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The transforming roles of management boards in non-profit social welfare organisations

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Universally social welfare organisations are under considerable pressure to perform
in new and demanding ways. Continual change in one form or another is an
inescapable part of both social and organisational life. After the political
transformation of 1994, all South African non-profit social welfare organisations were
called upon to participate in the development of an equitable, people-centred,
democratic and developmental social welfare system.
The process of reconstruction and development which is currently underway in South
Africa requires non-profit social welfare organisations to transform their governance
structures and approach in keeping with the new social developmental approach to
service delivery such as the White Paper for Social Welfare (1997), the Non-profit
Organisations Act (1997), the Public Finance Management Act (1999), the Codes
of Good Practice for South African Non-profit Organisations (2001) and the
Code of Corporate Governance - King II Report (2002).
The political reforms in South Africa and the dramatic change in socio-economic
policies and legislation such as the promulgation of the White Paper for Social
Welfare (1997) illustrates how the external environment could impact on the
provisioning of social welfare services in the non-profit sector. Social welfare
organisations are therefore challenged to transform their governance structures to
reflect the legislative changes in the country.
In order for social welfare service providers to implement a developmental approach
to social welfare, management boards of non-profit social welfare organisations need
to adopt a proactive role in facilitating the transformation process. The management
board is a policy making body of the organisation with a legal duty to ensure that the
organisation's actions are consistent with the its goals and objectives. The motivation for the research study is to explore whether management boards of
non-profit social welfare organisations had transformed their governance structure
and practice in keeping with the transformed social welfare legislation and codes of
practice.
The literature review demonstrates that management boards of social welfare
organisations have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. A more progressive
perspective on the roles and responsibilities is linked to the management board's
ability to respond to changing environments. According to theorists on modern
governance (Carver, 1990, Abels and Murphey, 1981, and Herman, 1989),
management boards should initiate, plan and manage the change process in order to
improve the operational effectiveness of the organisation and to strive towards what
ought to be for the creation of a just society. The White Paper for Social Welfare
(1997) describes a just society as being one that facilitates the development of
human capacity and self-reliance within a caring and enabling environment.
The findings of the study conclude that the majority of management boards of social
welfare organisations have transformed their governance structure however, they
should be more informed about contemporary governance practices and social
welfare transformation processes. Management boards need to develop an agenda
for social transformation in order to respond more proactively to the call for a
transformed social welfare practice in the country.
The legislative framework of the South African Government makes provision for the
formulation of principles and regulations that guide transformation practices in the
non-profit social welfare sector. In order to ensure that transformation takes place
within the sector, the government has mandated the Department of Social
Development with the responsibility to monitor the process. The challenge that exists
for the Department of Social Development is to create a structure for dialogue and
feedback between the various role players in order to share the responsibility for the
transformation of social welfare practice. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Oor die algemeen is daar 'n redelike mate van druk op welsynsorganisasies
om op nuwe en uitdagende maniere dienste te lewer. Voortdurende
verandering in die een of ander vorm is 'n onvermydelike deel van beide die
sosiale en organisatoriese lewe. Na die politieke transformasie van 1994 is
daar 'n beroep gedoen op alle nie-winsgewende maatskaplike
welsynsorganisasies in Suid Afrika om deel te neem aan die ontwikkeling van
'n gelyke, mens-gesentreerde, demokratiese en ontwikkelende maatskaplike
welsynsisteem .
Die proses van rekonstruksie en ontwikkeling wat tans in Suid-Afrika aan die
gang is, vereis van nie-winsgewende welsynsorganisasies om hulle
bestuurstrukture en benadering in ooreenstemming te bring met die nuwe
maatskaplike ontwikkkelingsbenadering tot dienslewering soos vervat in die
Witskrif vir Maatskaplike Welsyn (1997),
Die politieke hervorminge in Suid-Afrika en die dramatise veranderinge in
sosio-ekonomiese beleid en wetgewing, soos byvoorbeeld die uitvaardiging
van die Witskrif vir Maatkskaplike Welsyn (1997), Wet op Organisasies sonder
Winsoogmerk (1997), Wet op Openbare Finansiële Bestuur (1999), Kodes vir
Goeie Praktyk vir Suid Afrikaanse Nie-Winsgewende Organisasies (2001) en
die Kode vir Korporatiewe Bestuur- King II Verslag (2002), illustreer hoe die
eksterne omgewing die voorsiening van maatskaplike welsynsdienste in die
nie-winsgewende sektor kan beïnvloed. Maatskaplike welsynsoganisasies
staan daarom voor die uitdaging om hulle bestuurstrukture sodanig te
verander, dat dit 'n weerspieëling sal wees van die wetgewende veranderinge
in die land.
Om die maatskaplike welsyns-voorsieners in staat te stelom 'n ontwikkelings
-benadering te implimenteer, moet bestuursrade van nie-winsgewende
organisasies 'n pro-aktiewe rol speel om die transformasie proses te fasiliteer.
Die bestuursraad is die beleidmaker van die organisasie en het 'n wetlike verpligting om seker te maak dat die organisasie se optrede in
ooreenstemming is met die organisasie se doelstellings.
Die motivering vir die navorsing is om ondersoek in te stelof bestuursrade
van nie-winsgewende maatskaplike welsynsorganisasies hulle
bestuursstrukture en praktyk aangepas het om in ooreenstemming te wees
met die veranderde maatskaplike welsynswetgewing en praktyk kodes.
Die literatuurstudie toon aan dat bestuursrade van maatskaplike
welsynsorganisasies duidelike gedefinieerde rolle en verantwoordelikhede
het. 'n Meer progressiewe perspektief op die rolle en verantwoordelikhede is
gekoppel aan die bestuursrade se vermoë om te reageer op veranderende
omgewings. Volgens skrywers oor moderne bestuur (Carver, 1990, Abels en
Murphey, 1981, en Herman, 1989), moet bestuursrade die veranderingsproses
inisieer, beplan en bestuur ten einde die operasionele effektiwiteit van
die organisasies te verbeter en om te streef na wat behoort te wees vir die
totstandkoming van 'n regverdige samelewing. Die Wit Skrif vir Maatskaplike
Welsyn (1997) beskryf 'n regverdige samelewing as een wat die ontwikkeling ,
van die kapasiteit van die mens en sy vermoë tot selfstandigheid fasiliteer
binne 'n ondersteunende en bemagtigende omgewing.
Die wetgewende raamwerk van die Suid Afrikaanse Regering maak
voorsiening vir die formulering van beginsels en regulasies wat die
transformasie proses in die nie-winsgewende maatskaplike welsyn sektor
begelei. Om te verseker dat transformasie wel plaasvind binne hierdie sektor,
het die regering 'n mandaat gegee aan die Departement van Maatskaplike
Ontwikkeling om hierdie proses te monitor. Die uitdaging vir die Department
van Maatskaplike Ontwikkeling lê daarin om 'n struktuur daar te stel vir
dialoog en terugvoering tussen die verskillende rolspelers sodat hulle
gesamentlik verantwoordelikheid kan neem vir die transformasie van die
maatskaplike welsyn praktyk.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53690
Date03 1900
CreatorsNefdt, Wendy Muriel
ContributorsGreen, Sulina, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format120 pages : illustrations
RightsStellenbosch University

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