Thesis (Ph.D.)--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2009.

M.Phil. / The objective of this study was to explore a group of key employees’ experiences and perceptions at the Government Funded Organisation (GFO) of the service performance of the GFO they work for, as well as to develop a social tool –a model – that could be used to help both the public fulfil its role of developing workable strategies aimed at ensuring that they deliver services according to their mandate. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods (mixed method approach) was used in this study. The existing quantitative instrument was buttressed by the empirically derived qualitative insights to form an instrument that was later distributed to all GFO employees with a view to developing a “mixed method model” of leadership work ethic for improved organisational performance for the institution concerned. During the qualitative phase of this study interviews were conducted using an exploratory theory approach. Eight executive members at the level of a Director General (DG) and Deputy Directors General (DDG) were interviewed. The result of the interviews was a qualitatively derived prototype of interrelated concepts in the form of a work ethic model, consisting of rich descriptive data which was carefully analysed using an exploratory theory methodology (Glaser & Strauss, 2007 and Daniels, 2009). This means the development of theory that is derived from an analysis of qualitative data. The computer assisted data analysis tool, Atlas, ti was used to support the qualitative data. The second phase of the study was conducted by distributing a questionnaire to 549 employees of the GFO. From the 549 questionnaires emailed to all employees, 349 were completed and returned, thus constituting a response rate of 76.5%. The questionnaires returned were deemed adequate for conducting a factor analysis. A first level factor analysis v was accordingly conducted on intercorrelation matrix of the 10 theoretical dimensions. A second level factor analysis on a sub-score intercorrelation matrix followed and resulted in six (6) factors being extracted. Iterative item analysis then yielded acceptable metric properties for each dimension and a Cronbach alpha coefficient ranging between 0.611 and 0.697, which was deemed a reasonable acceptable scale reliability for the model. To get at the desired model, the findings of the phases of the mixed method approach were synthesised and interrelated where data from the quantitative phase played a significant role to data from the qualitative phase. The derived model consists of the inner core and the outer core. The elements of the outer core which were qualitatively derived by means of exploratory theory provided a description of the discussion and gave the research participants a say in the inquiry. The elements of the inner core, on the other hand, were elicited through deductive reasoning and gave the model a qualitative exploration through the use of factor analysis. These elements included amongst others, leadership, leadership work ethic, quality management, organisational strategy, strategic management, organisational learning, organisational structure and organisational performance. The elements of the outer core were identified as observing conventions, behavioral traits, reward and recognition, time at work, self-worth and responsibility and time management. The results of the two methods were thus integrated into a model called the New Work Ethic Model (NWEM).

South Africa is held up internationally as a beacon of good practice in terms of its efforts to promote gender equality and, the increased number of women in leadership positions in all spheres of government is testament to this. The representation of women in all spheres of government is advocated for and promoted by legislation and policies that aim to promote a gender focus on all government procedures and programmes. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of women leaders, including their reasons for maintaining leadership positions. It also addressed the challenges these women faced on their journeys and described their definitions of successful leadership based on their experiences. The qualitative nature of the research project made it possible to tell the stories of the participants’ experiences in order to understand their career progression and how it pertained to their concept of leadership. The three participants recruited for the study were women in positions of influence within their municipality including managers, directors, and executive directors. Purposeful sampling was used so that the chosen participants would have experience with the central phenomenon being studied. All of the women contacted to participate in this study readily agreed to share their experiences. There was some level of diversity regarding the age, ethnic backgrounds, and education level of the participants. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted to collect the data. Open-ended questions were used so the responses of the participants could guide the development of themes and the direction of the study. Once the data were collected through recorded interviews, codes were assigned to sections of the text to help identify themes. A coding table was developed to illustrate how the themes for the discussion emerged from data obtained during the interviews. The stories of the participants were interwoven based on the themes and also analyzed in terms of the existing research. A discussion of the findings incorporated the literature and provided evidence of connected concepts. Strategies including inter-coder agreement, rich description, and clarification of biases were used to strengthen the study’s findings. Ethical issues were addressed throughout each phase of the study. All participants were asked to sign an informed consent form that outlined the procedures of the study. The identity of the participants was kept confidential through the use of pseudonyms.

