data showed an overall positive level of satisfaction with the performance management system. A shortcoming, however, was found in the link between performance and pay, which very few of the employees surveyed were satisfied with. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / To access data please use IBM SPS Statistics software. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The human resource function attempts to proactively and reactively affect the work performance of employees through advice, diagnosis and interventions in a manner that will benefit the quality of the product and service an organisation provides to the market. In this study a generic performance construct (that can be applied to non-managerial, individual positions), was defined based on previous studies in the area of generic performance. A South African performance measure was designed accordingly that can be used to obtain multi-rater assessments of the generic, non-managerial, individual performance construct. This questionnaire was validated by evaluating the fit of the measurement model, using confirmatory factor analysis. Most of the data for this study was obtained from OK Furniture. A few questionnaires were completed by a non-probability sample of non-managerial personnel from a variety of organisations. The total sample size comprised of 205 respondents. Item and dimensionality analysis was performed on the 12 subscales to assess the success with which they represented the underlying performance constructs. In the item analysis two items were identified as somewhat problematic but both were judged not to be sufficiently problematic to delete them from the GPQ. Results from the dimensionality analysis showed satisfactory evidence that the items of each subscale reflect a common underlying factor. A spectrum of goodness-of-fit statistics was used to assess the measurement model fit. The hypothesis of exact fit was rejected but the hypothesis of close fit could not be rejected (p>.05). The position that the measurement model fits the data closely in the population was found to be a tenable position. The fit indices reflected good model fit in the sample. The measurement model parameter estimates indicated that the indicator variables represented the latent performance dimensions satisfactorily. Discriminant validity was investigated. Mixed evidence on discriminant validity was obtained. The sample size of this study was satisfactory when viewed from the perspective of statistical power given the method of item parcelling that was used, but a larger and more representative sample would have been preferable in that it would have allowed the GPQ measurement model to be fitted with individual items as indicator variables. Another limitation seemed to have been the language of the questionnaire. Informal feedback suggested that some respondents, especially those that are not fluent in English, struggled to fully understand all the questions. Recommendations for future research are made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die menslike hulpbronfunksie in organisasies poog om die kwaliteit van die produk of diens wat die organisasie aan die mark lewer te verbeter deur werknemers se werksprestasie proaktief en reaktief te beïnvloed deur middel van menslike hulpbronbestuursadvies, -diagnose en -intervensies. In hierdie studie is 'n generiese prestasiekonstruk gedefinieer (gerig op individuele nie-bestuursposte) gebaseer op vorige studies van generiese prestasie. Dit is hoofsaaklik gemik op individuele nie-bestuursvlak poste. ‘n Suid Afrikaanse prestasiemeetinstrument is ontwikkel wat gebruik kan word om multi-beoordelaar assesserings van die generiese nie-bestuursprestasiekonstruk te verkry. Die vraelys is gevalideer deur, met behulp van bevestigende faktorontleding, die pasgehalte van die metingsmodel te ondersoek. Die meerderheid data vir hierdie studie is verkry vanaf die OK Furniture-kettingwinkelgroep. Enkele vraelyste is ook voltooi deur 'n nie-waarskynlikheid steekproef van nie-bestuurspersoneel van ander organisasies. Die totale steekproefgrootte het bestaan uit 205 respondente. Item- en dimensionaliteit-analise is uitgevoer op die 12 subskale om die sukses waarmee hulle die onderliggende prestasiekonstrukte verteenwoordig te evalueer. In die item-analise is twee items geïdentifiseer wat moontlik problematies kan wees maar nie sodanig problematies dat dit hul verwydering uit die GPQ regverdig het nie. Die resultate van die dimensionaliteit-analise het aangetoon dat die items van elke subskaal inderdaad redelik bevredigend ’n gemeenskaplike onderliggende faktor reflekteer. 'n Spektrum van pasgehaltestatistiek is gebruik om die pasgehalte van die metingsmodel te beoordeel. Die hipotese dat die model die data perfek pas is verwerp, maar die hipotese van benaderde passing kon nie verwerp word nie (p>.05). Die pasgehalte maatstawwe dui op goeie modelpassing in die steekproef. Die skattings van die metingsmodelparameters dui daarop dat die aanwyserveranderlikes die prestasie-dimensies bevredigend verteenwoordig. Diskriminantgeldigheid is ondersoek. Gemengde bewyse van diskriminantgeldigheid is verkry. Beskou vanuit die perspektief van statistiese krag was die steekproefgrootte van hierdie studie bevredigende (gegewe die gebruik van item pakkies) ‘n Groter en meer verteenwoordigende steekproef sou egter wenslik gewees het insoverre dit die passing van die GPQ metingsmodel met individuele items sou toelaat. ‘n Verdere oënskynlike beperking was die vraelys se taalgebruik. Informele terugvoer dui daarop dat sommige respondente, veral dié wat nie vlot Engels praat nie, gesukkel het om sommige vrae te verstaan. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing word gemaak.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for Doctor of Technology Degree in Human Resources Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 2017. / The proposed contribution of this empirical study was the formulation of an exploratory human capital development model aligned to performance management for administrative employees at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The human capital development model comprised of elements that encapsulated the link between performance improvement aided with human capital development strategies and the positive outcomes that stems from improved performance. In the context of the study, there is no standardised human capital development model for administrative employee at DUT. Hence, the study seeks to develop a human capital development model for administrative employees. The objective of the study was to develop a model that integrates the procedures of managing institutional performance with the development of its employees. The research design adopted a quantitative paradigm, using a self- administered questionnaire that was mailed to a sample 254 administrative employees. A significant response rate of 68.1% was obtained as 173 respondents returned the questionnaire. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 24 for Windows. There were some significant findings that emerged from this study. It was indicated that 99.4% of respondents were not subjected to a performance evaluation, while 74% of the respondents showed that human capital development improved performance. A further 87.7% of the respondents reported that human capital development influence promotional opportunities, while 74.5% of the respondents responded to human capital development being linked to succession planning. A further 61.85% of the respondents also indicated that management commitment was imperative for the effective implementation of performance management systems. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and the Barlett’s Test of Sphercity indicated the factorability of the measuring instrument. Correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relation between the variables that formulated the human capital development model. Eight of the ten analysis showed that there was a relationship between the variables. The Pearsons Chi-Square test showed a significant correlation for the hypothesis that tested the variables of the study. One of the recommendations suggested is for top management to buy-in to performance management so that their leadership can encourage supervisors to commit to the process. Effective feedback, training, development, mentoring and coaching are recommended to improve the performance of administrative employee. Recommendations suggested the development of a succession planning and career advancement policy for the institution. The study concluded with suggestions for future research. / D

As argued by authors like Franzen on whose work the greater part of the introduction, the main problem and sub-problem has been based, the objective of this study was to establish the extent to which the performance evaluation system currently in use at the subject Institution conforms to the benchmark performance management systems as espoused in literature. Further, the objective was to establish the differences and commonalities between the performance management systems practiced in the corporate sector and current practice at the subject Institution. Best practice was thus lifted to form part of the recommendation of this study. A questionaire was designed based on the guidelines in the literature study in order to determine how the subject Institution conducts its performance appraisal and how this relates to the four general purposes of performance management mentioned in the study. The respondents' opinion obtained from the questionaire were compared with the guidelines in literature and clustered around the four identifiable general purposes of performance management. The study concludes with a statement of current practice at the subject Institution, and outlines the extent of conformance to benchmark practice on performance management systems. Recommendations are made based on best practice and direction is given to future research into contemporary practices with the express aim of enhancing quality in higher education applying the quality-related procedures of industry and commerce, where quality is crucial to success (Winch, 1996: 9-13). The current performance management system at the subject Institution proves to be largely conforming to the benchmark. However it should require comments made by the respondents that pertain to improvement.

This study examined the existing levels of effectiveness and efficiency in local government with the application of performance management systems in the provision of municipal services. The provision of district-wide water services in Cacadu District Municipality in the Province of the Eastern Cape, South Africa is used for particular reference. Local government reforms after 1994 led to the creation of the district municipality (which groups together a number of local municipalities) to drive district-wide services provision, the introduction of systematic services provision standards and performance management as part of management reforms in municipalities. The problem for the research deals with how the Cacadu District Council and the councils of the local municipalities within the district are collaborating in using performance management systems, what effects this could have on programmes and services provision and how communication of performance information would improve service provision. Conceptual and practical difficulties encountered in effective and efficient utilisation and some obstacles that contribute to impeding progress in the use of performance management systems in municipalities were analysed. The qualitative research included a review of documents from the public administration and management literature; discourse analysis of interviews with municipal councilors and appointed officials, community members and provincial managers. The document review included a review of municipal documents that incorporated performance management or described development and use of performance management systems. It also included the legal frameworks and statutory requirements for municipal government and administration. All the responding municipal councils within the Cacadu District Municipality reported using performance management over the past five years yet little empirical evidence explains usage for district-wide programmes and services provision. Research shows that a comprehensive performance management approach to programmes and services has a more effective and efficient impact on service improvement than utilisation of personnnel appraisal (Ammons and Rivenbark, 2005). Despite the expected benefits, personnel performance appraisal is often flawed and the need exists in the district municipal model to develop and utilise performance management systems that validly assess the work performance of personnel (Hindo, 2010). Performance management system utilisation in decision making management is more related to the long-term benefits of effectiveness and efficiency than personnel appraisal for performance rewards and reporting. To overcome and address a situation of managing performance without a performance management system the study proposes a programme performance measurement and management system which incorporates information on management inputs, programme-specific data and citizens' feedback for outcomes and impact of the service. The suggested design for district-wide and specific municipal services provision elicit and provide relevant and appropriate performance information for management, decision-making and accountability to community. The effectiveness of the proposed system is to provide information for decision-making, long-term planning, strategic management and accountability reporting. The proposal is built on the exisiting method and thus efficient in the utilisation of resources. This has implications both for the theory of Public Administration and Management and the practical application of performamce management in public institutions. The study explicity provides a Public Administration perspective on management in a multi-municipal district context with different authorities. The study contributes to the theory of administrative policy and management context of the municipality with special attention to functions for which different authorities are responsible and the role of a performance system for better insught into managing overlapping authority, gaps and duplications. A central purpose of public management research is to theorise and influence practice. The practical utilisation of the proposed method is intended to assist managers and politicians with better understanding of a sustainable performance management system.

This study focused on exploring and finding the ideal performance management system suitable for the South African Broadcasting Corporation by establishing an understanding of employees’ experiences and perceptions of the previous and a proposed performance management systems and their value to SABC employees. This was done by eliciting how employees see, make sense of and interpret their everyday experiences of performance management systems, in order to develop a more suitable inclusive performance management system. A qualitative study was used to seek answers to the research questions. A focus group interview was selected for data collection. The data was analysed according to guidelines indicated and proposed by Creswell (1998:147-148). The researcher made use of convenience sampling to select 45 participants in 5 groups for the focus groups. One group consisted of managers/supervisors, and the other four groups were employees from four different business units. Participants were guaranteed confidentiality. Credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability were used as the main components in the model, to determine the truth-value of the study. Findings indicated that there was a fair understanding of the previous performance management system but there had been poor implementation of the system. The participants concurred that the previous performance iv management systems in the organisations were not adding any value to their lives. They pointed out that there was no reward in place for high performers and no action taken for non-performers, and this impacted negatively on how implementation was perceived and experienced. The recommendations are that the revised performance management system should have a stronger emphasis on effective management, monitoring, feedback and reward. Furthermore, the system should close the current gaps of reward for high performance and correction of low performance. It was further concluded that for a performance management system to be effective, it should incorporate updated job descriptions, performance measures and standards, as well as evaluator training and guidelines for improvement, employee input, compensation and/or rewards.

Training is widely conducted in organizations and is actively encouraged by the recent legislation in South Africa. Millions of Rands are spent building human resource capabilities. Organizations therefore need to know whether this investment in training is bearing fruit in terms of changes in individual performance and overall impact on service delivery. The need to improve Transversal Training Management Agency (TTMA) training programmes and skills development impact to government departments has triggered the survey. Three interdependent themes are explored: training evaluation in `government departments, influence of non-training factors and human dynamics between stakeholders in the training evaluation process. Structured questionnaires, based on best practises in literature were administered to key stakeholders involved in TTMA training programmes. Training managers and the Office of the Premier (OTP) Human Resource Development (HRD) officials were interviewed, while supervisors, trainees and trainers verified the data by post. Data were collected from the Department of Basic Education, Eastern Cape (EC), TTMA trainers and trainees. Findings show that The Department of Basic Education in the EC does not fully follow a system’s approach. Evaluations done during classroom sessions focus mainly on the reaction of participants to training and not on the behaviour change in the workplace. Training participants are not prepared for training; sometimes they do not even know why they attend training. Some trainees go to training just to get certificates that increase their CV’s for promotion purposes or to run away from the stressful work environment and not for individual growth. Recommendations to use a systemic evaluation approach and involvement of trainees in their career development process are made. Further research is recommended on the managing of non-training factors that impede learning transfer.

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.

The effective management of individual/team performance is a crucial requirement to ensure that organisational goals are attained. This requires accurate data regarding the performance levels of individuals/teams. Therefore there is a need for a standardised and formal performance management system. An effective performance management system is the centre of an integrated HR system that feeds into a variety of processes and systems such as career planning, rewards, training and development, promotions, and disciplinary decisions. Despite the importance of performance management, most organisations find it difficult to implement, manage and sustain performance management systems and processes effectively. The focus of this study is on appraising the performance management practices in the offices of the Department of Labour in three provinces: Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The results indicate problems with the practices in areas such as alignment, fairness, measuring commitment, systems integrity, and the performance management culture. Recommendations were made to address these issues and improve the effectiveness of the system / Human Resource Management / M. Tech. (Human Resource Development)