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Implementation of the performance management system in the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

A research report submitted to the faculty of Commerce, Law and
Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field
of Governance and Public Leadership)
2015 / The performance management system was introduced in the South African
public service with the intention to continuously manage performance by
setting performance objectives, reviewing past performance, assessing
current performance, improving poor performance, determining recognition
and reward for good performance, and assisting with career planning.
Research has revealed that although the performance management system
has been implemented in government departments it has not achieved
expected results. This study was undertaken as an attempt to investigate
the factors leading to the challenges in implementing the performance
management system in the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development.
To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees
at different levels as well as a former trade union leader who was involved
in the process of developing the Gauteng Provincial Government Policy on
Performance Management and Development. Internal documents of the
Department were also analysed. The themes identified led to a richer
understanding of the factors affecting the implementation of the
performance management system.
The research findings indicate that although there is an understanding of
performance management in the Department, implementation remains a
challenge. The analysis of the responses indicated a great dissatisfaction
with the current system. A few of the reasons are that not all managers show
commitment towards the performance management system; some
managers are not fair in the manner in which they conduct performance
assessments and distribute rewards; it has failed to link performance
outcomes to rewards in a meaningful manner; there is not much emphasis
placed on personal and career development; and there are no measures
put in place by supervisors to address employees who do not achieve the
set performance targets.
It is concluded that there is an urgent need for government to address the
challenges experienced with the system, as at the moment, it is not meeting
the objectives it was intended to meet. / MT2017

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/21770
Date January 2016
CreatorsLemao, Dineo
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
FormatOnline resource (131-136), application/pdf

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