In 1994, the Federal Government is projected to face a critical personnel problem that a large number of Senior Executive Service members will be eligible for retirement. The Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SESCDP) is a major program designed to train potential candidates for the Senior Executive Service positions. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provides agencies with a broad guideline so that they are able to design their own development programs that best suit their needs and circumstances. After the completion of the program, the candidates’ qualifications will be reviewed by the OPM's Qualification Review Board. The qualified candidates, then, will receive certifications from the Qualification Review Board. However, this does not guarantee the candidates the SES placement. The study investigates the SESCDP in several federal agencies, namely, the Department of Interior, the Department of Labor, the Department of Veteran Affairs, and the Small Business Administration. Specifically, it examines the agencies' values and philosophy (basic assumptions) of training the executives, the agencies’ succession planning, their implementation of the programs (the strengths and weaknesses), and their relationships with the OPM. One major purpose of the study is to examine the SESCDPs currently operated by the five federal agencies. Based on government documents and an in-depth interview with the policy makers, experts, program coordinators, and participants, the data was analyzed across all five cases and in relation to Office of Personnel Management's framework. Through various methods of analysis--system analysis, strategic management, and other related executive development theories and learning theories, the results show four major issues of the federal agency SESCDP: 1) the lack of systematic program; 2) the lack of strategic succession planning; 3) the lack of career development planning and; 4) the impacts of the Clinton Administration on the program implementation. To counter the above problems, the author recommends that the federal executive development program should be systematically designed to provide career development to every federal employees at all levels and a system of strategic succession planning should be implemented government-wide. / Ph. D.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

Thesis ( M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2015. / The study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the gender dynamics which promote or retard the full participation of women in decision-making and leadership positions in the Nkangala District Municipality (NDM), Mpumalanga. Local Government, through municipalities, is the most strategic sphere of government. This is so because municipalities are the institutions of government that are closest to the people. Municipalities, through the various services provided, present critical service delivery institutions for women to actively participate in and influence decisions. Therefore the study contends that these institutions of local government are gendered. Against this backdrop, an analysis of gender representation of women and men in decision-making and leadership positions in the NDM was conducted. The aim was to assess the state of gender equality in the NDM. Further, the study explored this gender representation in relation to how it translates to women’s authority and influence in decision-making and leadership. This qualitative research study triangulated data collection using questionnaires, interviews and observation. The study focused on both the administrative and political components of local government. In the administrative component; interviews were conducted with Municipal Managers (MMs), Executive Directors (EDs) and Managers. In the political component, interviews were conducted with Executive Mayors, Speakers, Chief Whips and Members of the Mayoral Committees (MMCs). These constitute the decision-making and leadership positions in municipalities as institutions of local government. The study revealed that amidst the national and international policy and legislative provisions on women’s empowerment and gender equality, women continue to be confronted with institutional gendered challenges. Amongst others, the study revealed that there are pervasive gender dynamics, stereotypes, attitudes and perceptions towards women in decision-making and leadership positions in these institutions. Also, that there are minimum institutional mechanisms and strategies that encourage and support women’s participation in decision-making and leadership positions. The provincial and national gender machineries’ roles and responsibilities with regard to municipalities’ monitoring, oversight and overall support is not as vibrant. Drawing from the findings, the study concludes with a proposal for a Women’s Leadership Empowerment Model WLEM). A comprehensive model that will comprise of professional capacity-building and training, on-the-job coaching and mentorship, regular peer assessment and review for a to continuously support women in and into decision-making and leadership positions.

Australia has been engaged on a comprehensive process of federal public service reform for more than 20 years. It began in the 1970s, when the long undisturbed Australian Public Service (APS) was confronted with a major review process and with a set of administrative law reforms. This was followed in the 1980s by the introduction of a set of ambitious administrative reforms, which drew strength from similar developments occurring overseas, notably in Britain, the United States, New Zealand and Canada. This created the setting for the commercialisation of the APS that began in the late 1980s, which itself created a further set of organisational and management imperatives for the APS. The articulation of the desired management competencies became a pressing priority to consolidate the administrative and commercialisation reforms and a broad consensus emerged. The next challenge was to determine how best to inculcate the desired APS management competencies. The overall conclusion drawn was that while the administrative and commercialisation reforms have moved the APS some way towards attaining the distinctive characteristics that well-performing public agencies should have, they have created a wide variety of challenges and threats yet to addressed adequately. Within an organisational and politico-administrative environment that leaves APS managers vulnerable, especially those in APS 'quasi-businesses', because they are expected to improve service delivery productivity, so as to reduce costs, while at the same time to enhance service quality. This management task requires them to confront a variety of these threats and challenges, which purveyors of public management education must help them address, if they are to meet their idiosyncratic learning needs. This requires the adoption of a learner-based, problem-centred approach to learning for, rather than about, public management. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration